Bicycling is a convenient and healthy way of getting around Encino. While cycling has become increasingly popular in recent years, many motorists fail to give them the proper space and consideration they deserve, which can lead to devastating accidents. If you were injured while cycling because of someone else’s negligence, you can turn to the Encino bicycle accident attorneys at Younglove Law Firm for help.
With three decades of experience and ample resources at our disposal, Younglove Law Firm is ready to fight for you. Contact us today at (602) 737-3333 for a free case review.
The attorneys at Younglove Law Firm have dedicated themselves to representing injured clients in Encino and the surrounding area since 1997. Our client-centered legal advocates provide the following advantages for your bicycle accident claim:
Our lead attorney, Douglas Younglove has over 30 years of experience with more than 100 jury trials, and 300 cases with successful conclusions in the past five years alone.
Bicycle accidents cause serious injuries with expensive treatment and lengthy recovery times. Often this means missed paychecks and large medical bills. These consequences of an accident are known as your “damages” in a personal injury claim, including in bicycle accident cases. Common damages in bike accident claims include the following:
Financial compensation for non-economic damages like pain and suffering cannot erase the pain you’ve experienced, but it substantially increases compensation and provides a sense of justice.
If a loved one was killed in a bicycle accident in Encino, you could recover compensation in a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver.
Both drivers and bicyclists minimize the risk of serious injuries in a bicycle accident by carefully following traffic laws and remaining alert and vigilant. Unfortunately, bicycle accident injuries and deaths are on the rise, increasing by 9.3 percent between 2020 and 2021 in California. Common causes of bicycle accidents in Encino include the following:
California has twice the national average of bicyclist deaths, making up four percent of traffic fatalities in the state.
If you or your loved one was injured in a bicycle accident due to a driver’s carelessness or reckless driving, you may have suffered life-altering injuries with long-term impacts on your ability to work and accomplish daily routines. Even less serious injuries cause financial stress when medical bills roll in at the same time you may have missed one or more paychecks. Common injuries when bicyclists have accidents with motorists include the following:
Bicycle injuries tend to be serious or even grave, especially when an unprotected bicyclist encounters a 4,000-pound metal vehicle.
Bicycle accidents often lead to severe injuries because cyclists have little protection against motorists or the pavement. Bicycle accident victims and their families need the time and space to heal and recover after the accident. When you hire the team at Younglove Law Firm, you get dedicated attorney who specializes in bicycle accidents will fight for what’s best for you. We can help with your claim by:
The first thing you should do after a bicycle accident is to get immediate medical assistance. You will probably notice signs of your injury, but in case you didn’t at the time of the accident, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Adrenaline may initially mask your symptoms.
Report the accident to law enforcement. Give them information about the driver if they fled the scene. Take photos or videos of the accident scene, if possible. Request a copy of the police report once it is available. Seek assistance from a skilled Encino bike accident lawyer for assistance.
Bicyclists are vulnerable road users. When a driver hits them, the results can be catastrophic. This can cause the at-fault driver to flee the scene out of fear of criminal and civil repercussions.
If an at-fault driver flees the scene, consider taking these steps and contacting a car accident attorney in Encino to protect your legal claim:
California has a fault-based insurance system that requires injury victims to provide evidence of the at-fault party’s negligence in order to prove them liable for damages like medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Proving liability in a bicycle accident requires documenting evidence to show the following:
In less common cases, the at-fault party could be the manufacturer of a defective bicycle or vehicle part or a negligent road maintenance agency, but careless or reckless drivers are the most common defendants in bicycle accident cases.
Bicyclists must follow all traffic laws just as drivers. If you made an error and contributed to the collision, you can still recover compensation per the state’s comparative negligence laws. California Civil Code 1427-3273.69 which states:
“Everyone is responsible, not only for the result of his or her willful acts, but also for an injury occasioned to another by his or her want of ordinary care or skill in the management of his or her property or person, except so far as the latter has, willfully or by want of ordinary care, brought the injury upon himself or herself.”
Say, for example, you contributed to the accident by wearing dark clothing past twilight, but the driver rolled through an intersection without stopping, you could be determined as 20 percent at fault for the accident. If your damages amount to $100,000, you could still recover, $80,000.
Unfortunately, insurance companies frequently take advantage of the state’s comparative negligence laws and attempt to assign a cyclist an undue percentage of fault for the accident. An experienced lawyer from Younglove Law Firm anticipates and counteracts these tactics with evidence and expert witness testimony.
If you were injured in a bike accident, the Encino bicycle accident attorneys at Younglove Law Firm are here to help. Contact us today at (602) 737-3333 to schedule a free case review.