Hit by a Car on a Bike? Call Our Bicycle Accident Lawyers in Philadelphia for Help Today
While cycling is an excellent form of exercise and transportation, it is also one of the riskiest. An auto accident causing a collision with a bicyclist can result in significant injuries because a cyclist is not protected with an airbag, side curtain, seatbelt, or even just the walls of a vehicle. Rather, all most cyclists have to protect them from catastrophic injury or wrongful death is just a helmet. Our bicycle accident lawyers in Philadelphia, PA, at Silver & Silver, know that is often not enough to prevent permanent and disabling injuries.
Each year in the United States, approximately 850 bicyclists are wrongfully killed in bicycle accidents. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), 799 individuals were injured last year, and 22 people were wrongfully killed in bicycle accidents on Pennsylvania roadways. This is significant because there were 819 crashes reported to police, meaning every bicycle accident resulted in an injury or death of a cyclist or a passenger (some bicycle accidents reported having two individuals on the bike).
Unfortunately, while the injuries from a bicycle accident in Philadelphia can be significant, payouts from insurance companies may not be. This is because insurance adjusters often blame bicyclists for their injuries in an accident. This includes claiming that the bicyclist was the cause of the accident, the bicyclist was comparatively at fault for the accident, or that the bicyclist had pre-existing injuries or conditions which prohibits any recovery. At Silver & Silver, we know most of these defenses are not proper, and if you’ve been injured, our experienced bicycle accident attorneys in Philadelphia will work tirelessly to get you the compensation you deserve.
What Silver & Silver’s Bicycle Accident Attorneys Can Do For You
If you or a loved one have been seriously hurt in a bicycle accident in Philadelphia, call Silver & Silver to help you recover the compensation you need for medical bills, lost wages, and for your pain and suffering. We have been dedicated to protecting the rights of people hurt in Pennsylvania for over 40 years.
We can help you by:
– Building your injury claim by recovering medical records, working with treating physicians, and hiring experts to help explain your damages to a judge or jury
– Collecting police accident reports and accident reconstruction reports, as well as interviewing responding officers, to help prove liability
– Retaining liability experts to demonstrate fault against the defendant, whether that defendant is a driver, a business, or the municipality
– Handling the insurance claim and responding to questions from an insurance adjuster, ensuring your rights are protected
– Aggressively working to settle your claim with an insurance adjuster or defense lawyer
– Seeking your remedies in court if a defendant or insurance carrier will not fairly compensate you
– Handling all aspects of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, motion practice, depositions, trial, and appeals, and
– Representing your best interests and answering your and your family’s questions after a bicycle accident.
Proving Liability in a Bicycle Accident Case
In order to recover compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, medical bills, loss of consortium, and other damages, you must first prove liability against the defendant. Generally, this is established by proving that the defendant was negligent. There are two main ways to establish that a defendant was negligent.
The first way is through the common law, or judge-made law, which requires all motorists to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances in the use or operation of a motor vehicle. This includes keeping a proper lookout for bicyclists to avoid a collision causing harm to a cyclist. That means that drivers must act reasonably to avoid unnecessary harm to people riding bikes.
The second way is through the statutory law, or legislatively-made law, that is violated by a driver. When a defendant violates a vehicle and traffic code that was meant to protect a person from the harm that occurred, a defendant may be found automatically liable under the doctrine of negligence per se. This allows a victim to automatically establish fault and focus on proving damages.
Allow Silver & Silver’s Bicycle Accident Attorneys in Philadelphia to Help You After a Bicycle Collision
The damages in bicycle accidents can be significant, and liability is often hotly contested. Victims who have been seriously injured in a cycling collision with a motor vehicle should call the bicycle accident lawyers in Philadelphia, PA, at Silver & Silver for help. We offer FREE consultations and accept cases on a contingency fee arrangement, meaning we only get paid after we recover compensation for you in a settlement, verdict, or award. Learn how our bicycle accident attorneys can help you today by scheduling your free appointment by dialing 610-638-7255 or using our “contact us” box available here.