San Antonio Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Bicycling is certainly a fun and beneficial recreational activity. Moreover, it is a practical way to get from one point to another fast in a large and congested city such as San Antonio. However, an unexpected bicycle accident puts a rider and their loved ones under a lot of stress.

Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group San Antonio, TX

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The pressure of mounting bills and personal suffering that a cyclist deals with often pairs with insurance claim struggles that have a draining effect on an unprepared bicycle accident victim. An experienced bicycle accident attorney can take you through the labyrinth of insurance policy intricacies and legal implications, ensuring that you obtain fair compensation and fully recover in the process.

Why Should You Consider Our San Antonio Bicycle Accident Attorneys?

Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group is a committed personal injury law firm that is deeply committed to justice. Every legal advisor on our team is well-versed in Texas traffic laws and insurance policies. However, every successful case is not solely attributed to legal expertise. Our attorneys combine aggressive negotiations with the utmost understanding and individual approach for every injured party. We work on a no-win, no-fee basis because we know the length of the financial troubles a victim is already in. Finally, we care for each of our clients as well as for the enhanced safety of the San Antonio community in general.

What Should You Do After a Bicycle Accident in San Antonio?

The first few moments after a collision with a motor vehicle usually leave people disoriented and confused, especially if you’ve suffered serious bicycle accident injuries. Yet, there are a few simple steps that can protect your legal rights and safety if taken on time. In case you’ve been involved in a bike crash, you may want to do the following:

• Seek safety immediately

  All bicycle accident victims must treat their health as the primary value. If you can move after the incident, you should relocate from the middle of the street but remain at the accident scene.

• Call the emergency services

  The next necessary step to take is to dial 911 and ask to dispatch a medical unit as well as law enforcement. Either of these services or rather their official crash reports, will serve as undeniable proof of your damages when you file a bicycle accident claim.

• Document the scene

  In case the sustained traumas allow it, you should take photos of any visible damage to yourself and your property. Record the weather conditions and the state of the road.

• Contact a legal representative

  A trained bike accident attorney can take over the case right from the crash scene. They will ensure that no detail is missed. In addition, they will communicate with an insurance party on your behalf to prevent you from compromising your claim.

2024 Bicycle Accident Statistics in San Antonio

The recent statistics prove that riding a bike in San Antonio remains a pretty risky adventure. Texas, in general, isn’t the safest state for cycling. There were over 90 people killed in bicycle accidents in 2022, and that was an almost 30% spike in cyclist deaths since 2018.

San Antonio may have the lowest rate among the major cities with bicyclist fatalities — 0.06 biker deaths per 100K people — but 8 people were killed in bicycle crashes over the past year, and that makes up almost 4% of all traffic fatalities in the city.

What are the main dangers to keep in mind while riding a bicycle in San Antonio? The recent reports state the following:

• City intersections are the riskiest for cyclists — 60% of all bike incidents take place there.
• Around 25% of drivers in San Antonio fail to give the right of way to bicyclists, which often leads to serious crashes.
• Spring and fall are the most dangerous seasons to ride a bike in the city.
• Tuesday and Friday are the workdays when most of the accidents take place.
• The highest number of cycling accidents happens in the afternoon.

What Are the Typical Causes of San Antonio Bicycle Accidents?

Every bike accident is different on multiple levels. So, the common causes often include but are not limited to the following:

What Are the Most Common Bicycle Accident Injuries in San Antonio?

The severity of the accident, along with all the parties involved and other underlying conditions, are the factors that determine the type of injury a victim can sustain. However, due to the general vulnerability of bicycle riders, it is possible to group the most frequent traumas into the following categories:

• Head injuries: Even a responsible cyclist wearing protective gear such as a quality helmet is not 100% safe from sustaining traumatic brain injuries. The force of the accident can inflict such conditions as concussions, skull fractures, and in-brain bleeding.
• Back trauma: Another poorly protected and largely exposed part of a rider’s body is the back. Most spinal cord injuries have a life-altering effect on the victim, affecting their mobility and overall use of limbs.
• Fractures: Broken bones in various parts of a cyclist’s body, including, but not limited to, arms, legs, wrists, and ribs, are the direct aftermath of colliding with a solid surface. Some fractures can be extremely complicated and require bone reconstruction and lengthy rehabilitation.
• Road rash: Being thrown off a bike makes a person slide across the pavement, which leads to varying-scale skin abrasions. Seemingly minor scratches and scrapes can get infected and result in infections and permanent scarring. 

How Much Is My Bicycle Accident Case Worth?

The final settlement of an average personal injury claim usually depends on a few factors. These typically include the extent of your injuries, shared liability, and insurance limits. For instance:

Our Recent Case Settlements

Main Types of Damages You Can Recover in a San Antonio Bicycle Accident

Most bicycle accident cases include different types of damages a victim can claim. There are three major categories to consider:

Every type of monetary expense an injured party faces falls under this category. For instance:

• Medical expenses

  Whether it is a single emergency room check-up or a prolonged hospital stay, a cyclist can recover those costs. However, there’s one major condition — every prescription or any medical manipulation has to be backed up by corresponding records and medical bills.

• Loss of income

  Sometimes, an injured cyclist loses their position, needs a prolonged leave of absence, or can no longer fulfill their professional duties because of the accident. Economic damages such as lost wages or a decrease in earning capacity will be reimbursed.

• Damaged property

  All the repair and replacement costs for damaged personal belongings are also included in the final settlement amount.

Intangible losses are more challenging to assess, calculate, and recover in full. However, a well-versed San Antonio bicycle accident attorney can help you obtain fair compensation for such non-monetary damages as emotional distress, depression, anxiety, loss of joy in life, and other mental conditions triggered by the bicycle crash.

Punitive damages are the rarest to recover since they imply that an at-fault party has been either extraordinarily reckless or caused the accident on purpose. This category of losses serves as a contributory punishment to prevent similar acts in the future.

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Bicycle Accident in San Antonio?

It is natural to assume that there may be two main responsible parties for a bike accident — the driver and the rider. However, there are other possibilities to take into account after an incident. For example:

In some cases, there may be a few potential at-fault parties against which to file a claim. An expert legal advisor will help you determine the best option to pursue to recover maximum reimbursement for your losses.

How Do You Prove Negligence in a San Antonio Bicycle Accident?

It is not enough to claim that a certain party is responsible for the accident and consequent losses. The injured victim or their legal representative must take the following steps to prove the other party’s negligence:

• Establish a duty of care: Every involved party has a legal duty toward each other. For instance, road users have to abide by existing traffic laws, a vehicle manufacturer is obliged to produce quality items, and governmental entities must ensure safe riding conditions.
• Point out the breach of duty: A responsible party has to breach their duty of care to be held liable for an accident. For instance, if a driver is speeding or violating traffic rules in any other manner, they fail to fulfill their legal duty.
• Demonstrate the causation: The fact that a negligent party behaved recklessly does not necessarily make them responsible for your losses. An injured cyclist has to prove that someone’s negligent actions caused them harm.
• Provide proof of sustained damages: Any type of evidence relatable to the accident will help you back up your settlement claim. Police reports, medical records, digital proof, witness statements, and expert conclusions will solidify your case.

What If I Contributed to the Bicycle Accident?

Some personal injury claims may be more complicated than the rest since the potentially liable party will deny their fault or at least dispute the extent of their contribution. Since Texas is one of the states that abide by a modified comparative negligence rule, it is still possible to recover compensation as long as the cyclist is found to be less than 50% responsible for the collision.

What does it mean? For example, a bicyclist runs a stop sign or rides against traffic and gets into an accident with a distracted motorist who was checking their phone and failed to notice the rider. The cyclist is assigned 20% of fault in the case, and the total amount of damages is estimated at $100K. The final compensation that the injured party receives will be $80K due to the deduction of their contribution.

However, it is worth mentioning that if a bike rider is found 51% at fault, they will be denied any settlement whatsoever.

How Can a San Antonio Bicycle Accident Lawyer Help You to Recover a Fair Settlement?

There are multiple benefits to introducing a skilled legal assistant into the case. A professional lawyer will help you build a strong case and obtain a maximum reimbursement by:

• Investigating the case

  It may be quite challenging to gather the necessary evidence to support your claim when you are recovering from sustained injuries. A committed legal advisor will assess the case on multiple levels and obtain all the pieces of evidence available.

• Calculating all losses

  Usually, it is difficult to claim non-economical damages without proper legal background. A bike accident lawyer will help you succeed with that. Moreover, field-savvy experts will assess past and future damages, too.

• Proving negligence

  The lower the contribution to the accident, the higher the compensation. A trained bike accident attorney will ensure that you are assigned a possible minimal share of fault to recover the settlement you deserve.

• Working on a contingency-fee-basis

  Law firms such as Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group work on a no-win, no-fee basis. The approach eliminates additional financial strain on the victim.

• Representing at court

  In case negotiations with an insurance company are ineffective in terms of securing proper compensation, qualified legal advisors will prepare your claim for court.

Cycling Laws in San Antonio

The state laws refer to bicyclists as rightful road users subject to the same rules, rights, and regulations as other motorists. Cyclists must stay on the far right side of the street and follow traffic. Riding on the sidewalk is generally allowed on condition that bike riders give the right of way to pedestrians. There are a few mandatory reflective equipment regulations that are intact, but there are no state-approved helmet laws for adults over 18.

Statute of Limitations for Bicycle Accidents in San Antonio

A Statute of Limitations is a state-governed deadline within which bicycle accident victims can file a compensation claim. The timeframe varies from state to state, and in Texas, it is two years from the date of the incident. If an injured party fails to file the request within 2 years, they may lose their right to any compensation. However, there may be exceptions to the rule based on the underlying conditions of the accident. So, it is always a good idea to consult a trained bike lawyer first.

Contact a San Antonio Bicycle Accident Lawyer Today!

Every insurance company representative is willing to go to great lengths to persuade an accident victim to settle for the lowball offer they feel comfortable granting. If you don’t feel overly thrilled about such an opportunity, contact us for a free consultation today! 

Our bike accident attorneys will assess your damages in full, negotiate with insurance adjusters, and secure a maximum reimbursement on your behalf while you rest and regain strength after the incident!

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