Fort Worth Bicycle Accident Lawyer

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 71 cyclists in Texas lost their lives after being hit by a vehicle during a recent year, and at least another 1,309 cyclists suffered some sort of injury in a crash with a motor vehicle.

A bicycle accident can easily leave victims in agonizing pain and considerable financial strain that comes along with medical bills and lost income after being injured in a crash. Depending on the nature of their injuries, some bicycle accident victims may require ongoing care for the rest of their lives.

If you’ve been in a bicycle accident in the Fort Worth region, you should talk to the bike accident lawyers at Tate Law Offices, P.C. right away. We have a 99 percent success rate on personal injury claims and have won more than 3,000 cases. We’ve also received numerous professional honors for our high-caliber work, including membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an invite-only group of attorneys who’ve won multi-million-dollar judgments on behalf of their clients.

We’re committed to helping bike crash victims get the compensation they deserve for their injuries. Get a free initial consultation by calling our Fort Worth office or by filling out our online contact form.

What Should You Do After a Bike Accident?

While a bicycle accident is undeniably scary and traumatic, it’s important to keep calm as much as possible in the aftermath if you want the best chance at recovering full compensation for your injuries. Here’s what you should do if you’re in a bike accident:

See a doctor right away

Even if your injuries appear to be minor, you may have serious internal injuries that aren’t immediately apparent. Seeing a doctor as soon as possible maximizes your odds of a full recovery and will also help to link the accident to your injuries.

Hold on to all your medical records and proof of lost income as a result of your injuries.

This is crucial evidence that will help establish the value of your claim and the full extent of your injuries.

Stay away from social media and don’t give any statements to the insurance companies.

You need to be careful about what you say after an accident, as a careless statement could end up costing you dearly. Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company without talking to a lawyer first.

Keep track of your injuries and pain on a daily basis in a pain journal.

Tracking your physical pain and emotional distress will help to create a record of your pain and suffering that can provide valuable evidence in your case.

Speak to a lawyer as soon as you can.

A lawyer can handle the meticulous work of building your case while you focus on recovering from your injuries, and they can also take care of talking to the insurance companies. Talking to a lawyer as soon as possible gives them more time to develop your case while avoiding issues with Texas’ statute of limitations.

Causes of Bike Accidents

Some of the most common causes of bicycle accidents include:

Distracted driving – Talking on the phone, sending or reading a text message, eating or drinking, fiddling with the radio, and other distracting behaviors can take a driver’s eyes and attention off the road. When this happens, they can easily miss a bicyclist in their path.
Driving while intoxicated – Drivers who drink or use drugs before getting behind the wheel have slower reflexes, impaired judgment, and lower inhibitions. They are more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors like speeding or making abrupt lane changes. This makes it much harder for drivers to recognize potential hazards nearby and greatly increases their chances of causing an accident.
Driving while fatigued – Drivers who are fatigued often have trouble recognizing a potential hazard in their way, including bicyclists on the road. This is especially common among truck drivers. This is especially dangerous due to the weight and height of trucks compared to other vehicles. In extreme cases, a fatigued driver may even fall asleep at the wheel and drive off the road, leading to a crash with an unsuspecting cyclist.
Aggressive driving – Speeding, unsafe lane changes, turning without signaling, failing to leave a proper buffer, and other aggressive driving behaviors all make roads much less safe for bicyclists. A driver who’s speeding or driving in an aggressive manner has less time and space to react in the event of an emergency. They are also much more likely to hit a bicyclist as a result.

Compensation in a Bike Accident Case

The potential damages in bicycle accident cases that victims can recover depend on their individual circumstances. However, some of the most common forms of compensation are for:

The cost of your medical bills
Your lost wages
Being unable to work in the future as a result of your injuries
Your damaged property
Your pain and suffering
Your mental anguish

How Tate Law Offices, P.C. Can Help

Our bicycle accident attorneys have extensive experience with these kinds of cases and will bring every tool in our arsenal to bear to get you the compensation you deserve. Here are a few ways we can help:

Helping you find the right doctors to treat your injuries, including offering referrals to our network of medical experts
Getting you a rental car if you need alternative transportation
Fully investigating your claim to identify all potentially liable parties and sources of compensation
Taking care of all the legal paperwork
Handling your communications needs, including your statements to your insurer as well as the driver’s insurer
Vigorously negotiating for a fair settlement
Representing you in court if settlement negotiations fail to provide you with the compensation you deserve

Contact Our Fort Worth Bicycle Accident Attorneys

Being in a bicycle accident is a difficult and painful experience, but the right Fort Worth bike accident lawyer can help you pursue maximum compensation for the damages you have sustained. To learn more about how our legal team at Tate Law Offices, P.C. can help you during this challenging time, call our Fort Worth office or visit our contact page to get a free case review.