Truckee Bicycle Accident Lawyer

More and more people are regularly using their bikes to get from point A to point B. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s data shows that an increasing average number of Americans are choosing to ride their bikes for transportation every year. Whether you ride your bike to enjoy the fresh air, get some exercise, save money on gasoline and car maintenance, or just for fun, there are lots of benefits to being a cyclist. However, these benefits come along with an increased risk of being injured in an auto accident. While cyclists are typically responsible and watch out for their own safety, even minor accidents can cause significant injuries if you’re on a bike.

NHTSA has also released data showing that 50,000 cyclists are injured, and 800 die in US accidents every year. While the issue is nationwide, California is an especially dangerous place for cyclists. Reports published by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association detail just how serious cycling accidents are in our home state. These reports found that California has twice as many cyclists deaths as the national average. Furthermore, the reports indicated that the number of deadly accidents between cyclists and motor vehicles has been rising steadily for several years.

In most cases, cyclists sustain the worst injuries when they are involved in accidents that also include a motor vehicle. Because people riding bikes aren’t protected by steel walls, airbags, seat belts, and almost always fall from their bicycles when struck, it’s common for cyclists to suffer a wide variety of severe injuries. Many of the injuries that cyclists commonly suffer during accidents can affect them for a very long period. Other issues like loss of mobility, sensation, or chronic pain can even become a lifelong challenge for crash survivors.

Throughout well over three decades of representing bicycle accident survivors, I’ve found that these injuries commonly affect cyclists:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Bone fractures
• Skull fractures
• Nerve damage
• Amputation injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Abrasions
• Back trauma

If you’d like to learn more about how you can stay safe while cycling on California roads, this short video produced by AAA has a lot of great safety tips for cyclists:

Sustaining a catastrophic injury is often life-changing. Not only is the physical recovery from an injury often a painful and challenging process, but many crash survivors suffer from severe mental health issues stemming from the accident as well. Recovering both physically and personally is also often very expensive. In many cases, injured cyclists are faced with a host of medical expenses, including hospital stays, ambulance rides, surgeries, medication, physical therapy, in-home care, and much more. Paying for these costs can seem even more difficult if your injury has left you unable to work.

However, by getting in touch with a Truckee bicycle accident attorney and pursuing a personal injury claim, injured cyclists can frequently claim compensation for all of these damages. While every case is different, some of the more common types of compensation available to injured cyclists include:

• Damaged property repairs
• Medical expenses
• Loss of earning potential, wages, and/or income
• Household services
• Pain and suffering

I’m Ed Smith, a Truckee bicycle accident lawyer. If a bicycle accident left you, or a person that you care about with serious trauma, get in touch with me for free, friendly advice. I’m available toll-free at (800) 404-5400 and locally at (530) 392-9400.

I’ve worked with families and individuals from Truckee and nearby cities since 1982. To see how I’ve helped my clients, take a look at my firm’s prior settlements and verdicts. Also, see our reviews on:

• Yelp
• Google
• Avvo
• Facebook

I’m part of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group that includes only US lawyers who have achieved a case settlement or trial verdict worth more than 1 million USD in value. I’m also included in the Top One Percent, an organization for distinguished legal counsel.

Picture: Pixabay

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