Austin Attorneys for Bike Accidents Caused By Failure to Watch for Cyclists
Bicycling in Austin is a way of life. With our many dedicated bike lanes and the large number of cyclists that ride for pleasure or use their bike to commute, bicyclists are a common sight at any time of day. Sadly, Austin roads are also hazardous for cyclists.
If an unwary motorist injures you or someone you love while riding your bike in Austin, consider speaking to the Austin bicycle accident lawyers at Loewy Law Firm about filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit for compensation. Since 2005, we’ve helped injured Texans get the help they need to move on after a bicycle accident. Call us today at 512-280-0800 for a free consultation, and let us determine whether you’re eligible for compensation for your bicycle accident. Don’t wait. Call Loewy Law Firm today, and let us help you get back in the saddle after a bicycle accident.
Why Motorists Need to Watch for Cyclists
The Austin metro area is second only to Houston in the number of bicycle crashes per year in Texas. Our complex road system is partly to blame, but Austin still sees hundreds of bicycle accidents ending in severe injury, even with dedicated bike lanes and bike-friendly streets.
The most significant threat to bicycling safely in any major urban area is distracted driving. It’s estimated that over 30 percent of bicycle accidents can be attributed to driving while distracted.
Motorists have a responsibility not to harm anyone else on the road, including cyclists. Our roads are built primarily for cars, and many motorists view cyclists as an annoyance. This harmful point of view can make bicycling even more dangerous than it already is.
Riding a bicycle on an active roadway is dangerous because cyclists have little or no safety protection. Even a low-speed impact with a car or truck can severely injure a cyclist, both from the initial impact and the secondary impact with the ground. Bicycles are much smaller than cars or trucks and are far more challenging to see. Even when drivers see a cyclist, they may not register the bicycle as something that requires attention.
How Accidents Caused by Failure to Observe Cyclists Happen
Failure-to-Observe accidents happen when a motorist either doesn’t look for cyclists before maneuvering in traffic or looks and sees a cyclist but makes the maneuver anyway, also called a look-but-failed-to-see accident (LBFTS). This includes a wide variety of possible accident types, such as:
- Failure-to-yield accidents
- Sideswipe accidents
- Unsafe lane change accidents
- Reversing accidents
- Left or right turn accidents
- Dooring accidents
- Intersection accidents
- Distracted driving accidents
- Overtaking accidents
Injuries Cyclists Could Suffer in an Accident
The increased danger of riding a bicycle alongside city traffic leads to more severe injuries when motorists fail to observe cyclists. Some possible injuries include the following:
- Abrasions
- Broken bones
- Lacerations
- Hip and knee injuries
- Sprains and strains
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Concussion
- Whiplash
- Head and neck injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Organ damage
- Internal injuries
- Amputation
- Crushing injuries
- Coma
- Death
Compensation for Bicycle Accidents
We can help you obtain compensation for bicycle accidents through a personal injury claim against the driver’s insurance company or a personal injury lawsuit against the driver directly. The compensation you may obtain varies widely depending on the circumstances of the accident and the severity of the losses incurred. The more severe your injuries or losses, the more compensation you should demand.
Obtaining compensation requires proving negligence under Texas law. We must show that the party responsible for your bicycle accident had a responsibility to act in a way that doesn’t harm others, that they didn’t hold to that responsibility, and their action or inaction led to your accident and injuries.
Compensation applies to a variety of different losses. Losses can be compensated by an award of damages. Some damages are designed to compensate you for the losses you’ve suffered as a result of the accident, and some are meant to punish the driver for their negligent behavior.
Economic damages are the actual financial costs of the injury. Some examples include:
- Lost wages, now or in the future
- Medical bills
- Property damage
Noneconomic damages are the losses to your well-being and peace of mind resulting from the accident. These damages are subjective and vary widely. Some categories include:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Mental anguish
Texas law also allows some claimants to seek exemplary damages. These are not compensatory in nature but are instead intended as a punishment against the negligent actor to deter them from ever behaving in the same manner again. Exemplary damages are only allowed in cases of fraud, malice, or gross negligence and can only be awarded by a unanimous jury decision.
How Loewy Law Firm Can Help
If you need personal injury representation in Austin, Loewy Law Firm should be your first call. We’ve helped hundreds of clients get the compensation they deserve for negligent accidents of all types, from dog bites to drunk driving accidents. We’ve successfully obtained millions of dollars in compensation since our founding in 2005.
We limit our caseload so we can provide a high level of service to all of our clients. We will always be immediately available to provide updates, answer questions, and give you the support you need to make it through this ordeal.
We are proud to offer our services on contingency. It works like this: you bring us your case, and we determine your eligibility for compensation through a claim or lawsuit. If we believe your case has merit, we will build your claim from the ground up, investigate your accident thoroughly and gather all necessary documentation to support it. We will do all the work, deal with insurance companies, and represent you with vigor and tenacity, all at no cost to you. That’s right. There are no up-front fees. We take payment out of any settlement or award we obtain for you. If we don’t get you the compensation you need, we don’t get paid.
Call us today at 512-280-0800 for a free consultation. We’re standing by for your call, so don’t delay. Call Loewy Law Firm today.