Roosevelt Bicycle Accident Lawyer
New York bicycle accidents can result in serious and potentially catastrophic injuries for everyone involved. This is true primarily because bicyclists are directly exposed to their immediate surroundings.
When a motor vehicle negligently collides with a bicycle, it often causes the bicyclist to flip, fall off the bicycle, and make direct contact with the ground, bringing about devastating consequences, such as broken bones, fractures, traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s), paralysis, or spinal cord injuries.
If you have been injured in a bicycle accident, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for your injuries and damages under New York Law. A knowledgeable Roosevelt bicycle accident lawyer can represent you throughout your case and fight for your right to monetary compensation. Contact a skilled personal injury attorney that can advocate for you.
Standard of Reasonable Care for Motor Vehicle Drivers
New York law is similar to the laws of other states, in that motor vehicle drivers owe a duty of reasonable care to other drivers and cyclists on the road. When a driver breaches this duty of care and accidents, injuries, and damages result, the driver can be held civilly (and sometimes criminally) liable for any negligent actions or inactions.
A negligent driver is a driver who does something that a reasonable driver would not do – or who fails to do something that a reasonable driver would do. When it comes to bicyclists and bicycle accidents specifically, a Roosevelt bicycle accident lawyer might advise that New York motor vehicle drivers should avoid doing the following:
- Interfering with or obstructing the movement of bicycles and bicyclists on roadways
- Encroaching into a marked bicycle lane
- Overtaking or passing a bicyclist on the road
Motor vehicle drivers should take care to yield the right of way to bicyclists and to exercise due care to avoid colliding with bicycles and bicyclists while driving on the road.
Contesting Liability in New York Bicycle Accident Cases
In New York bicycle accident cases, it is typically the at-fault driver’s insurance company that holds the purse strings, so to speak, and pays out a personal injury claim.
In some bicycle accident cases, the insurance company will contest liability by alleging that the bicyclist was fully or partially responsible for the accident and for the bicyclist’s resulting injuries and damages. In order to help prevent against liability disputes, bicyclists should do the following:
- Obey all traffic signs, signals, lane markings, and traffic control devices (including traffic lights) while operating their bicycles
- Comply with all New York rules of the road
- Wear a helmet at all times while operating their bicycles
- Ensure that their bicycles are equipped with blinking lights and reflectors for dusk or nighttime operation
- Ride with the traffic, rather than against the traffic
- Ensure that their bicycles are properly maintained at all times
- Ensure that their bicycles are equipped with operating brake systems (both front and rear) and that these brake systems are properly maintained
- Operate their bicycles in a bike lane when one is available
- Use the appropriate hand and arm warning signals when making turns, stopping, or slowing down
Contacting a Roosevelt Bicycle Accident Attorney
Bicycle accidents can lead to serious injuries and are usually caused by negligent drivers. If you have been injured in a bicycle accident – and especially if an insurance company is disputing or denying liability in your case – you need a knowledgeable Roosevelt bicycle accident lawyer on your side advocating for you.
