Despite the addition of thousands of miles of bike lanes and trails across Georgia, riding a bicycle still commonly requires riding in close proximity to traffic. Exposed cyclists are vulnerable to severe injuries in accidents involving moving vehicles that weigh an average of 4,000 pounds.
If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident due to a careless or reckless driver or another negligent party, contact an \ at Marc Brown Law Firm.
Why Choose Marc Brown Law Firm as Your Georgia Bicycle Accident Lawyer?
A bicycle accident can leave you with overwhelming financial consequences as well as painful and potentially debilitating injuries. With Marc Brown Law Firm on your side, we provide the following to your bicycle accident claim:
- Legal representation with the professionalism of a large city law office and the compassion and personal attention of a small town law firm
- A policy of around-the-clock availability, open communication, and honesty
- A personalized legal strategy based on the unique circumstances of your accident, with the goal of maximizing your compensation in a settlement or court award for your damages
- A free consultation, and an attorney who will come to you if your injuries prevent you from visiting our office
Our contingency-based payment system allows us to work for you at no upfront cost. Instead, we only get paid after you do.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents In Georgia
Georgia considers bicycles as vehicles, requiring cyclists to carefully follow traffic laws and pay vigilant attention to their surroundings. Unfortunately, even the most careful and experienced bike riders can experience serious injuries when drivers take the following negligent actions in traffic:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Failure to yield the right of way to a cyclist
- Driving too closely behind or parallel to a cyclist
- Improper passing
- Right-hooking accidents, which occur when a driver passes a cyclist and then makes a right turn into the cyclist’s path
- Left-turn accidents, which occur when a driver making a left turn focuses on traffic approaching from the right and then hits a cyclist approaching from the left
- Car-dooring accidents, or opening the door of a parked car into the path of a bicycle
- Impaired driving
When a driver’s negligent actions cause an accident that injures a cyclist, the driver is liable for damages, typically paid through a settlement from the driver’s auto insurance.
Who Can Be Held Liable In a Georgia Bicycle Accident?
In most bicycle accident claims, a negligent driver causes the accident and is liable for the damages; however, depending on the cause of the accident, other entities can be liable or share liability under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, Georgia’s modified comparative negligence law. The most common liable parties in bicycle accident claims include:
- Negligent drivers
- City road maintenance agencies
- Road construction contractors
- City road planning agencies for poorly planned roadways or intersections
Less commonly, a bicyclist could be held liable for property damage and injury damages to a driver if the cyclist caused an accident by disregarding traffic laws.
Common Injuries In Georgia Bicycle Accidents
An exposed cyclist is at a tremendous disadvantage in an accident with a moving vehicle in traffic. Injuries range from mild, fully recoverable injuries to severe or catastrophic injuries with lifelong consequences. Common bicycle accident injuries include the following:
- Fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains, torn ligaments, tendon damage, and contusions
- Lacerations, severe abrasions, and friction burns (road rash)
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Facial and dental trauma
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic amputations
Injuries from bicycle accidents are expensive, as well as traumatic and painful. In the worst cases, a bicycle accident can cause fatal injury. If you lost a loved one in a bicycle accident, a wrongful death lawyer in Georgia may recover compensation for your family’s financial damages, as well as for your grief and anguish.
What Damages are Available In a Georgia Bicycle Accident Claim?
Serious injuries can cause medical bills to quickly escalate and interfere with all aspects of life, including earning ability and managing daily routines. These are the recoverable damages in a Georgia bicycle accident claim. Common damages available to accident victims include the following:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Past and future income loss
- Reduced earning ability due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for additional non-economic damage for catastrophic injury cases, such as disability, disfigurement, loss of limb, organ loss, or loss of one of the senses
Wrongful death damages are available to a close, surviving family member if a Georgia bicycle accident is caused by another party’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions.
Steps to Take After a Bicycle Accident
As the victim of a serious bicycle accident, you may be unable to take any action at the scene if you’re incapacitated or unconscious. However, if you can take purposeful action, you can begin protecting yourself at the scene or ask someone else to do so for you. After a bicycle accident, take the following steps:
- First, call 911 to report the accident and request emergency services
- Apply any necessary first aid
- Then, use the cell phone camera to take photos of the damaged bicycle, the car, and the accident scene, including anything relevant to the accident, such as traffic signs or skid marks
- Photograph any visible injuries
- Add the at-fault driver’s contact information
- Add the contact information of eyewitnesses
- Go directly to a hospital from the accident scene
Even if you were incapacitated at the scene, you can take action at the hospital by requesting a full medical evaluation, a detailed medical report, and then saving copies of all medical bills and receipts for related expenses. Then, contact a Georgia accident lawyer at Marc Brown Law Firm for legal representation.
What Is the Process of a Bicycle Accident Claim In Georgia?
Once you’ve hired a bicycle accident attorney, direct all communication with the at-fault party’s insurance company to your lawyer. Then, your attorney will do as follows:
- Conduct an independent investigation into the accident
- Examine the police report and consult with accident reconstruction specialists to document strong evidence of the at-fault party’s liability
- Review your accident-related costs and consult with a medical expert to determine the full extent of your past and future damages
- Send their findings to the insurance company and seek the maximum compensation available
- Negotiate for a settlement from a position of evidence-backed strength
Most cases are resolved with a settlement from the insurer. Only about 4% of cases require court. Marc Brown Law Firm is always trial-ready while seeking a low-conflict resolution through a settlement.
Contact Marc Brown Law Firm For a Free Consultation After a Georgia Bicycle Accident
Results in a bicycle accident claim require legal representation. Call or contact Marc Brown Law Firm online to learn more about your rights and options for full financial recovery.