Hanover, NH Bicycle Accident Attorney
After a bicycle crash, you need to know your legal rights and how your bills will get paid. Bicycle accident injuries are typically severe and often fatal. Hit and run is not uncommon, and sometimes a driver causes bicyclist to crash without striking them or even being aware of what happened.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a bicycle accident, call the Cole Law Office at 800-909-LAWS (5297) or contact us online. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your personal injury case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.
Causes and of Bicycle Accidents
When bicycles and cars collide, driver negligence is often involved, but it is not the only cause of bicycle accidents. Common causes of bicycle accidents include:
- Driver negligence
- Roadway defects and hazards, such as potholes, malfunctioning traffic signals, and dangerous intersection design
- Defective motor vehicle
- Bicycle defects
If your injuries have not prevented you from remembering the events that led up to your accident, the cause of your accident may seem obvious. But, bicycle accidents can be deceptive, especially if a roadway defect or defective vehicle was involved. At Cole Law Office, we will thoroughly investigate your accident to determine all of the underlying causes so that we can pursue every avenue of compensation for you.
Bicycle Crashes Involving Motor Vehicles
Some common causes and scenarios involving negligent drivers include:
- Distracted driving
- Intoxication
- Speeding or driving too fast for the conditions
- Following bicycle too closely
- Not giving bicyclist enough space when passing
- Intentional violation of bicyclist’s right of way
- Unintentional violation of bicyclist’s right of way by driver who does not know the rules of the road regarding bicycle
- Opening car door into the path of a bicyclist
- Right-hand turn into a bicyclist or into the path of a bicyclist, often without using turn signal
- Left-hand turn into path of oncoming bicyclist
- Vehicle pulling out of a parking lot, driveway, or side street, into the path of or hitting bicyclist
- Driver forces bicyclist off road or into the path of other traffic without striking bicycle
Hit and Run or Near-Miss and Run
When a driver fails to stop and call for help, after a bicycle accident, the results can be devastating. If no one else sees and reports the accident, the bicyclist can go for hours or days without necessary medical attention and be exposed to the elements. Injuries can worsen, and a survivable crash can become fatal.
If you were hurt in a hit and run, or if a driver caused your accident without actually striking you, you still have legal recourse. We may be able to identify and locate the negligent driver. If not, you may still have avenues of compensation including a claim with your own insurance company or a family member’s insurance company if there is uninsured motorist (UM) coverage.