We Can Help You Find Justice If You've Suffered a Serious Injury in a Bike Crash
Though more people are riding bikes each year, our cities haven't caught up, leaving bicyclists uniquely vulnerable. Without the protections that come built into a car, bicyclists may suffer broken bones, spinal cord injuries, or even brain injury. They may need extensive medical treatment, miss days or even weeks of work, or sustain permanent disabilities. Aside from the pain and inconvenience of the injury itself, serious accidents can cause financial strain and uncertainty about the future.
We can help take care of you if you suffered a severe injury in a bike accident. Filing for compensation is complex in the best of times, and when you're trying to heal, the time and energy it takes to navigate the insurance system may be prohibitive. Our Middletown bicycle accident attorneys can take the lead on your claim, handling the work and using our experience to help you maximize your compensation.
Call Karns & Kerrison today for your free consultation at 401-841-5300.
Determining Liability After a Bicycle Accident
Inattentive drivers often cause bicycle accidents. Because bicyclists have a smaller profile than other drivers, they're easy to miss in mirrors or blind spots, especially when a driver only takes a quick glance before moving. They may be hidden behind other cars or obstacles.
Drivers may cause accidents when they:
- Turn (left or right) across a bicyclist's path
- Merge into a bicyclist
- Pull out of an alleyway, driveway, or parking lot into a bicyclist's path
- Pull out of a parallel parking space and across a bike lane or shoulder
- Open their door into a bicyclist who is riding by
- Pass a bicyclist without leaving enough room
Bicyclists can only react so quickly and may not be able to maneuver around a driver who suddenly pulls out in front of them. Especially when these collisions happen at speed, a bike rider is likely to be seriously injured.
Types of Bicycle Accident Injuries
A minor bike accident may only cause a few scrapes and bruises, but serious collisions often cause life-changing injuries like:
- Complex or multiple fractures
- Facial injury
- Loss of limb/amputation
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Wrongful death
If you sustain this type of injury, you may find yourself facing weeks of recovery and a need for ongoing treatment and/or physical therapy. You may be unable to work full days or return to your job at all, even after you've reached the point of maximum medical. Lasting disabilities can also necessitate daily assistance with household duties or personal needs.
Bicycle Accident Compensation
All these changes come with tangible costs as well as emotional challenges. Our bike accident attorneys in Middletown can help you evaluate how you may have to adjust your life, and what that means financially and otherwise. We work with medical professionals and other expert consultants to ensure we consider all types of losses each client might face.
The compensation you receive should cover your:
- Medical bills
- Future medical needs
- Rehabilitation (physical/vocational)
- Lost wages
- Decrease in earning capacity
- Accommodations and assistive devices
- Personal aid
- Household services
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
It's important to speak with an attorney before accepting an insurance settlement because most adjusters will refrain from mentioning the ongoing costs and challenges an accident victim is likely to face. The initial settlement offer will likely be much lower than the amount you truly need, and unless you work with an attorney, you may have trouble negotiating a fair payout.
How a Bicycle Accident Attorney Can Help Your Claim
There are multiple reasons to work with an attorney after an accident: Lowballing you is only one of the ways insurance adjusters seek to undermine your claim. They may also ask leading questions so you say a phrase they can construe as an admission of partial fault. Because your settlement can be reduced by the percentage of blame you're found to hold, avoiding this tactic can mean a difference of thousands of dollars.
Claims also require extensive paperwork, gathering and submission of evidence, and multiple calls and follow-ups to ensure your case is being handled in a timely manner. Some insurance adjusters try to give claimants the runaround or offer up reasons for endless delays. Rather than wasting your energy trying to protect your right to recover the compensation you need, reach out to Karns & Kerrison. We can take care of this work, leaving you time to rest and recuperate after your accident.
Lastly, sometimes a tough stance in negotiations isn't enough to receive a fair settlement. In such a case, you need an attorney who is not afraid to fight your case in court. We have a team of strong litigators who are devoted to fighting each case until the very end.
Our Team Is Here for Middletown Bike Accident Victims
Our passion has always been making sure the law serves people, not big corporations. After an accident, the last thing you need is an insurer unfairly disputing your claim or denying you a settlement. We can help you fight back against this unjust treatment.
Karns & Kerrison has helped accident victims in Middletown recover more than $250 million after serious accidents. Our success comes from our team's experience, knowledge, and dedication.
Finding your way forward after sustaining severe injuries is a difficult process. Our team is here to guide you through your personal injury claim and provide the support you need.
Schedule a free consultation with the Middletown bicycle accident attorneys at Karns & Kerrison by calling us at 401-841-5300. We are proud to serve clients throughout Aquidneck Island.