Bicycles are increasing in popularity as more people use them for recreation, exercise, commuting, and work. In 2019, an estimated 48.9 million adults participated in cycling, up more than 5 million from 2009. 1.6 million adults ride their bikes at least once per year in New York City alone, while 793,000 participate regularly.
As with many urban areas and even some small towns, the city invested in bicycle infrastructure, installing 1,240 miles of bike lanes and 480 miles of protected bike lanes as of 2018. Bicycle accidents are still far too common despite increased cycling activity and bicycle infrastructure.
If a motorist hits you while on your bike, you may be eligible for compensation for damages and pain and suffering, and Sattler Law Group New York bicycle accident lawyers can help you pursue your claim.
No matter what steps you take to protect yourself, you risk sustaining serious injuries whenever you share the road with cars and trucks. The driver of an automobile has a layer of metal shielding them, while your exposure makes you vulnerable to serious injury when a driver strikes you.
In 2019, approximately 49,000 cyclists sustained injuries after getting hit by a car, representing 1.8% of all auto accident injuries. That same year, 846 riders lost their lives in a bicycle-car collision.
If a car hits you when you’re on your bike, a bike accident attorney can help you sort through the accident contributing causes. Crashes can happen quickly, leaving you no time to react. When you’re in traffic, attempting to avoid an accident may put you in even more danger.
In addition to standard car accident causes — such as distracted driving, speeding and alcohol consumption — common bicycle accident causes include:
The car does not have to travel at a high rate of speed to cause serious injury to a person riding a bicycle. A bicycle injury lawyer from Sattler Law Group is here to help you navigate the legal system and pursue your claim.
While traffic laws require bicycle riders to adhere to the same road rules as cars, there are rules in place protecting cyclists when they share the road with vehicles. At Sattler Law Group, your bicycle accident lawyer helps you understand which laws may impact your case.
Though state laws vary, many establish insurance rules that provide compensation in bicycle accident cases when the driver is at fault in the accident. Additionally, some states have extra protections in place for vulnerable road users. In New York, relevant laws include the no-fault insurance laws and the vulnerable road user laws.
New York is one of 12 states with no-fault auto insurance legislation. The state requires vehicle owners to carry no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) as well as liability coverage. When drivers get into an accident, they must file a claim with their own insurance provider. Their insurance covers a minimum of up to $50,000 in medical bills, lost wages and other injury-related expenses when the driver or passengers sustain a car accident injury, regardless of who is at fault.
PIP also covers injury-related expenses when a car strikes a cyclist, no matter who caused the accident. If your injuries meet New York’s serious injury threshold, you can file a personal injury claim. Bike accident lawyers from Sattler Law Group are here to help you determine whether you might benefit from a personal injury lawsuit.
New York requires drivers to exercise extra caution to protect vulnerable road users, including cyclists. Failure to do so results in harsher penalties for the driver, including the potential for fines and jail time. Repeat offenders face the prospect of misdemeanor criminal charges.
New York City imposes a criminal misdemeanor charge when a driver fails to yield the right of way, causing injury to a bicyclist. When you work with a bicycle injury lawyer, you get a professional who protects your rights as a vulnerable road user and pursues all legal avenues available to you.
At Sattler Law Group, we take your case seriously, dedicating our time and efforts to getting you full and fair compensation for your losses. Contacting an attorney right away is imperative, as there are deadlines you must adhere to for filing no-fault insurance claims and personal injury liability suits. You have 30 days from the time of the accident to file with the driver’s insurance provider for a no-fault claim and three years to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Your attorney can ensure you don’t miss any critical deadlines while also providing the following services:
Working with an experienced bicycle accident attorney may improve your chances of seeing a favorable outcome for your bicycle accident case.
The team at Sattler Law firm is ready to help injured cyclists recover the full extent of their losses. If you sustained an injury from a collision with a car, let us get to work on setting the wheels in motion to provide legal advice and litigate your case. Contact us today to set up a consultation with a bicycle accident lawyer.
From residential streets in the boroughs to the center of Manhattan, nearly a half-million New Yorkers travel by bicycle every day. Bicycles are a practical way to get around New York City and in many circumstances riding is enjoyable. Nonetheless, cyclists share the roads and highways with motor vehicles, inevitably leading to collisions and injuries. Knowing what steps to take after a bicycle accident can empower you to make it through the incident and understand when to reach out to a bicycle accident attorney.
In the immediate aftermath of an accident, your priority should be prompt treatment of your injuries even if you believe your injuries are not much more than scrapes or bruises. If you are physically able to do so, document the accident scene with your smartphone camera. The scene should include the vehicle that struck you (and the license plate), scrapes, bruises, torn clothing and the condition of your bicycle.
If your injuries do not require transport to an emergency department, promptly seek treatment at an urgent care center or your primary care physician. The rush of adrenaline after an accident is known to conceal other injuries, and these issues can lead to long-term health consequences if you do not get prompt treatment. Your physician may refer you to a physiatrist, neurologist, orthopedist or pain managment doctor. Make sure to keep these appointments and follow through with any recommended therapy.
With your treatment underway, your next task becomes seeking compensation for lost wages and making sure your medical treatment is paid. New York State has a no-fault system for accidents involving motor vehicles. One goal of a no-fault system is rapid compensation for any lost wages and payment of medical bills. With vehicle-to-vehicle accidents, drivers file claims with their OWN insurance carriers.
When a vehicle strikes a bicyclist, the cyclist gains first-party rights under the vehicle’s policy.
Another provision of New York’s no-fault insurance system is the 30-day rule. You must file a claim with the motorist’s insurance company within 30 days of the accident. Failure to meet this obligation could forfeit your opportunity to have that insurance company pay for your medical treatment. After this initial notice, a cyclist (or the medical provider) must provide medical bills within 45 days of the date of service and proof of income loss within 90 days.
In most accidents, a driver whose vehicle strikes a bicyclist will remain on the scene and render assistance. Nonetheless, a bicycle injury lawyer knows all-too-well that a handful of drivers will flee the scene and escape arrest. This rare situation compels an injured bicyclist to pursue other avenues of compensation. A cyclist who carries New York’s required minimum auto insurance can likely tap the uninsured motorist provision of their policy to help with medical bills. Better quality health insurance policies may also provide some coverage.
Cyclists without an auto policy have a last-resort option with New York’s Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation. To ensure eligibility for this program, hit-and-run victims must file a notice of intention to make a claim form with MVAIC within 90 days of their accident. Getting this notification right is imperative; a late filing forfeits all benefit rights. Further, the notice requires complete documentation of all medical treatments up to the filing date. Failure to list a procedure means no compensation for that treatment.
In the wake of an accident, a cyclist may face any one of these challenges:
An attorney can shoulder many post-accident tasks and free you to focus on your recovery. A bicycle accident personal injury attorney has the resources and the knowledge to ensure that your claim is handled properly and to maximize results.
Moreover, a bicycle accident attorney can take over all communications with the driver’s insurer and negotiate a settlement offer or recommend that the case proceed to litigation. Nearly all personal injury attorneys offer free initial consultations, making this step practically risk-free.
Whether you need a bicycle accident attorney or representation for another injury, the attorneys and staff at Sattler Law Group stand ready to help. Our firm has decades of proven experience in personal injury law. Referrals from former and current satisfied clients are the foundation of our practice. Case reviews are free with Sattler Law Group, and a Spanish-speaking staff member is always available. You pay no fee unless we win your case. If you or a loved one suffer an injury due to another party’s negligence, we invite you to contact us today.
Sattler Law Group PC has office locations in New Rochelle & New York City and serves clients in & around the entire New York Metropolitan area including Long Island and New Jersey.
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The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Please note that contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
