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Many Oklahomans embrace bicycling as a fun and healthy mode of transportation. But no matter whether you ride a bike recreationally or for commuting to work, you’re in a potentially dangerous situation. Even the most responsible riders cannot anticipate the actions of other motorists or spot every safety hazard. Thousands of American cyclists lose their lives or are injured in bicycle accidents each year. Contact our McAlester bicycle accident lawyer today.
Some bike accidents are unavoidable. But others are the result of someone else’s recklessness – or even aggression. Despite having the same rights as everyone else on Oklahoma roads, cyclists sometimes come across motorists who resent having the share the road. If drivers disobey road rules out of spite and a bicyclist is injured or killed, they may be found liable for their negligence. And that’s only one of the reasons bike accidents happen.
If you, a friend or a loved one was hurt in a bike crash, contact the McAlester bicycle injury and accident attorneys at Edwards & Patterson Law. Our skilled lawyers represent injured people throughout Oklahoma, Tulsa, McAlester, and Arkansas. We’ve seen the heartbreaking physical and emotional consequences of bike accidents. We understand that life may never be the same. But our personal injury lawyers will fight hard to help you obtain the compensation necessary to restore your well being.
The Edwards & Patterson team has won millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients. We can spot negligence, identify the responsible parties, gather evidence and deal with the insurance companies who are so often unwilling to provide adequate payouts for injured people.
Let us help you. Call us or contact us online now. Our initial bicycle accident case evaluation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Bicycle Accident Injuries Have Uncertain Outcomes
Bicyclists have little protection from trauma in a collision with a car, truck or even a pedestrian. The worst injuries can be catastrophic, leading to a lifetime of disabilities and financial distress for victims and their families. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the fatal and non-fatal bike crash injuries to bicyclists results in lifetime medical costs and productivity losses of $10 billion.
Bicycle head injuries are the most common result of bicycle accidents. Brain trauma ranges in severity from a bump on the head to a traumatic brain injury with permanent consequences, including:
- Impaired cognition
- Memory loss
- Personality changes
- Mood swings
- Inability to work, or to continue employment at the same level as before the bike accident
- Limited function of limbs
- Speech deficits
- Sensory perception changes
- Loss of relationships (family, job or social interactions)
- Loss of financial productivity
- Lost future earnings
Other injuries seen in bicycle crash victims can also disrupt a family’s emotional and financial prospects, such as:
- Spinal cord and neck injuries
- Wrist/arm injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Contusions (road rash)
- Torso/abdomen trauma
- Hip/knee damage
- Disfigurement
- Amputation
Depending on the degree of trauma, doctors may need to perform surgery or other intensive treatment to provide injured cyclists with the best recovery outcomes. Minor imaging such as X-rays can cost hundreds of dollars to begin with, and major surgeries and aftercare can push costs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in the first few years alone.
With catastrophic head injuries and spinal cord injuries, patients also suffer a long and unpredictable “wait and see” phase where physicians can make no promises about how well they will recover, and depression is common.
What Can a McAlester Bicycle Accident Attorney Do for Me?
No one’s future is certain. But you’re used to having control of your life – where you go, what time you wake up, what you eat, and the list goes on. When that independence is yanked from you after a bicycle accident, your everyday life flips upside down – at least for a little while, and possibly forever.
After an accident, there are many questions to answer. A critical one is determining who is at fault for the accident and if negligence contributed to the crash. Legally, it’s not a simple matter of pointing fingers and placing blame. A proper investigation is critical to determine fault, and an attorney will begin an investigation by:
- Collecting evidence from the accident scene, including police reports, video surveillance, medical records, photographs of your injuries and witness testimony. Looking at the damaged bike, clothes and your helmet may provide important details to back up your claim.
- Consulting experts such as accident reconstructionists, medical professionals and even economists who can provide insight into the long-term financial impact that your bike accident may have on your ability to earn wages.
- Battling the insurance companies doesn’t have to be your job if you’re recovering from a bike accident. Insurers want to maximize profits and adjusters will even tell you not to hire an attorney and just accept their settlement. Talk to a lawyer first. Most initial settlement offers are far below what you deserve.
- Identifying all liable parties may be more complicated than dealing with one driver and one bike. For example, if a defective bike or auto part malfunctions, the fault may also lie with the companies who manufactured or designed the equipment.
Could Anything Prevent Me from Collecting Compensation?
Oklahoma does have a comparative negligence law that can limit how much money you can obtain from your bicycle accident. Put simply, you can still be awarded damages in Oklahoma courts as long as you are not found to be 51 percent or more responsible for the car accident. The court will determine your percentage of fault based on the facts of your case. The amount of compensation will be reduced by your degree of fault.
Because of the comparative negligence rule, it is essential to speak to an attorney before admitting fault in an accident. Your right to damages may be dramatically reduced or even lost if you give away important information by mistake.
Contact our Bicycle Accident Lawyers In Oklahoma Today
If you’ve been injured in an Oklahoma bicycle accident, contact the McAlester bicycle accident lawyers at Edwards & Patterson Law in McAlester and Tulsa for a no-cost consultation. We can evaluate your claim and advise you on your best possible legal routes to take with no strings attached. Call us or contact us online today.
