Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Tate Law Offices, P.C., can provide you with a free consultation. We can use this consultation to learn more about your case and answer any questions you may have about your legal rights and options. As you prepare to meet with us, you should do the following:

• See a doctor – If you have not gone to the emergency room yet or seen your primary care doctor, do so without delay. In some cases, you may think your bicycle crash left you with only minor cuts, aches and pains. However, those could be signs of major injuries such as brain injury, soft tissue damage or internal organ injury. The sooner you get medical attention, the better – for your health and your case.
• Gather and keep everything – Do not throw away or repair your bicycle, helmet or any gear you were wearing on the day of the crash. Keep any photos you may have taken of the crash scene and/or your injuries. Hold on to the names and contact information of any eyewitnesses. Additionally, keep all medical records, bills or insurance company letters related to your case.
• Police Report – If you have a copy of the police report regarding your accident we would like to review it. You can contact the local law enforcement agency that prepared the crash report or go to the Texas Department of Transportation’s online purchase site. This report can play an important role in the investigation of your case. If you do not have a copy of the report we will be glad to obtain the report for you.
• Do not give a recorded statement or accept a settlement offer – If you must report your bicycle accident to your own insurance company, then do so within the required time period – however, we prefer you speak with us before you do so. You do not have to speak with any other party’s insurer. In fact, anything you say could and most likely will be used against you. Never give a recorded statement to an insurer or accept a settlement offer from the insurer unless you have talked with an attorney first.
• Call a lawyer – Most importantly, contact Tate Law Offices, P.C. Our consultation is free and we probably have some good ideas on how your case should be handled. We can deal with the insurance companies for you and make sure your rights are protected. We can also get to work immediately on investigating your bicycle accident case and pursue the compensation you deserve. You can text or call us at 972-499-4813.

When Tate Law Offices, P.C., takes on your case, we will work hard to determine why your bicycle accident occurred and who should be held responsible for your physical, mental and financial harm.

As we have seen, bicycle accidents often are caused by the careless or reckless conduct of motorists. Although more people are using bikes today to get to school or work as well as for recreation, too many motorists in Dallas and other areas of Texas fail to respect bicyclists’ rights and safety or just plain don’t see the bicycle rider.

Car-bicycle collisions frequently are caused by:

• Dangerous passing – A motorist may fail to leave a safe amount of space between the vehicle and bicycle. In turn, the vehicle may hit the bicyclist or run him or her off the road. In some cases, a motorist may intentionally “buzz” a bicyclist.
• Left cross – When the motorist and bicyclist are approaching an intersection, the motorist may fail to yield the right of way and turn left into the bicyclist’s path.
• Right hook – A motorist may make a right turn or lane change into the path of a bicyclist who is going in the same direction. The accident may be traced to the motorist’s failure to use a turn signal or to check mirrors and blind spots before turning.
• Dooring – All too often, bicyclists are harmed by motorists who open the door of their parked vehicles into the bicyclists’ path.
• Backup – Motorists frequently back their cars out of their home driveway and across the sidewalk or street area where a bicyclist was riding. They also tend to back out of commercial parking spaces into the bicyclist’s path.

Ultimately, the underlying cause of the car accident may be the fact that the motorist was speeding, driving while distracted, overly fatigued, not paying attention to blind spots, or impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Our investigative team at Tate Law Offices, P.C., can study the police report, photos, witness statements, surveillance camera footage, cell phone records and physical evidence at the crash scene to determine the cause of your crash. We can also consult with accident reconstruction experts to determine why your accident occurred.

A bicycle accident can result in devastating injuries – regardless of whether the bicyclist wore protective gear such as a helmet. These injuries can include cuts, friction burns, broken ribs and other fractures, spinal cord damage and traumatic brain injury.