Do I Need a Lawyer for a Bicycle Accident in New Orleans?

Do I need a lawyer for a bicycle accident in New Orleans? If you have potentially serious injuries, insurance fails to cover your medical costs, you are unsure about a settlement offer, or fault is uncertain or disputed, you should consult a New Orleans bicycle accident lawyer.

Consult a Bicycle Accident Lawyer if You Have Serious Injuries

In some instances, it’s easy to evaluate your injuries and decide whether you’ll need compensation. However, people don’t always realize just how serious their injuries are right away. 

For example, even a soft tissue injury may have very serious implications. See a doctor right away. If you have sustained any of the following injuries, you may need a lawyer. 

Head Injuries

A blow to the head can cause brain injury. Unfortunately, many brain injuries have permanent consequences like memory loss, severe headaches, mood changes, and impaired coordination.

In severe cases, an accident victim may need lifelong care and be unable to work. Contact our New Orleans traumatic brain injury lawyer as soon as possible. 

Spinal Cord Injuries

Cyclists are extremely vulnerable to injury because their bodies absorb the full force of impacts during a crash. A spinal cord injury may cause partial or complete paralysis that leads to multiple secondary health issues and a need for care.

If you or a loved one is diagnosed with spinal cord injuries after a bicycle accident, any at-fault party will be liable for substantial damages. 

Broken Bones or Internal Injuries

Broken bones lead to high medical costs that you should not have to bear if you were not at fault. You are likely to miss work, may need surgeries, and face a long and often painful recovery. Get legal advice. 

Similarly, internal injuries are often life-threatening and require intensive medical care.  Insurance companies are unlikely to pay you the maximum you may be entitled to unless you have good representation.

Facial Trauma And Severe Soft Tissue Injuries

Apart from your medical costs and recovery time, you may bear the marks of your bicycle accident for the rest of your life. There can be a high personal cost for which you should be compensated. Most people do not know how to claim for disfiguring injuries. Your bicycle accident lawyer in New Orleans can help.

You Need a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in New Orleans if You Receive a Settlement Offer

If the at-fault party’s insurance quickly offers a settlement, it may not be one you should accept. You may not be aware of the full compensation you’re entitled to, or you find that it doesn’t even cover your costs so far. Your financial well-being could be at stake. Get a professional opinion. 

Proper valuation of your damages is one of the benefits of a New Orleans personal injury lawyer’s services. In our experience, insurance companies seldom offer an acceptable settlement without a fight. Consult a lawyer if you have been offered a settlement. They will evaluate your case. 

An experienced injury lawyer will examine the facts surrounding your bicycle accident, determine what the value of your damages should be, and give you sound advice.

You may be surprised to find just how much you may be owed. In that case, waiting a little longer for a better settlement and allowing your lawyer to handle your claim should be worth your while.

A Lawyer Can Help When Liability is Disputed or Uncertain 

You need a lawyer for your New Orleans bicycle accident if at-fault parties dispute liability or you are not perfectly sure who was to blame. Bicycle accidents are often less well documented than car accidents, and there are multiple reasons liability may be called into question. These include:

Conflicting Accounts of What Happened

Drivers, cyclists, and witnesses may have differing recollections, and physical evidence may be difficult to interpret. Further complicating this, the cyclist and the driver may both have contributed to the accident, and different parties may have their own opinions on who is most to blame. A lawyer can investigate and obtain expert opinions that clarify the matter. 

Insufficient or Inconclusive Evidence 

In a related point, a lack of evidence can lead insurance companies to dispute liability, asserting that the cyclist was partly at fault. In accordance with La. Civ. Code art. 2323, this reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault. 

If defendants can successfully argue that you were more than 50% to blame, you are not eligible for damages. A lawyer can seek evidence that protects your right to compensation after a bicycle accident.  

Multiple Parties Were Involved

There are many possible bicycle accident scenarios that may complicate liability determinations. In situations where several parties may share liability, you need a lawyer for a New Orleans bicycle accident. This may be best illustrated by using an example. 

• You were riding your bicycle on a cycle path. 
• A contractor left debris on the path, creating a hazard. 
• Your bicycle skidded on the debris, causing you to fall into the road
• A driver failed to brake due to a distraction, striking you 
• Another driver who was driving aggressively caused them to be distracted

In this scenario, the contractor, the first driver, and the second driver could all potentially share liability for the accident. An opposing party may also claim that you should have noticed the debris and are therefore partly to blame. In a situation like this, you need a lawyer to untangle the complexities. 

Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers Are There for You

At Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers, you can rely on us to do what’s right for you. It’s part of the core values we follow. 

When you need a lawyer for a bicycle accident in New Orleans, we’re ready to give you an initial opinion on your case at no cost to you. If you have any unanswered questions or concerns, simply contact us. We fight for the win.