Personal Injury and Bicyclists
The first bicycle arrived in Washington State in 1879, and we’ve been in love with cycling ever since. Nine years out of ten, between 2008 to 2017, Washington was named the most bike friendly state in the nation. As bicycling continues to rise in popularity, though, cyclists face danger on the road.
While bikes account for only 1% of all trips in the US, the accidents cyclists encounter can be severe. In 2015 alone, there were almost 467,000 bike-related injuries. In Washington, an average of 1,398 cyclists were hurt every year from 2010-2019, with an average of 12 fatalities.
There are simple things any rider can do to avoid the worst injuries, the easiest being wearing a helmet. For every $1 spent on helmets, $30 is saved in direct medical costs. If you’re a cyclist and get hit by a car, your helmet could be the difference between scrapes and cuts to your face, and serious brain injury or death.
But say you wear a helmet, wear reflective clothing, slow down in the rain, and obey the rules of the road. Then, one day on your bike, someone hits you. What happens then? That’s why we’re here, as your Bellevue Injury Lawyer. We want to help you negotiate the next steps.
We at R Martin Law Group know that cyclists have just as much of a right to use the road as vehicles, even though drivers may not be aware of this. Cyclists obey the same rules of the road, and have their own set of rules and requirements to follow as well. If you are clearly following all these rules to the best of your ability, fault should be pretty clear.
If the driver’s insurance accepts fault, then you might have access to the their Personal Injury Protection Coverage (and yours as well) for your medical bills, as long as they have this on their policy. It sometimes takes the work of a good Bellevue Injury Lawyer to help you free up these funds.
At the same time, we know the driver’s insurance will search for ways to find you at fault. They could claim you weren’t as far to the right of the lane as you should have been if you were hit by a passing vehicle. They might claim you were too far to the right of the lane if there was no traffic and someone hits you with a car door. But as your Bellevue Injury Lawyer we’ll be the ones advocating for you, to make sure you are fully covered for your claim.
Whatever arguments they raise, it will be up to R Martin Law Group to show why they are wrong. If a driver’s insurance continues to refuse to settle, then we represent you in court as your trial lawyer. We can’t guarantee the outcome, but we will fight for you every step of the way.
Your Bellevue Injury Lawyer would like to be at your side throughout your recovery and your bodily injury claim. We want cycling to continue as an enjoyable way to move around and get exercise, while becoming a reliable and safe means of transportation. But if something happens to you, call R Martin Law Group, and we’ll be there to help you get back on the road.
