Staten Island Bicycle Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one were hurt in a bicycle accident in Staten Island, don’t hesitate to take action.
Call an experienced Staten Island bicycle accident lawyer at Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers to learn more about your right to financial compensation.
We have over 40 years of experience helping accident victims get fair compensation in NYC. Your first consultation is free, so it’s easy to get the legal help you need today.
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How Our Experienced Staten Island Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help After a Bike Accident
Bicycle accident victims can face unique challenges getting compensation for their injuries. Even when a driver is responsible for the accident, they often try to blame the victim. The driver might say you darted into traffic or failed to use the designated bike lane. It can be hard to prove that an at-fault driver is wrong when they’re backed up by insurance companies and defense law firms.
When you’re seriously hurt after a bike accident, you might not have the time or energy to fight for yourself. An experienced Staten Island personal injury attorney at Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers can step in to protect your rights.
When you hire us, our lawyers will:
- Stand up to insurance companies that try to devalue or deny your settlement award
- Work with the leading experts in NYC to find out how much money you deserve
- Fight back when the responsible party tries to blame you for getting hurt
- Work closely with you and your family so that you know what’s happening and what to expect from the legal process
- Handle all necessary paperwork and negotiations with the insurance company.
The Citi Bike ride-sharing program has made cycling inexpensive and convenient for everyone in NYC. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to get hurt when drivers aren’t paying attention to bicyclists.
It’s not easy to get the full amount you deserve even if you’re dealing with your own car insurance company under the New York no-fault insurance law. Our lawyers know what it takes to get the most compensation possible for you.
At Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re always available to discuss your case. Give us a call today to see how we can put 40 years of experience to work in your case.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Staten Island
Both bike riders and drivers in motor vehicles have a duty to drive safely to prevent accidents. Unfortunately, in 2018 alone, more than 4,300 bicyclists were injured in New York City. Many of these crashes are caused by unsafe driving by negligent drivers who don’t carefully share the road with bicycles.
Common causes of bicycle accidents in Staten Island include:
- Driver failed to yield the right-of-way
- Unsafe or sudden turns in front of a cyclist at an intersection
- Distracted driving
- Unsafe passing
- Opening a vehicle’s door into a bike rider (“dooring”)
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Swerving into the bike lane
- Drug or alcohol use behind the wheel
Bike accidents can also be caused by road hazards, such as potholes and other defects in the roads. Our lawyers have experience fighting to hold government authorities responsible for their own neglect. We’ll work to locate every responsible party. That approach will help us maximize your overall compensation award.
We Work To Get Full Compensation For All Your Bicycle Accident Injuries
In 2018, 857 bicyclists were killed in crashes across the U.S. Countless others suffered serious injuries in bike accidents. If you or a loved one were hurt, our lawyers know what it takes to get full compensation for all of your injuries. We regularly represent bicycle accident victims who have suffered serious injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Concussions
- Broken bones
- Fractures and joint injuries
- Chest injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Organ damage
- Catastrophic injuries
- Paralysis
- Burn injuries
- Amputations
- Wrongful death of a loved one
New York State Vehicle and Traffic laws only require bicyclists under the age of 14 to wear a helmet. Other riders aren’t legally required to use a helmet. Of course, wearing a helmet can greatly reduce the severity of head injuries in an accident.
Our lawyers at Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers can help you understand how a lack of a helmet might impact your case. It’s important to know that failure to wear a helmet doesn’t eliminate your right to sue for damages. To get legal advice you can count on, give our law offices a call today.
How Much Time Do I Have To Sue For Damages?
It might seem like you have a lot of time to sue for damages. While the New York statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit gives you three years to sue, time is really much more limited. If your accident involved a public bus or government agency, you only have 90 days to file a claim with the city.
New York is a no-fault insurance state. If you or someone in your household has car insurance, that means you’ll first file a claim with your own insurance company. Injured cyclists might also be able to file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Every insurance policy has its own time limits. Those limits can be much shorter than the legal statute of limitations–in fact, you usually have to file a claim within 30 days of the accident. Our lawyers can get to work right away to make sure your claim is filed before time runs out. We’ll handle all the paperwork and legal requirements so that you can focus on getting better.
Can I Get Money For My Injuries If I Was Partly At-Fault?
Yes, since New York follows a pure comparative negligence law. As long as at least one other person was partly to blame for your accident, you can hold them accountable for compensation.
That means every responsible party can be held accountable for their fair share of the damages after an accident. The less fault you share, the higher your damages award will be.
You don’t lose the right to compensation if you were partly to blame. In fact, blaming the victim is a common insurance tactic. Assigning degrees of fault to all parties involved in an accident is a complex process. It’s important to have an experienced lawyer in your corner. If and when shared fault becomes an issue in your case, give us a call to discuss options for minimizing the fallout.
Who Can Be Held Responsible For Paying My Compensation Award?
At Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll conduct a comprehensive investigation to pinpoint the cause of your accident. Multiple parties can share the blame for an accident in New York. A thorough investigation helps us make sure everyone is held accountable for their fair share of the damages.
Potentially responsible parties might include:
- A negligent driver
- Another bicyclist
- A pedestrian
- Bus drivers
- The manufacturer of a defective bicycle or vehicle part
- Government agencies
- Transit authorities
- Employers of negligent drivers
Our lawyers have the experience and resources to find out what happened after an accident. We’ve been handling New York bicycle accident cases for over 40 years and have regularly been recognized by Super Lawyers. To learn more about how we can put that experience to work for you, call for a free consultation today.
What Damages Are Available to Bicycle Accident Victims in Staten Island?
Under New York’s no-fault insurance law, everyone who gets behind the wheel has to purchase car insurance. That insurance should pay for your medical bills if you’re hurt in a car accident. However, every insurance policy has its caps. If you’re seriously hurt, you can pursue additional damages against the party responsible for the accident.
At Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers, our Staten Island personal injury attorneys will fight to get money for your:
- Medical bills
- Lost income and salary
- Future medical care
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Long-term care
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of your loved one’s company or financial support if the accident was fatal
- Damage to your bicycle or property
- And more
It can be hard to value things like pain and suffering or diminished quality of life. Experienced medical professionals and psychologists can help strengthen your claim. The stronger your insurance claim, the more likely the insurance company will want to settle out of court for a fair amount.
At Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll use every resource we have at our disposal to get the most money possible for you. If you have questions and are ready to speak with a lawyer, call our law offices today. We’re always available to take your call.
Call Today For a Free Consultation With A Knowledgeable Staten Island Bicycle Accident Lawyer
At Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers, our trusted legal team will work closely with you every step of the way. We’ll fight to get the fair compensation you deserve and hold all responsible parties accountable for your pain and suffering. If you’ve recently been hurt in a bike accident, schedule your free consultation with an experienced Staten Island bicycle accident lawyer today.
Our lawyers are serving clients in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Suffolk County.