Sometimes bicycle riders find themselves in the unenviable situation of getting into an accident. When a car collides with a bicycle, the results are often tragic for the bike rider, who may suffer catastrophic and life-altering injuries.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a bicycle accident in Delray Beach, you have legal options and may be able to collect compensation from the negligent driver for your injuries and your suffering. Contact Eltringham Law Group today.
Our Bicycle Accident Attorneys at Delray Beach Get Results
At Eltringham Law Group, we are invested in your wellbeing. For many years, we have helped our South Florida injured neighbors hold other people responsible for their injuries, collecting compensation for them so they don’t have to worry about how they pay their bills.
Our experienced team stands ready to guide you through every step of the legal process so you can focus all of your effort and energy on your health and recovery. We work diligently and tirelessly to protect your rights and help you get maximum compensation.
Bicycle Accident Injuries You Can Sue For
Bicycle accident injuries are often severe. Because a bicycle provides little protection for the rider, they often suffer catastrophic injuries that leave them dealing with recovery for the rest of their life. In extreme cases, bike riders unfortunately die in accidents. Florida leads the nation in bicycle accident fatalities.
Drivers engage in negligence for many reasons. The end result is that you suffer serious injuries, including:
- Road rash
- Cuts
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Neck and back injuries
- Sprains and strains
- Internal injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Amputation
- Paralysis
Even in slow-speed crashes, the bicycle rider can suffer life-threatening injuries. When riding a bike, your body is fully exposed to the force of the impact with the car. This impact can cause multiple severe injuries requiring long-term medical care and attention.
A Skilled Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Delray Beach Can Help You Prove Fault
Because you likely have many injuries, you will need ongoing medical treatment. This care will be expensive and may exceed your insurance limits and the limits of the person who hit you – but that doesn’t mean you should be on the hook to cover the astronomical costs. That’s why it’s crucial that you file a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver in an attempt to prove they were negligent in causing your bicycle accident.
To do that, you will need to show:
- The driver owed you a duty of care to drive safely and avoid a collision
- The driver breached that duty of care by driving in an unsafe manner
- As a result of the driver’s negligence, an accident occurred
- Where you suffered injuries
You know this is what happened, but proving this to a legal standard requires evidence, which is where your legal team can prove invaluable. Your Delray Beach bicycle accident attorney at Eltringham Law Group can investigate your accident, working with accident reconstruction experts, to accurately determine the cause of your accident. Gathering this evidence is crucial to being able to prove the driver acted negligently and should be liable for your injuries and your suffering.
Your Time to File a Bicycle Accident Claim in Florida Is Limited By Law
To do that, you need to file a personal injury claim, but you have limited time to do so. Under Florida law, you only have four years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury claim. While four years might seem like a long time, consider all of the hurdles you may face during that time:
- Multiple surgeries
- Extended hospital stays
- Multiple doctor visits
- Extended time out of work
- In facility rehabilitation
- In-home care
The more serious your injuries, the more likely you are to spend long periods of time out of work. If you cannot work, then you cannot earn a living to support yourself. That’s the biggest reason to act fast.
Besides that, your bicycle accident attorney in Delray Beach will also need time to investigate your accident. They will also want to make sure that they collect evidence before it goes missing. The longer you take to speak with a lawyer, the more likely it is that witnesses will forget what they saw, making it more difficult for you to prove your case.
Getting Compensation in a Bicycle Accident Case
The point of filing a personal injury claim is for you to collect compensation from the negligent driver in your bicycle accident. Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may face a long and expensive road to recovery. That’s why your lawyer may try to get you compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Lost income
- Lost earning potential
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Present and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation costs
Your ability to collect compensation will depend on whether your legal team can prove the other driver was negligent and caused your accident. To get maximum compensation, you’ll also need to show that you have suffered damages as a result.
Getting compensation for future needs presents challenges, but is not impossible. Together with your bicycle accident lawyer in Delray Beach, you can create an accurate estimate of your future medical needs. Using medical experts, your lawyer can determine how much money you may need to cover your medical expenses and your lost income. This is crucial to ensuring that you don’t pay a dime out of your own pocket for your bicycle accident losses.
Speak with a Delray Beach Bicycle Accident Lawyer at Eltringham Law Group Today
The lawyer you choose can make a difference in your ability to collect maximum compensation for your bicycle accident injuries. You need a lawyer with proven experience helping bicycle accident injury victims like you recover compensation for your injuries.
Contact Eltringham Law Group today to schedule your free consultation with our experienced team. We are the Delray Beach bicycle accident legal team you need on your side to give you compassionate and aggressive legal representation with the shared goal of getting you maximum compensation.