Riding a bicycle instead of using a car to travel short distances can be physically healthy, environmentally friendly, and enjoyable in its own right—but unfortunately, it can also be very dangerous. Even if you are as responsible and law-abiding while riding as any person could possibly be, you may still be at risk of sustaining serious and even life-changing injuries if a motor vehicle driver acts recklessly or carelessly.
Situations like this happen all too often all over the Sunshine State, and our experienced personal injury attorneys know how devastating their short-term and long-term effects can be on the people unlucky enough to be involved. If you have been hurt in this way, you should know that you have help available from a Lake County bicycle accident lawyer to demand civil restitution for the harm you have sustained and minimize the impact your crash has on your life as a whole.
Common Causes of Bicycle Injuries in Lake County
There is no shortage of ways in which motor vehicle drivers in Florida can and do act irresponsibly behind the wheel, from overtly illegal actions like speeding and tailgating to broadly irresponsible behaviors like getting distracted behind the wheel. In some situations, motorists and passengers end up injuring bicyclists simply because they do not think to look for them in the first place—for example, by opening a car door into the path of an oncoming bicyclist without giving them any chance of being able to swerve away from it.
Unfortunately, there are even scenarios where drivers show intentional and malicious aggression towards bicyclists. What all these incidents have in common, though, is the fact that the driver’s actions likely constitute a “breach” of the duty they have to act responsibly behind the wheel at all times, and a Lake County bicycle accident attorney could help build a successful civil claim around proving that such a “breach of duty” was the direct and primary cause of a bicyclist’s accident-related losses.
Common Bike Wreck Injuries
The amount of compensation an injured cyclist may receive in a successful settlement depends on various factors, including the details surrounding the wreck and the type and severity of injuries. Injuries sustained in a bicycle accident can range from minor cuts, scrapes, bruises, and broken bones to more catastrophic forms of harm, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, paralysis, and even death. Our team could help an injured person determine what their claim may be worth and find ways to maximize this amount to ensure they have what they need to move forward.
Getting Around Legal Obstacles to Financial Recovery
Establishing “negligence,” as defined above, is just one roadblock of many that an injured bicyclist may need to navigate past during a bicycle accident lawsuit. For example, thanks to a recent change pushed through by state legislators, Florida Statutes § 95.11 now limits almost anyone who gets hurt through someone else’s negligence to just two years to file suit against that negligent person.
Additionally, Fla. Stat. § 768.81 allows courts to assign a percentage of “comparative fault” to any bicyclist found to have contributed to causing their own accident through their own negligence. Without a skilled lawyer’s help in contesting allegations along these lines, people hurt in Lake County bicycle wrecks may find themselves missing out on a substantial portion of the compensation to which they otherwise would have been entitled.
Contact a Lake County Bicycle Accident Attorney for Help
None of the information provided above should be taken to mean that filing suit successfully over a bicycle crash caused by a negligent driver is impossible in Florida. In reality, it is very much possible to hold irresponsible drivers liable for the harm they caused you, but it can often be challenging to do so alone.
Fortunately, you have access to help from a Lake County bicycle accident lawyer who is ready to take a hands-on approach to your claim from start to finish of the litigation process. Call Largey Law Firm today for a consultation. Unlike some of the bigger firms where you never work directly with your attorney, our lawyers are involved directly with your case from start to finish.
