Bicycle Accident Lawyers in Palm Coast, FL

Why Hire a Palm Coast Bicycle Accident Attorney?

Since 1973, the Palm Coast personal injury lawyers of Chiumento Law, PLLC have dedicated their careers to helping injured people in Flagler and Volusia counties. We understand the devastation that a bicycle accident can have on your life, and we are prepared to help you hold the responsible party accountable for their actions. Our attorneys are prepared to listen to your story, investigate the accident, and aggressively fight on your behalf.

While some minor accidents — those that do not result in serious injuries — can be resolved without legal assistance, a serious injury accident can have a serious impact on your livelihood and ability to care for yourself and your family. If you are facing mounting medical expenses and are losing wages from time off of work, it is wise to hire an experienced bike accident attorney to help you secure the compensation you are entitled to after an accident.

In the days following an accident, you may find yourself pressured by the other person’s insurance company or legal counsel. They may try to get a statement from you, or they may pressure you into settling your claim without legal assistance. This is never a wise decision.

The insurance company will naturally seek to minimize your claim and will try to settle for pennies on the dollar of what your case is truly worth. With a knowledgeable attorney on your side, you can focus on recovery while we handle the insurance companies on your behalf. If the settlement they offer does not match what you are entitled to, we are not afraid to go to trial on your behalf to hold them accountable for what happened to you or your loved one.

Here are a few ways our Palm Coast bicycle accident lawyers can help:

• Our attorneys start by thoroughly investigating the facts of your case to determine what happened and who was at fault for your injuries in your bicycle accident.
• We frequently work with professional investigation teams and accident reconstruction experts to model the accident and build a strong case showing the true cause of serious bicycle crashes.
• We will determine the extent of your injuries and the effects they will have on the rest of your life through consultation with medical and vocational experts.
• We are committed to maximizing the amount of recoverable compensation for your claim, so we will seek out every potential source of insurance available.
• You will be updated on the progress of your case every step of the way
• Our experienced bicycle accident attorneys will immediately communicate settlement offers and other essential information and will give you the advice you need to make informed decisions about your case.

Compensation Available to Bicycle Accident Victims in Florida

As a bicyclist in Florida, you have the right to use bike lanes (if they are marked) and the street to ride to school, work, recreation, or home, and you have the right to be treated as a lawful vehicle in the roadway. If a driver fails to observe the laws or if they behave in a reckless or negligent manner and you are hurt in a serious accident, you may be entitled to compensation including:

• Medical expenses not covered by personal injury protection (PIP)
• Loss of future earnings or earning capacity
• Mental anguish
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium
• Lost wages
• Other expenses or damages

Common Bicycle Accident Injuries

Because bicycles lack the protection that vehicles like cars or trucks do, riders often suffer very serious injuries if they are involved in an accident, especially if they are struck by another vehicle on the road. Common injuries that our attorneys have seen bike riders suffer include:

• Serious head injuries including traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Broken bones
• Neck injuries
• Disfigurement
• Spinal cord injuries including partial or total paralysis
• Internal injuries
• Back injuries
• Soft-tissue injuries
• Facial injuries

The road to recovery following a serious accident can be quite long and difficult for the injured individual and their family members. Often, the pain from the injury extends past the physical and may include mental and emotional trauma as well. The attorneys at Chiumento Law, PLLC understand this, and we are committed to pursuing compensation not just for the injuries that can be seen, but the invisible harm that this accident has had on your life and livelihood.

Causes of Bicycle Accidents

The tragic fact is that a large majority of bike accidents could have been avoided if drivers had been more aware of their surroundings and had followed the rules of the road when sharing the street with cyclists. Some common causes of bicycle accidents include:

• 
  Failure to see bicyclists in the roadway due to distracted or intoxicated driving
• 
  Vehicle “blind-spots” or failure to check side mirrors when sharing the road with cyclists
• 
  Motorists making right turns into bike lanes or the cyclist’s lane of travel
• 
  Opened vehicle doors in bike lanes or street-side lanes, causing harm to cyclists
• 
  Motorists turning left in intersections into the cyclist’s lane of travel
• 
  Road defects like potholes, uneven concrete, debris in the roadway
• 
  Motorists failing to stop at stop signs or red-light intersections
• 
  Reckless or aggressive driving near cyclists
• 
  Excessive speed on roadways shared with cyclists
• 
  Drowsy driving

It is the responsibility of every motorist to be aware of cyclists on the road and in bike lanes, and if they fail to observe the proper safety precautions, serious injuries or even death may result. This cannot and should not happen, and if it does, the cyclist or their loved ones may be eligible to pursue a legal action against the party responsible for the crash.

5 Steps to Take After a Bike Accident in Palm Beach, FL

If you have been involved in a serious bike accident, it is important to follow these steps immediately following the crash:

1. 
   Seek medical attention immediately. While some injuries are obviously severe enough to warrant emergency medical services, others may not be so easily spotted. Be sure to visit a doctor even if you think you are ok. Often, adrenaline after an accident may mask certain injuries like neck, spine, and soft-tissue problems.
2. 
   Call 911 and report the accident. Be sure to cooperate with law enforcement and let them know exactly what happened. They may be able to document the accident, get witness statements, and preserve evidence from the scene that may later come in handy if you need to pursue legal action against the party responsible.
3. 
   Contact an attorney as soon as possible. You may find that you are pressured by outside parties (like insurance companies and other counsel) following an accident, so it is important to have an attorney on your side to represent your interests and help you through the process as you focus on recovery.
4. 
   Continue to visit the doctor and follow through with treatment. By following your doctor’s orders and completing all of the required medical care and therapy, you can make sure that you do not hinder your recovery or jeopardize your ability to recover the compensation you deserve in a personal injury lawsuit.
5. 
   Record the recovery process. Keep records of the entire recovery process, including the struggles you face and exactly how the accident has impacted your life. This may help you deal with the after-effects of the accident and can be valuable when assessing the pain-and-suffering part of your case.

Contact Our Florida Bicycle Accident Lawyers Today

For nearly 40 years, our experienced bicycle accident attorneys have fought on behalf of injured individuals in Flagler and Volusia County and across the state of Florida. We fight aggressively for each and every one of our clients, and we are proud to have brought them the fair and just settlements and verdicts that their cases deserved.