Local cyclists are always at risk when approaching intersections, especially when drivers in a hurry are trying to turn right. Motorists can veer over on riders or pull out in front of the bicyclists they didn’t take time to look for. The impact and injuries that result may be devastating.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield helps injured riders hold car insurance companies fully liable for all medical bills and other hardships. We offer a free, no-obligation case consultation to all injured riders left to deal with an injury and also to mount a battle with unhelpful insurers to get help.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Right-Turn Bicycle Accident?
If your accident was caused by a careless driver coming over on you, and your resulting injury is serious, you will probably benefit by talking to a skilled Bakersfield bicycle accident attorney. A serious accident comes with a higher medical cost, and those bills can make car insurance companies resist providing support.
Your lawyer collects powerful evidence by fully investigating your claim and using accident reconstruction data if necessary to prove who was at fault. Then your attorney uses the evidence to force car insurance companies to accept responsibility and to provide support to last as long as necessary. A Masion Law Accident & Injury Lawyer often earns injured cyclists much more than they could win for themselves.
Right Lane Turn Dangers for Bakersfield Cyclists
Cyclists can be put in danger along any local street with the way drivers get distracted so easily and ignore what’s around them. The risks sometimes go up when a driver is also trying to navigate to make a right turn. They can watch for vehicle traffic and forget to mark where cyclists are.
That decision to switch lanes in preparation for a turn or to jump out in front of approaching traffic can prove hazardous for cyclists in several situations:
- Making a right-hand turn with a cyclist sharing the lane – Drivers may realize they are sharing the lane with a rider, but then forget as they hurry to merge into a right-hand turn lane. They can bump a rider as they switch lanes or cut one off with a sudden jump to the right. Riders can absorb an impact with a vehicle, with the pavement, and be struck by other motorists.
- Making a right–hand turn along a bike lane – Cyclists may think they are safe along a route like Stine Road that includes a bike lane. However, the bike lane might cause extra confusion for drivers as they near an intersection. Drivers may have to cross over a bike lane to reach a right-hand turn lane. The rider they didn’t have to worry about earlier is suddenly a major concern as the driver attempts to switch lanes. Drivers can forget that a bicyclist is there and completely blank on checking a blind spot. Riders might be struck and thrown off their bikes to suffer broken bones, brain trauma, and neck and back injuries.
- Cars pulling out in front of approaching traffic. To make a right turn, drivers might have to watch the approaching vehicles for an opening. They can see the cars, SUVs, and trucks clear out, leaving an opening to turn. Unfortunately, they may miss the smaller profile of a rider and pull out to put a wall of metal in front of a bicyclist going full speed. Riders can slam into the driver’s side doors. They may flip over the vehicle or be knocked back into the rush of other traffic.
Holding Bakersfield Drivers Liable for Bicycle Accidents
In each case, a bit more attention from drivers could usually prevent a collision. And this extra care is required from drivers anytime they are around vulnerable users of the road, like a pedestrian or cyclist.
When they don’t slow down and yield to the safety of the rider, they can file personal injury claims and seek damages. Unfortunately, car insurance companies for bad drivers have gotten good at limiting the support bicyclists get. The “lowball” offers they get victims to sign often leave cyclists paying 50% or more of their own recovery costs.
This is not acceptable to our bicycle accident lawyers. Tell us what happened in your accident so we can determine the best way to hold an insurer responsible and to secure the maximum in compensation for you and your family.
What Can I Get Support for After a Bicycle Accident?
Your lawyer would be demanding much more in support for you than just financial damages. The pain you are left to endure, and even the emotionally difficult time you must give up your bike rides, should also contribute to the size of a bike accident settlement check.
These are just a few of the things that must factor into your support:
- Coverage for all medical care for as long as it takes for you to heal and return to your bike
- The cost of long-term care when riders suffer a permanent physical disability
- Money for bicycle repairs or replacement
- Travel costs when visiting doctors and specialists
- Support for the income and benefits that injured cyclists lose while unable to work
- Support for pain and suffering, including emotional trauma caused by a frightening crash and by a difficult recovery
- Support for the loss of enjoyment of life, including the time bicyclists must be off the road
- Wrongful death support for families if a rider is tragically killed by a driver’s right-hand turn mistake
Contact a Bicycle Accident Attorney Who Builds Your Case with Powerful Evidence and Fights to Earn You More
If you have a serious injury, and a careless driver caused your accident, contact Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield to schedule a free consultation. It’s a confidential, no-obligation review of your case with a real Kern County bicycle accident attorney.
Your full recovery becomes our number one mission. We don’t stop fighting until you are back on your bike and enjoying rides around the city.
We also realize that right after a bike accident and lost time at work, you may not have the money to hire a lawyer. That’s okay. If you hire us, our lawyers don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then, our fee comes out of the settlement check you earn from an insurer.
