St. Louis Bicycle Accident Lawyer

St. Louis Bicycle Accident Attorney

Many people in St. Louis ride bicycles through the area daily, some for exercise and others for accessible local transportation. Most bicyclists are able to reach their destinations safely, but bicycle accidents can happen unexpectedly in various ways. If you or a family member recently sustained injuries in such an incident, a St. Louis bicycle accident attorney can help you recover your losses from the party responsible for causing the accident.

Injured in an accident on your bike?

Cycling has risen in popularity throughout the years, not only as a form of exercise or leisure activity but also as a reliable and environmentally friendly method of transportation. In some areas, bicycles have their own designated lanes, but in most places in Missouri and Illinois, bicyclists must share the road with drivers of larger vehicles, such as passenger cars, light trucks, and 18-wheelers. Accidents can easily occur if a larger vehicle driver is negligent, inattentive, or performs dangerous or illegal maneuvers.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a bicycle accident caused by another vehicle, it is in your best interests to speak with an experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer. When you have suffered a serious, catastrophic, or devastating injury, it is very important that you receive the medical care that you need. With the help of an experienced lawyer, you may be able to recover compensation for financial and non-financial losses caused as a result another vehicle colliding with you on your bicycle.

At The Cagle Law Firm, we help those whose lives have been affected by bicycle accidents involving other vehicles. With our help, you’ll have the support and guidance of a bicycle accident lawyer in St. Louis to help you receive the compensation you deserve.

How to Stay Safe on a Bicycle

There are several steps a bicyclist can take to remain safe on the road and are required in Missouri. First and foremost, it is important to wear a helmet. Also, when riding at night, all bicycles are required to be equipped with a headlight on the front and a red reflector or taillight on the back. Reflective material or light must be placed on the moving parts of the bicyclist or bike, and reflective material or lights must be put on the sides of the bike. Bike riders must also always use hand signals to let motorists know when they need to turn or stop.

Bicyclists have the same right to the road as any other motor vehicle and must follow the same rules as motorists. They must obey all traffic signs and signals, ride on the right side of the road, and not impede traffic. Everyone on the road must remain vigilant and extend reasonable care to ensure the safety of all drivers and passengers. A great number of bicyclists are injured by motorists who say they never saw the bike when involved in an accident with a bicyclist when in reality, the driver may have never looked.

You may have little to no recollection of your bicycle accident depending on your injury, but our attorneys work to secure the evidence you will need to establish liability for your damages. Traffic camera footage, witness testimony, various forms of digital evidence, and even input from expert witnesses could all come into play in your case. The sooner you connect with an attorney, the more effective the attorney will be in securing the evidence needed to build your claim.

Common Injuries Caused by Bicycle Accidents

Because a bicycle offers no protection and restraints, cyclists can often be severely injured while the colliding motor vehicle may only suffer superficial damage. While a bicycle offers no protection, safe riders wear helmets and safety gear. Even low-speed accidents can cause very severe injuries for cyclists, including:

• Road rash. This is a condition that results from sliding on asphalt after being thrown off a bike in an accident. The victim will suffer friction burns and severe damage to their soft tissues, and pieces of the road surface and other debris can become embedded in the skin.
• Traumatic brain injury. Even the highest quality bike helmets can only mitigate the severity of a brain injury in a bicycle accident; they cannot prevent these injuries entirely. Any traumatic brain injury can be difficult to treat and cause a host of unpredictable symptoms, some of which can lead to long-term or permanent medical complications.
• Spinal cord injury. Any injury to the spinal cord has the potential to result in permanent paralysis. The spinal cord carries brain signals throughout the body, and it cannot repair itself from an injury like the rest of the body. A spinal cord injury is permanent, and the severity of the effects will depend on the location of the injury and whether the cord was completely severed. Any spine injury is incredibly painful even if it does not produce paralysis. Frequently, spine injuries require months of treatment and often require surgery.
• Open head injuries. This type of head injury involves a deep laceration or other injury, potentially including damage to the skull and brain.. Open head injuries typically cause severe bleeding and require immediate medical attention.
• Soft tissue injuries. A bicycle accident can cause not only a host of traumatic injuries but also strains, sprains, and other harm to the soft tissues of the body. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments could be injured or damaged in an accident, and some of these injuries could require extensive medical treatment. Damaged discs and muscle tears are considered soft tissue even though they often require surgical remedy. The term “soft tissue” sounds less severe but is only a classification that does not include broken bones.
• Organ damage. Crash impact forces can easily cause harm to the victim’s internal organs. Some of these injuries may not be immediately noticeable, and if a victim does not seek prompt medical care, their condition might deteriorate very quickly, potentially putting their life at risk.
• Penetrating brain injuries. A penetrating brain injury occurs when an object pierces the skull and physically ruptures brain tissue. This is a life-threatening injury, and even if the victim receives immediate emergency care, they can face a host of long-term or permanent medical issues.
• Wrongful Death. Unfortunately, there is a high risk of fatal injury whenever a motor vehicle hits a bicyclist. If your loved one was killed in a bicycle accident, your St. Louis bicycle accident attorney could help file a wrongful death suit against the at-fault driver. A wrongful death suit is a type of personal injury claim filed by the victim’s family following a fatal personal injury.

Injuries from any accident may require immediate medical care followed by ongoing rehabilitative treatment. The victim may be unable to work for an extended time while they recover, or they could be left unable to work at all in the future due to the severity of their injuries. Medical expenses and lost income can quickly create a desperate financial situation for the victim and their family, and their injuries are also likely to be incredibly painful and traumatic.

Your St. Louis bicycle accident attorney can be invaluable for the help they can provide in proving fault for your accident. Before you will be able to recover any compensation for your damages, you must first identify the party responsible for causing your accident and prove exactly how they caused it. If you are injured, we begin the process and file the claim or suit immediately while you continue medical treatment. We look out for your physical and financial recovery.

Proving Liability for Your Bicycle Accident in St. Louis

The first challenge you face after any vehicle accident in St. Louis is getting the medical treatment that you need to maximize your physical recovery. Nothing is more important than your physical recovery. While you are seeking medical treatment, our attorneys are busy building your case. Missouri upholds a fault-based system for resolving vehicle accidents, meaning the driver at fault for causing an accident is responsible for all resulting damages. While this is the language of the standard, insurance carriers almost always make a comparative fault argument and always attempt to devalue your damage claim. For these two reasons alone, you want an expert working on your case. Many of the bicycle accidents reported in the St. Louis area happen because parties are negligent or fail to meet their duty of care.

A few of the most common examples of negligence that cause bike accidents throughout the St. Louis area include distracted driving, speeding, and moving violations. Drivers may hit nearby bicyclists if they do not yield the right-of-way appropriately or when they run stop signs or red lights. Proving negligence in a civil case will require proving a defendant breached a duty of care in the situation and, therefore, caused the victim’s damages. The most common problem for bicyclist is the fact that many drivers do not actively look for bicyclists, pedestrians or motorcycles.

As a bicycle is small in size, other passenger vehicle drivers do not perceive a bicycle as a “threat.” This means that even if a driver consciously looks for bicycles and pedestrians, subconsciously, we do not view much smaller vehicles as literal or figurative threats to our safety. Whereas someone in a passenger vehicle views a large semi -truck has having a high threat level due to the damage they can inflict.

It is also possible for a bicycle accident to happen due to possible illegal misconduct of a driver behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Reckless driving and intoxicated driving are the most common examples of this. A driver who causes an accident in such a manner may face criminal prosecution along with civil liability for the victim’s damages. Your St. Louis bicycle accident attorney can tell you whether the defendant’s illegal actions could influence your attempts to seek compensation in an insurance or personal injury claim.

Comparative Fault in St. Louis Accident Claims

If you plan to file any type of personal injury suit, it is vital to understand the state’s pure comparative fault and determine whether it could apply to your case. Under this rule, it is possible for a plaintiff in a civil claim to bear partial liability for the damages cited in the claim but still have grounds to claim compensation from the defendant.

Under the pure comparative fault rule, each liable party has a fault percentage assigned. These percentages reflect how much of the total damages they are responsible for repaying. For example, if two defendants are found to be 60% and 40% at fault, these percentages apply to the compensation they each owe to the plaintiff. If a plaintiff bears partial fault, their fault percentage is taken from the final case award as a penalty.

For example, if you are a plaintiff in a bicycle accident claim found 10% at fault, you will lose 10% of whatever compensation you win from the defendant. Depending on the overall value of your claim, even a slight comparative fault could result in tremendous losses. Your St. Louis bicycle accident attorney can address any concerns you may have about bearing comparative fault and help you mitigate any fault percentage assigned to you.

Most often, clients are surprised when the other party makes a comparative fault claim, yet it is very common. Our attorneys can guide and advise you through this portion of the legal process.

Filing an Auto Insurance Claim for Your Bicycle Accident

A bicycle accident is a type of vehicle accident that happens if it collides with a motor vehicle. Missouri law requires every operator of a motor vehicle to have auto insurance that includes liability coverage. A bicycle is not a motor vehicle; however, it is always helpful if you carry auto insurance on the motor vehicle you own.

If a driver of a motor vehicle causes an accident and harms another party, the injured party can file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance policy to seek compensation for their losses. However, some drivers do not have insurance, and even if the driver in your case does, there is no guarantee it will fully cover all your claimable damages. Thus, you can sometimes make an injury claim through your own auto insurance carrier depending on your policy. A liability policy has a minimum of $25,000. If you are hurt, the policy limit for liability is not terribly meaningful. Always consult an attorney—we look for coverage to assist you in your recovery.

Dealing with insurance companies can be challenging, and some insurance company representatives will attempt to take advantage of desperate claimants, coercing them into accepting lowball settlement offers. Worse, some adjusters make recommendations on how to pursue your medical treatment. Yet, they have no medical background and remember, insurance adjusters are not required look out for your best interest. When you have an experienced St. Louis bicycle accident attorney representing you, we protect you from bad faith tactics, look out for your best physical and financial interest and seek fair compensation.

Building a Personal Injury Case for a Bicycle Accident in St. Louis

If an insurance company does not extend an acceptable settlement offer for your claim, a personal injury lawsuit is the next step in holding the defendant accountable for the full scope of your claimable losses. Success with your personal injury claim requires showing by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant’s negligence or intentional misconduct directly caused actual harm.

You will need to be able to demonstrate your damages through medical documentation and experts, and your attorney will have to prove “causation.” Proving causation is demonstrating how the said incident resulted in your injuries. This means your damages must have been caused or contributed to cause by the other party’s negligence or misconduct. Once you have established this, your attorney can help secure the compensation you deserve.

A plaintiff in a St. Louis personal injury case can potentially recover substantial compensation for economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include the direct financial losses the victim suffered because of the defendant’s actions and noneconomic damages include all intangible losses resulting from the incident. A personal injury claim could secure compensation for:

• Medical expenses. Medical treatment is considered economic damage. The driver who hurt you is liable for the cost of all the medical care you need to completely recover from your injuries.
• Lost wages. If you cannot work while you recover from your injuries, you can claim compensation for the income you cannot earn during your recovery.
• Property damage. The defendant is responsible for any of your property they damaged or destroyed in the accident. The property damage claim is separate from your injury claim. You should not discuss your injury claim at all with the adjuster regarding your property damage.
• Lost earning power. If you were permanently disabled by your accident, you have the right to claim compensation for future wages you are no longer able to earn. Your St. Louis bicycle accident attorney can help accurately calculate the future income you would have reasonably expected to earn if you hadn’t been injured.
• Pain and suffering compensation. State law allows you to claim compensation you believe to be appropriate to reflect the severity of the physical pain, emotional distress, and psychological trauma you experienced from your accident. The more serious your condition following the accident, the more you will likely recover in pain and suffering compensation.

Your case may be worth much more than you initially expected, and an experienced St. Louis bicycle accident attorney is the most important asset you can have on your side for maximizing your recovery. If you have lost a family member in a fatal accident, you will need legal representation to pursue a wrongful death suit against the at-fault driver.

The Cagle Law Firm has years of professional experience with personal injury claims and, specifically, wrongful death claims. Whether you are searching for legal representation for your own injury or on behalf of a lost loved one, we can help. You have a limited time in which to file an auto insurance claim after an accident. Prompt legal action significantly improves your chances of maximizing your recovery.

What to Expect From Your St. Louis Bicycle Accident Attorney

During an initial consultation with our team, you can ask any questions you would like to help you gauge our firm’s suitability to handle your case. You should gauge whether or not this relationship will work based on communication and trust. Not every person is a good fit for every firm, but you should at least feel that you can ask any questions and be honest.

Once we agree to work together, we will immediately get to work building the foundation of your case and constructing a legal strategy aimed at maximum compensation for your damages. After we gather the evidence needed to prove liability, we can help prepare for your auto insurance claim.

We can guide you through the auto insurance claim filing process to secure compensation through the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy. We can address any issues you encounter with their insurance company. If the insurance carrier fights against extending an appropriate settlement offer, we can help build a personal injury claim or file a lawsuit against them to recover the rest of your damages. Our goal for every personal injury case we accept is to secure as much compensation as possible for our client.

If you have concerns about the potential cost of hiring an attorney, there is no need to worry about your legal expenses when you choose The Cagle Law Firm to handle your case. We take personal injury clients on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay nothing upfront and are not required to pay ongoing attorney fees for our representation. Instead, your fee will be a percentage of the total compensation we secure from the defendant for you. We also produce transparent accounting of every expense in the case as part of the final statement.

The sooner you connect with our firm, the more time we will have to develop a compelling legal strategy tailored to your individual needs.

Get Help from a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in St. Louis Today

Negligence, dangerous driving, or recklessness on the part of a vehicle operator can cause devastating injuries when colliding with a bicyclist. If you have suffered due to someone else’s negligent or illegal actions, please don’t hesitate to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney in St Louis. Your attorney can help to get you the compensation that you deserve. You could be able to obtain damages for your medical bills, the cost of repairs or a replacement for your bicycle, and even lost wages and future wages, depending upon your case.

It’s important to have someone you can rely on following a traumatic event like a bicycle accident. Contact The Cagle Law Firm toll-free at (1-800) 685-3302 or locally at (314) 276-1681 for a free consultation with a bicycle accident lawyer in St. Louis.