Bakersfield Bike Accident Lawyer
Bakersfield bicycle accidents can upend lives and take people off their bikes for weeks.
Recovery is difficult, but if a driver is responsible for a collision, there are a few things injured riders should never face alone.
The avalanche of hospital bills should never be the victim’s worry. Victims should be focused on recovery. The paychecks a rider loses while their injuries keep them from working should also be the at-fault driver’s concern, not the victim’s.
These and other hardships are 100% the responsibility of reckless drivers and their car insurance providers.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield offers a free, no-obligation consultation for all bicycle accident victims in Kern County.
It’s a chance to help determine how to hold insurance companies fully accountable.
How Do I Decide If I Need a Lawyer After a Bakersfield Bicycle Accident?
If a bike accident only results in a few scrapes on the knees and minor bruises, riders will probably be okay handling an accident claim themselves. However, when something like a broken bone, a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or a back injury is involved, the medical expenses will be higher, and the fight with insurers will be harder. In these types of cases, a Bakersfield bike accident lawyer may be a necessary protection and a critical way to boost your compensation.
The battle to get support from a car insurance company gets harder because the insurer makes it harder. When the cost of care runs high, they want to limit what you take home in a settlement check when the cost of care runs high. You could need a shield from their tactics so you don’t get robbed of benefits.
These are just a few of the ways a lawyer safeguards your case and multiplies what you take home:
- A full investigation of your accident
- Backs your case with strong evidence
- Uses that evidence to fight back when an insurer tries to blame you for a collision
- Uses medical documentation and doctor testimony when an insurer tries to dismiss how bad your injuries are
- Works with medical experts to determine what you’ll require in support now and perhaps in the years ahead
- Files your claim and negotiates to get everything you’ll need for a 100% recovery
- Demands the maximum in compensation for your claim while you are allowed to focus on getting better
- Ready to take the insurer to court if the insurer refuses to provide a fair settlement
The key takeaway is that a skilled lawyer has a great chance to secure much in support for clients than they could by going it alone.
That’s a critical difference when cyclists with major injuries have no guarantees about how long recovery will take.
What Type of Support Can a Bicycle Accident Lawyer Win for Me?
A skilled Bakerfield bicycle accident lawyer would total up the emergency room bills for victims and then demand full reimbursement for clients. But that’s just the beginning of what victims must receive to achieve a full recovery.
There may be more doctor bills to come. There’s also the pain and suffering that victims go through. These damages must be compensated! This aspect is extremely important in bicycle accidents when victims are often forced to give up the rides they love for weeks, months, or even forever.
Financial
Damages
Medical bills must be 100% covered, and that should include coverage of estimates for any care that will be required in the years ahead. Victims may need surgery in the years ahead when an injury flare-up takes them off the bike trails again. They might need lifetime support for a permanent physical disability. The lost earning potential should also receive full reimbursement. Paychecks and lost benefits at work should be compensated. The cost to replace a damaged bike should never be excluded.
Non-Economic
Damages
The victims of frightening bike collisions might also need support for the pain they endure and the emotional trauma they are left with.
The aches and pains from a broken bone or a muscle tear can become long-term, chronic pain. That’s debilitating for patients, especially for athletes. Victims might suffer depression and anxiety while they are kept off their bikes and restricted from other hobbies they love.
Wrongful Death
Support for Families
Families are encouraged to seek full support if a loved one is killed in a bicycle accident. A Bakersfield wrongful death attorney can represent the entire family and seek financial help to pay for funeral costs and any leftover medical bills. A spouse or partner, children of the deceased, and other family members should receive support for the love and companionship that won’t be available in the years ahead. Close relatives should also get help in replacing the income the deceased may have contributed to support the family each month.
Bicycle Accident Dangers
In the best-case scenario, riders can enjoy their trips on the Kern River Parkway Bike Trail away from careless drivers and heavy traffic. But some cyclists use pedal power to travel to school or to commute to work.
On some roads, they’ll have bike lanes provided, like on Chester Avenue and along parts of New Stine Road. On roads without dedicated bikeways, riders may have to trust that drivers know they must share the lane with cyclists when necessary.
These are just a few of the motorist errors that lead to frightening bike collisions:
- Left Turn Dangers. Distracted drivers waiting on traffic to clear to make a left turn can pay too little attention to oncoming traffic and miss a defenseless cyclist approaching.
- Right Turns on Bike Lanes. Drivers may have to cross over a bike lane to make a right turn. They should be checking mirrors and blind spots before switching lanes or turning.
- Passing without enough space. Drivers are required to only pass a cyclist if there’s at least 3 feet of space to do so. In fact, motorists must switch to a left lane if one is available, as explained in AB-1909.
- Speeding through Neighborhoods. Drivers might ignore the speed limits in a residential area, putting any riders enjoying a trip through the neighborhood in jeopardy. Unfortunately, the victims can be children who are often at play and riding around their homes. Children become harder to spot and avoid for drivers looking at cellphones or playing with the radio.
- Opening doors after parking. Bike lanes can be close to parking spots. Drivers can park and swing a car door open without looking to see if a cyclist is approaching. A door becomes a wall of metal and glass for a cyclist.
These situations and others pop up too often for local riders. They show up in local bike accident statistics, too.
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) finds that the most recent collision figures show a shocking jump in bicycle accidents and injuries.
- 2023 – 70 bicycle accidents involving injury in Bakersfield, along with 2 tragic fatalities
- 2024 – 90 serious bicycle accidents causing at least 4 tragic deaths
When serious injuries bring higher medical bills, insurance adjusters are instructed to limit what you receive. They may try to blame you for a collision or attempt to discount your injuries, saying they aren’t that significant. Your attorney fights back on your behalf, investigating your accident and securing evidence that keeps the facts from changing. The experience of a great attorney often means you’ll be getting much more for your injury than if you decide to handle your claim yourself.
Accidents With No Bicycle Helmet On
Right-Hand Turn Bicycle Accidents
Left-Hand Turn Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle Accidents Resulting in Broken Bones
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I wait to speak to a lawyer after a bicycle accident?
You should go over your case with a lawyer as soon as you can. Waiting can mean valuable evidence vanishes and witnesses become harder to track down. The sooner you file your claim, the sooner you can hopefully receive a settlement check. California allows victims up to two years to file a personal injury claim, but waiting months or years can hurt a case.
What if I can’t afford to pay a lawyer to represent my case?
We know that most bicycle accident victims aren’t left in a great financial spot after a devastating crash. It’s why you don’t need any money to hire a Bakersfield bike accident attorney. If you need us, we will sign a contingency agreement with you. It means we cover all upfront case costs. We also don’t earn anything unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money that a car insurance company must fork over.
What type of documents and evidence should I bring to my meeting with a lawyer?
Any evidence you managed to collect at the scene will be helpful…things like photos of the damage and witness contact information. If you have a copy of a police accident report, bring a copy for your attorney. Bring all medical charts and invoices you have. Turn over all receipts you have for any other care and damages related to your crash. Paystubs will be important later to show the income that you’ve had to say goodbye to while you’ve been unable to work.
Contact a Bicycle Accident Attorney Who Builds Your Case with Powerful Evidence and Fights to Earn You More
Don’t accept that your medical bills are your responsibility after a terrifying bicycle collision. You shouldn’t have to choose between focusing on recovery and worrying about your hospital costs and the paychecks you are losing.
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.