Bicycle Accidents
More and more Vermonters are using bicycles for recreation, competition, running errands, riding to and from school, and commuting to work. The joy of bicycling can instantly become a nightmare when an accident occurs.
If you or your child is injured in a bicycle accident in Vermont, it is imperative for you to contact an attorney as soon as possible. David Rath is a long time bicyclist, multi-time age group National Champion, who continues to race, join friends on challenging bike tours and truly understands the joy of cycling has handled claims of bicyclists injured in accidents for years. He helps Attorneys at Kohn Rath Law help clients by assessing their claims, conducting thorough investigations of their accidents, and preserving any evidence that proves the other defendant’s negligence, all from the perspective a long time cyclist who understands the issues that arise in biking accidents and particularly those in which motorists hit cyclists..
Bicycle Accidents In Vermont
Individuals who ride bikes are much more vulnerable to accident injuries than individuals in motor vehicles.. Unlike people in cars, bicyclists have very little safety equipment to protect them from motor vehicles weighing tons. For this reason, accidents involving bicycle riders tend to involve more severe injuries. Some of the most common causes of cars hitting and injuring Bicyocists involve:
- Distracted drivers texting, talking on cell phones, adjusting car entertainment systems, dealing with kids in the car, or somehow driving while not able to focus enough attention on the road ahead.
- Drivers who do not understand that bicyclists need room when descending hills, that passing cyclists when turning right puts cyclists in great danger and turning left in front of cyclists is not only a violation of basic rules of the road, but puts the cyclists in substantial danger.
- Drivers who do not understand that the law requires cars to give cyclists room when passing and that squeezing by a cyclist riding on the side of a road creates a big risk of forcing the cyclist off the road and into a ditch, boulder, curb, or other obstacle.
If you are injured by a car hitting you when you are riding on your bicycle, it is imperative you contact Kohn Rath Law as soon as possible.
In addition to car-involved bicycle accidents, several other factors contribute to bicycle accidents. These include:
- Property owners that let gravel, dirt, and debris from driveways run into the road
- Poorly maintained culverts, roadside ditches, and drainage
- Collisions with fixed statues, light posts, and other objects
- People that let animals run into the path of bicyclists
- Unclear bicycle lanes on highways
Cases We Handle For Bicycle Accident Victims
At Kohn Rath Law, we take a strategic approach to helping clients obtain the maximum amount of compensation they are entitled to recover from their bicycle accidents.
We have extensive experience investigating bicycle injury claims to determine the cause of the accident, and to determine liability; and we have a member of our firm who is a long time bike racer, bike rider, and bike tourer who brings years of expertise to the task. We have even more extensive experience pursuing cases to recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, long-term treatments, care, pain and suffering, and various other losses clients suffer.
Our Vermont bicycle accident lawyers have in-depth experience handling cases involving injuries such as:
- Road rash, including the bruises, cuts, lacerations, and complications from extensive loss of skin
- Hand injuries from collisions with the road surface or fixed objects
- Internal bleeding and deep tissue damage
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones
- Joint injuries of the knee, shoulder, ankle, and elbow
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Facial damage
- Wrongful death
No injury is too big or too small; we handle it all. Attorneys from Kohn Rath Law work diligently on each client’s claim so they can focus on their recovery without worry.
Types Of Bicycle Accidents We See In Vermont
While on the road, bicyclists must remain alert around other vehicles. Unfortunately, even the most careful bicyclist can be injured due to a reckless driver. There are several instances when bicyclists are injured while out on the roadway with other vehicles. These include:
Vehicles Turning Left In Front Of Bicycles: When drivers make left-hand turns, they often fail to check bicycle lanes or notice bicyclists approaching from the other direction. As the vehicle turns left across the intersection into the path of a bicyclist lawfully on a bike path or on the road, they can hit oncoming bicyclists head-on, cause bicyclists to crash into the side of their vehicles, or cause the bicyclist to crash on the road or ride off the road to avoid a collision with a multi ton car.
Vehicles Striking Bicyclists While Turning Right: This type of accident is one of the most common forms of cars hitting bicycles accident. Drivers often underestimate the speed of bicyclists legally riding on the right side of the traveled lane or in a bike lane, and often fail to check for bicyclists when making right-hand turns. Car drivers can and do turn quickly right, directly into a bicyclist or forcing the bicyclist to crash into the road or ride off the road to avoid colliding with a multi-ton vehicle.
Bicyclists Being Hit By Vehicle Doors: There are some instances when drivers in parked vehicles injure bicyclists. Quite often, door incidents occur when a bicyclist is legally traveling on the ride side of the lane on the street, or when a bicyclist is riding down a designated bicycle lane and the occupants in a parked car swing open their doors without looking. Striking a bicyclist with a vehicle door can cause serious injuries. Unfortunately, the cyclist who is struck by a car door often is ejected from their bicycles into the middle of car traffic, with disastrous results.
Unfortunately, individuals engaging in driving while intoxicated only place bicyclists at an even higher risk of being injured in an accident. No matter how much safety equipment bicyclists put on before getting on the streets and riding their bikes, they can still become the victim of devastating accidents. Fortunately, injured bicyclists are able to recover compensation to help cover some of the damages they sustained during their accidents if it determined that the accident was caused by the negligence of another driver.
When it comes to bicycle accidents, every case is unique. It is important to remember that you always have rights afforded to you in the court of law. Even if a bicyclist is partially at fault for their accident, they may still have some legal avenues available to them for handling the damages sustained. If you are ever involved in a bicycle accident, it is important that you contact an attorney as soon as possible to begin working on your case right away. The attorneys at Kohn Rath Law can help you if you have been injured in a bicycle accident that was caused by the negligent actions of another person.
Hire A Bicycle Accident Attorney In Vermont To Help With Your Case
Filing a successful claim for a bicycle accident depends upon a claimant’s ability to prove the defending party at fault. In order to create a solid case in your accident, it is important that you hire a bicycle accident attorney to represent you. It is equally important that a cyclist hire an attorney who has a deep knowledge of bicycling, understands the dangers bicyclists face from cars, understands the rights of bicyclists on the road, and perhaps of greatest import, understands the impact of injuries on the ability of a bicyclist to resume the activity they love. Kohn Rath Law has invaluable experience helping residents of Vermont who have been injured in a bicycle accident and we can help you too.
Attorney David Rath is a long time cyclist who understands and loves bicycling in all its forms. As a national competitive racer, he has won age group National Championships, the North the the age group North American Masters Road Championship, the first three years of the Green Mountain Stage Race (50 – 59 age group), the first UCI international Gran Fondo age group championship series race. Rath has ridden, toured, and raced all over the world. Rath is currently on the 1K2GO bicycle racing team, an active member of the Green Mountain Bicycle Club, and of the Tasta og Omegn Sykkel Klubb where he trains and races during the school year, and a former member of the Dubai Roadsters, Cycle Safe Dubai, the Emirates Road Cycling Club, and the elite masters program of the Corner Cycle race team. His in-depth knowledge of bicycling has enabled him to handle various complex bicycle-car collision cases successfully.
If you have been injured in a bicycle accident, contact Kohn Rath Law as soon as possible to schedule a case evaluation. We work diligently to ensure clients receive top dollar for their claims. Call us at 802-482-2905 to speak with a bike accident attorney today.
