Choosing the Right Raleigh Bicycle Accident Attorney
North Carolina has beautiful weather to enjoy your bicycle virtually the entire year. Raleigh boasts some great areas for bicycling, too. The Capital Area Greenway system has over 100 miles of bike-friendly areas. Trail riding is also popular in Raleigh, as well.
Although riding your bike can be a fun, healthy, and environmentally friendly way to travel, it can also be dangerous on the streets of Raleigh, too. Whenever a bicyclist collides with a car, it is far more likely that the bicyclist will be injured compared to the chances of even remotely damaging the vehicle or its passengers. Unfortunately, it is often the driver who caused the accident, but the bike rider has to bear the brunt of the damage.
Having an experienced bicycle accident attorney in Raleigh will help you ensure that you get the money damages you need to account for your injuries and damage.Having the right lawyer significantly increases the chances that you win your case—and the Clauson Law Firm, as a bicycle accident law firm in Raleigh, NC, can help with that process.
Just like passenger and commercial vehicles, there are specific laws that apply to bicyclists in North Carolina as well. Bicycles are considered vehicles under North Carolina law, which means that most of the rules of the road apply to them.
Knowing and understanding these laws is important for any bicyclist, but your Raleigh bicycle accident lawyer must know these laws inside and out, too. Experienced attorneys will be able to tell you which laws may affect your bicycle accident case and why.
Below are just a few of the bicycle laws in Raleigh that may be important for your bike crash case.
In general, a bicyclist will be treated just like other vehicles on the road. That means that other cars cannot pass you in a way that would be unlawful if you were a passenger car or truck, for example. However, many drivers don’t realize that bicyclists have just as many rights as they do on the road. They often don’t give bicyclists the right of way, or they don’t look for them on the road, which often leads to accidents.
North Carolina is one of just a few states that still follows a “pure comparative negligence” legal scheme. That means that if you are even one percent at fault for an accident, then you may not be able to recover money damages for your injuries and damage. This rule is particularly important in the context of bicycle accident cases because situations often arise where a bicyclist may not have been following the laws of the road at the time of the crash.
Unfortunately, even when you did nothing wrong at all, an insurance company can still try to deny your claim by stating that you are at fault for something. Talking to a Raleigh bicycle accident lawyer before you speak to the insurance company is extremely important in these situations. Call a bicycle accident law firm in Raleigh, NC as soon as you can after a bike accident.
One of the main reasons that bicycles and cars collide in Raleigh is due to driver inattention. When a driver is not paying attention to the road, accidents happen—and they are more likely to occur when a small vehicle, like a bike, is nearby.
Some of the most common causes of driver inattention include things like:
Drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol are also more likely to not pay attention to the road in front of them.
Experience matters when it comes to picking a bicycle accident attorney. Meet with a member of the team at the Clausen Law Firm to determine whether we are the right fit for you. Set up an appointment by calling toll free: 833-680-0177.
