Indiana Bicycle Accident Lawyer
The great state of Indiana has 35,868 square miles of land to be explored. Much of this mileage can be easily accessed by bicycle. As distracted driving increases, the danger of becoming involved in a bicycle accident with a motor vehicle increases dramatically. If this happens, you’ll likely need to talk to an Indiana Bicycle Accident lawyer. The experienced personal injury lawyers at Keffer Hirschauer LLP help clients throughout the state fight for recovery for injuries caused by another.
When You Need an Indiana Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Motor vehicle accidents have the potential for serious injury. This risk of injury to a cyclist involved in a motor vehicle versus bicycle accident is exponentially heightened because bicyclists do not have seat belts, airbags, or any barrier between themselves and the road other than a Styrofoam bicycle helmet.
Collisions between cyclists and motorists tend to have some of the most devastating consequences of any car crash, leaving victims to suffer through painful recovery, chronic pain, and, in some cases, permanent disability. In the worst case scenario, a bicycle accident injury claim turns into a wrongful death claim. At Keffer Hirschauer LLP you will find an experienced Indiana bicycle accident lawyer who can help you handle your claim for compensation for all of losses you have suffered—from medical claims to lost wages—as caused by the responsible driver or party.
Indiana Bicycle Accident Claims
Indiana has an abundance of bicycling resources and road cycling organizations that you can join to become a better cyclist and meet other cyclists. Being aware of the laws and taking safety precautions as a cyclist are the first steps to protecting yourself from a bicycle accident injury claim.
Bicycle accidents are merely a fraction of all motor vehicle accidents; however, they may occur more often than you would think. Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that nearly 467,000 people sustained bicycle accident-related injuries in 2015, with similar numbers in the ensuing years. An Indiana bicycle accident lawyer can demonstrate that a bicycle accident was the result of someone else’s negligence or fault can fight for compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering—all potential parts of bicycle accident injury claims.
Driver Negligence Causing Bicycle Accident Claims
Indiana bicycle law is clear: a person riding a bicycle on a roadway has all the rights and duties that are applicable to a person who drives a vehicle. There are some legal exceptions as they pertain to bicycles and passengers that do not apply to motor vehicles, but an individual riding a bicycle on the road—individually or two or fewer bicycles abreast—must follow the same rules of the road as drivers and is entitled to the same protections of the road as motor vehicle drivers.
An experienced Indiana bicycle accident lawyer knows that, like car accidents, motorist-cyclist collisions can occur just about anywhere and at any time. In our experience at Keffer Hirschauer LLP, these types of accidents are caused by driver negligence such as:
- Failure to obey traffic signals
- Speeding or reckless driving
- Failure to yield properly
- Failure to check blind spots before changing lanes
- Failure to give cyclists enough space when passing
These types of careless and avoidable conduct, while dangerous for other motorists on the road, pose a particularly high risk to cyclists who are much more likely to sustain serious injuries in the event of a collision with a motor vehicle.
Consulting an Indiana Bicycle Accident Lawyer When No Motor Vehicles are Involved
Driver error is usually responsible for bicycle accident injury claims. However, sometimes a cyclist can crash without another vehicle being involved. If you’ve been involved in such an accident, a bicycle accident lawyer from Keffer Hirschauer LLP can help you determine if someone should be liable for your injuries.
Property owners have a duty to maintain their premises in a safe manner, and the city, county, and/or state has a duty to maintain roadway systems to provide safe roads for drivers and cyclists alike. The Indianapolis bicycle accident attorneys of Keffer Hirschauer LLP know that poor road conditions, for instance, cause thousands of bicycle accidents every year and can advise on whether you have an actionable claim against the governmental unit responsible for the roadway.
Potholes and uneven road surfaces have proven to be especially dangerous to cyclists potentially causing a cyclist to lose control of their bicycle or be thrown into traffic. Unfortunately, these types of defects are preventable and are almost always the result of long-term wear and tear, improper maintenance, inadequate inspections, and a failure to make timely repairs.
An Indianapolis bicycle accident attorney can also help you determine if slick road surfaces can be attributed to your bicycle accident injury claims. Painted roadways for example, which are often found in crosswalks, can cause difficulty for a cyclist’s tires to grip the asphalt when braking. Metal surfaces, such as manhole covers and grates can also cause serious injuries when they become wet. In some cases, it is the bars of grates themselves that prove dangerous, as a cyclist’s tires can become lodged between them if they are placed in the same direction as.
When a bicycle accident is the result of road defect, Keffer Hirschauer LLP can help the injured parties can seek compensation from those responsible for the danger that caused the accident.
An Indiana Bicycle Accident Lawyer Willing to Help You
Bicycle accident injuries are almost always serious. Whatever the cause of a bicycle accident, contact an Indiana bicycle accident lawyer at Keffer Hirschauer LLP so we can help you explore the cause of the accident and determine how to recover damages you’ve sustained. Call our office at (317) 455-4043 or complete our online contact form so we can discuss your Indiana bicycle accident claims and work to determine how to best collect compensation for your losses.