Town officials have gone to great lengths to make Chapel Hill a bicycle-friendly community and encourage people to use pedal power to get around town. In some instances, lanes usually traveled by motor vehicles have been narrowed through a process known as lane diet to accommodate bicycle riders and motor vehicles. An unwelcome side effect of bicycle riders sharing the streets with cars and other vehicles is an increased risk for injuries and fatalities from a bicycle accident Chapel Hill NC.
The attorneys at The Clauson Law Firm, PLLC, a bicycle accident law firm Chapel Hill, know that when an accident occurs between a bicycle and a larger, faster motor vehicle, bicycle riders usually come out as the ones suffering the worst injuries. Data compiled by the North Carolina Department of Transportation backs this up with over 2% of riders involved in bike accidents killed as compared to fatalities to only 0.5% of occupants of other types of vehicles involved in collisions. As far as injuries to riders, over 4% bicycle of bicycle accidents in the state result in riders suffering disabling injuries.
Bicycles expose their riders to all types of hazards from unsecured cargo or debris flying off of passing trucks to collisions with other vehicles. Some of the serious injuries frequently occurring in bicycle riders include the following:
Victims who survive a bicycle accident Chapel Hill may suffer injuries requiring extensive medical treatment, multiple surgical procedures and long-term physical therapy and rehabilitation before they return to work.
Our team of skilled and compassionate bicycle accident lawyers understand how even a minor collision can send a bicyclist to the hospital with serious and debilitating injuries. If that should happen to you or a loved one, rest assured that we are committed to aggressively fighting to enforce your right to be compensated by the party whose careless or reckless behavior caused you to be injured.
We investigate the circumstances of the accident and gather evidence supporting a demand that you be compensated the damages you suffered, including:
We also demand that the at-fault party be forced to compensate you for the physical and emotional pain and suffering you endured as a result of the accident and the injuries it caused. When the injuries suffered by a bicycle rider cause the person's death, we assert a claim for monetary compensation under the North Carolina wrongful death law on behalf of surviving family members.
Contacting your bicycle accident lawyer Chapel Hill immediately after an accident could be critical to the outcome of your claim for damages. Interviewing witnesses, obtaining photographs of the accident scene and gathering other evidence to prove the cause of the crash before memories fade and the accident scene changes takes on even greater urgency in North Carolina.
North Carolina law follows the doctrine of pure contributory negligence, which denies compensation to anyone at fault in causing an accident or contributing to causing or worsening their injuries. If the at-fault party proves that a bicyclist was just 1% at fault in causing a crash, a jury can refuse to award compensation.
It is a harsh rule that can result in an unfair, yet legal, outcome that denies compensation to a seriously injured accident victim. Our bicycle accident attorneys know what it takes to prove negligence and how to counter efforts by insurance companies to prevent you from receiving the just and fair compensation that you deserve. We commit the time and put in the effort needed in every case to learn and analyze the facts and find the evidence it takes to prove the validity of our client's claim for damages
When you want a bicycle accident attorney Chapel Hill who is committed to achieving the best possible result for you, contact The Clauson Law Firm, PLLC. We put our knowledge, experience and skills to work aggressively pursuing your claim for the monetary compensation you deserve when injured due to the careless and reckless conduct of another party. Call us today at 833-680-0177 for a free consultation and case review, or contact us by visiting our website.