Largo Bicycle And Pedestrian Accident Attorney
Accidents involving bicyclists and pedestrians can cause serious injuries. While cars have a protective metal shield around them (which can be a blessing and a curse depending on the accident), bicyclists and pedestrians have little to no protection if an accident occurs.
In 2018, there were 857 bicyclists killed in traffic accidents in the United States, and in 2017 there were 5,977 pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in the United States. Most bicycle and pedestrian accidents can be avoided if drivers follow the rules of the road, but oftentimes these rules are ignored, resulting in negligence.
Common Causes of Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents
There are many different reasons that bicycle and pedestrian accidents are caused, and while sometimes it may be the fault of the bicyclist or the pedestrian, it is oftentimes the fault of the driver. The most common causes of bicycle and pedestrian accidents include:
- Distracted Driving: Drivers who text, eat, talk on the phone, or are otherwise mindlessly distracted, can cause an accident. Distracted driving has become one of the top reasons for all kinds of accidents, simply because of how attached to cell phones people have become over the last decade.
- Drinking and Driving: Drinking or drug use while driving is not only illegal, but incredibly dangerous. Drinking while driving can cause slowed reaction times, confusion, blurring vision, and poor decision making. If someone is driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, it may be hard to see a pedestrian or cyclist on the side of the road.
- Speeding: If a driver is speeding, they may not be able to slow down in time to move around a bicyclist or pedestrian (when there is no sidewalk present).
- Lane Merging: Lane merging can cause serious bicycle accidents. If drivers don’t check their blind spots, they may crash into a bicyclist who’s in the lane next to them.
- Driveways and Parking Lots: If cars don’t check their rear view mirror and look behind their vehicle before backing up, they could crash into a pedestrian walking in a busy parking lot, or a bicyclist riding by on a street when backing out of a driveway.
Injuries Associated with Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents
The injuries that are associated with both bicycle and pedestrian accidents are very similar, although bicyclists are less likely to indur head injuries as severely if they’re wearing their helmet properly. Pedestrians are also more likely to suffer from lower limb injuries, as the car usually will come into contact with the lower portion of their body first. This can cause them to be pushed or even thrown out of the way of the vehicle, causing more severe damage.
Brain Injuries
Brain injuries, like concussion, hematoma, hemorrhaging, and coup/contrecoup injuries are common with all types of motor vehicle accidents. While a helmet can help to prevent these injuries, it’s still possible to get a brain injury while wearing a helmet. It will just prevent it from being more severe.
Broken Bones
Broken bones are very common in both types of accidents, and can include breaks to the lower and upper extremities. More minor breaks will just need to be set to heal in a cast, while more severe breaks will need surgery to ensure they’re correctly repaired and set correctly before placing the bone in a cast.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can also occur from pedestrian and bicycle accidents. Spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis, vegetative state, and death. Spinal cord injuries may also require expensive treatment, such as injections, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.
What Can I Recover in Damages?
After your accident, you may be concerned about the amount of debt that you’ve accumulated. You may have mountains of medical bills, and lost wages from being out of work. A talented attorney will be able to help you recover those damages and more in your lawsuit.
You can receive compensation for both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages refer to damages with a monetary value associated with them, meaning your medical bills as well as your lost wages. Non-economic damages cover non-monetary losses, like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of earning capacity.
When determining how much you should receive for non-economic damages, we’ll take a look at how much your life has changed before and after the accident occured. Did you lose your job? Are you unable to work again? Do you have a permanent disability? Will you have to continue to have to pay for treatment? Did you lose a spouse or partner because of the accident or your injuries? These are the types of questions that will help determine how much you’re owed for non-economic damages.
Do I Need to Hire an Attorney?
Hiring an attorney will not only help you get the most compensation possible for you case, but it will also help to take the stress off of your shoulders so that you can work on relaxing and recovering from your injuries. An attorney will communicate with insurance companies on your behalf, talk to doctors and police officers to get your medical records and your police statement, and negotiate a settlement deal on your behalf. They’ll also defend you in court if your case ends up going to trial.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a bicycle or a pedestrian accident, please contact our talented attorneys here at Jones Law Group. We’re ready to take on your case. Please contact us online by using our chat box option or by calling us at 727-571-1333.