Were you or a loved one injured while riding your bike in Columbus, GA? Bicycle accident injuries can be extremely serious. If someone else was responsible for the accident, call Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm for legal assistance today. An experienced Columbus bicycle accident lawyer can help you fight to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and your pain and suffering.
Our award-winning lawyer has over 26 years of experience helping injured clients recover the fair compensation they deserve. In fact, we’ve already recovered tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for victims of Columbus truck accidents, slip and fall accidents, brain injury cases in Columbus, wrongful death claims, pedestrian accidents, and more.
You don’t have to deal with an insurance battle alone. Contact our law offices in Columbus, Georgia at (706) 940-4030 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney who can protect you.
How Can Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm Help Me Recover Compensation After a Bicycle Accident in Columbus, GA?
Bicycle accidents involving motor vehicles have serious consequences. Your physical injuries can impact you in unexpected ways. The financial repercussions can haunt you for years–and so can the emotional trauma of the experience.
You deserve to hold the responsible parties accountable. An experienced Columbus personal injury attorney can help you make that happen.
At Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm, our legal team has earned an AV-Preeminent rating from the Martindale Hubbell lawyer rating service. That’s the highest rating a law firm can achieve.
We’re prepared to use our skills to your advantage by:
- Fully investigating the accident to determine why it happened
- Gathering critical evidence to build your claim for compensation
- Consulting leading experts throughout the legal process
- Defending against blame-the-victim insurance tactics
- Negotiating with the insurance companies for a full settlement
- Advocating to protect your interests in court if necessary
Accident victims are often afraid to seek legal help because of the cost. Our Columbus personal injury lawyer works on a contingency fee basis, so there’s never a fee unless we win. Call to arrange your free consultation today.
How Common Are Bicycle Accidents in Georgia?
As cycling becomes more popular, bicycle accidents are becoming much more common on a nationwide basis. Across the U.S., 961 bicyclists were killed in car accidents in 2021. 61% of those traffic fatalities involved a bicyclist who was not wearing a helmet.
Unfortunately, 83 bicyclists were killed in car accidents across the state of Georgia between 2018 and 2020. Only 8% of cyclists who were fatally injured were wearing a helmet.
In 2021 alone, 735 bike accidents were reported across the state of Georgia. 18 cyclists were killed and another 96 suffered serious injuries. At least 241 bicyclists had visible injuries after a bicycle crash. In Muscogee County, 10 bicyclists were injured or killed in accidents in 2021.
What Causes Most Bicycle Accidents in Columbus, Georgia?
There are many different factors that can contribute to the cause of a bicycle accident. Distracted driving is one of the most common causes of bicycle accidents. By the time the driver notices the bicycle, it’s too late to stop and prevent an accident.
Aside from driver distraction, some of the leading causes of bicycle accidents include:
- Speeding and high speed limits
- Ignoring traffic laws
- Lack of dedicated bike lanes and protective infrastructure
- Texting while driving
- Fatigued drivers
- Racing through intersections to beat a red light
- Running stop signs
- Aggressive driving
- Passing too closely to the shoulder
- Veering into the bike lane
- Potholes, crumbling pavement, and other dangerous road conditions
- Inadequate lighting
- Failure to wear reflective equipment and other safety gear
- Drunk driving
Intersections are particularly dangerous for cyclists in Georgia. Over 60% of all fatal bicycle accidents that happen in Georgia occur at intersections. These crashes tend to happen because drivers in passenger vehicles fail to yield the right-of-way to cyclists.
What is My Columbus Bicycle Accident Case Worth?
Multiple factors will affect your case value.
When we’re evaluating your case value, our bike accident lawyers will analyze:
- The nature and overall severity of your injuries
- The cost of your medical treatment
- Your need for future rehabilitation, care, and assistance
- Your chances of making a full recovery or suffering a long-term disability
- How the injury impacts your work, considering current lost income and loss of your ability to earn a living in the future
- Damage to your quality of life and ability to enjoy life
- The circumstances of the accident
- The strength of the evidence to prove liability
As a bicyclist, you’re very vulnerable to severe injuries in a crash. You have almost nothing to protect you. More serious injuries tend to lead to higher settlements and verdicts. The insurance company knows that and will work hard to minimize their own liability.
It’s important to have an experienced attorney by your side during insurance negotiations. At Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm, our number one priority is getting you the fair compensation you deserve. Give us a call today to get the legal advice you need.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Bike Accident Victims in Columbus, GA?
In a successful personal injury case, injured parties can recover compensation for economic and non-economic damages under Georgia law.
Economic damages offset the financial costs of an accident and injury, including:
- Current medical expenses for ER visits, hospitalization, follow-up doctor’s visits, etc.
- Future medical treatment
- Lost wages, income, and employment benefits
- Lost future earning potential
- Rehabilitation and PT
- Property damage
Non-economic damages compensate for trauma and losses without a clear financial value, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Loss of consortium
These damages aren’t awarded automatically. The insurance company will want to see proof about the specific losses you have suffered. That can be hard to produce when you’re recovering from a serious injury.
Our lawyers in Columbus are here to help in any way we can. We’ll gather documentation, collect evidence, and hire experts to testify about hard-to-value “pain and suffering” damages.
How Can Comparative Negligence Impact My Damages Claim If I’m Being Blamed for a Bicycle Accident in Georgia?
Even as a cyclist, it’s possible that you’ll be blamed for the accident. The insurance company might claim that you were distracted or made your injuries worse by failing to wear a helmet. If they succeed, your compensation will be impacted.
Georgia has a modified comparative negligence law. If your share of fault is less than 50%, your compensation will be reduced accordingly. Once your share of fault reaches 50%, however, you lose your right to recover any compensation at all.
This law gives insurance companies a strong motive to fight your claim. The skill of your lawyer will be important to the outcome of that fight. We know how to protect you, so don’t hesitate to contact us today if the insurance company is trying to pin the blame on you.
Our Columbus Bicycle Accident Attorney Will Fight to Recover Fair Compensation for All of Your Injuries
Bicycle accidents can cause significant physical trauma.
At Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm, we often represent accident victims who have sustained:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Other head injuries
- Neck injuries
- Broken bones
- Crushing injuries
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Knee injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Organ damage
- Chest injuries
- Severe bruising and internal bleeding
- Burns or road rash
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
If you were injured, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Getting quality medical care can be the key to recovering from serious injuries.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Bicycle Accident in Georgia?
Most bike accident victims must prove that someone else’s negligence caused their accident. To recover damages, you’ll have to show that the at-fault driver failed to use reasonable caution. What constitutes “reasonable caution” varies depending on the circumstances.
There are four elements to your negligence case:
- The at-fault party’s duty of care
- A breach of duty
- The breach caused your accident
- You suffered damages
Our lawyers have the resources to help you establish liability. We’ll conduct our own independent investigation.
We’ll analyze:
- Eyewitness statements
- Police reports
- Medical records
- Video footage
- Data from the accident scene
- Photos of the crash scene and your injuries
In hotly contested cases, we’ll even bring in experts who can testify about how the accident happened.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Bicycle Accident in Georgia?
The personal injury statute of limitations in Georgia is only two years. If you wait longer than two years from the date of the accident, you lose your right to file a personal injury lawsuit. In almost all cases, that will also mean you’ll lose your right to recover an insurance settlement.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Columbus Bicycle Accident Lawyer Today
If you were hit by a car, speak with a lawyer sooner rather than later. An experienced Columbus bicycle accident attorney can take steps to protect your interests today. At Mark Casto Personal Injury Law Firm, your initial consultation is always free, Get in touch today at (706) 940-4030. We’re here to help!
Our personal injury law firm in Columbus, GA also provides:
- Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Columbus, GA
- Brain Injury Attorneys in Columbus, GA
- Car Accident Injury Lawyer in Columbus, GA
- Child Injury Lawyers in Columbus, GA
- Construction Accident Attorney in Columbus, GA
- Dog Bite Lawyer in Columbus, GA
- Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in Columbus, GA
- Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Columbus, GA
- Premises Liability Attorneys in Columbus, GA
- Product Liability Lawyers in Columbus, GA
- Slip and Fall Accident Attorneys in Columbus, GA
- Truck Accident Lawyer in Columbus, GA
- Uber Accident Attorney in Columbus, GA
- Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Columbus, GA
- Workplace Lawyer in Columbus, GA
- Wrongful Death Lawyer in Columbus, GA