Buffalo Personal Injury Lawyers / Buffalo Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Buffalo Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Guidance You Can Trust After a Serious Injury

If you were seriously injured while riding a bike, contact our experienced Buffalo bicycle accident lawyers to fight for you and obtain the maximum compensation available.

When cyclists have accidents, they often sustain severe injuries, as bicycles offer minimal protection against impacts with concrete or motor vehicles. While factors like broken roadways, defective equipment, and other pedestrians can contribute to cycling injuries, motor vehicles are usually the primary cause. At Andrews, Bernstein & Maranto PLLC, we understand the complexities of bike accident cases and are here to help injured cyclists navigate their legal options and seek the compensation they deserve.

Read Our FREE Bicycle Accident Guide

Buffalo Bicycle Accident Lawyers Few cyclists ever want to believe that they will be the one injured in a roadway accident as a result of another’s negligence, but when they do suffer cycling injuries due to the fault of another, they are often left with critical life-altering injuries and a myriad of financial concerns that need to be addressed immediately.

The injured cyclist needs an experienced Buffalo bicycle accident lawyer to address their questions and concerns and ensure that they get all the compensation they are owed by the at-fault party.

Compensation for Bike Accident Damages

Given the severe nature of their injuries, one of the most immediate and pressing concerns to arise for the victim of a bicycle/motor vehicle accident is who will pay their medical bills.

Under New York’s “no-fault” insurance law, the other driver’s no-fault insurance covers the injured cyclist’s medical expenses without regard to who caused the accident. Oftentimes, the payment of medical bills alone is simply not enough.

In cases where the injured cyclist suffers “serious” injuries due to the fault of the driver, or in cases where the cyclist’s medical expenses exceed $50,000, New York law then permits the injured cyclist and/or their family to pursue a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.

Generally speaking, injuries are deemed “serious” under New York law if they result in death, fracture, disfigurement, or permanent loss of use of a body organ or body part. In such cases, the injured cyclist can pursue a claim for economic damages and non-economic damages in court.

Economic damages include all past and future medical expenses related to the accident, along with past and future lost earnings, property damage, and any other out-of-pocket expenses or losses the cyclist incurred as a result of the accident.

Non-Economic damages include compensation for pain and suffering, permanent scarring and disfigurement, and loss of society or a spouse.

But what if the cyclist was partially at fault for causing the accident? Unlike with some states, New York law still allows a party to recover damages if they were partially at fault for causing the accident.

However, under the State’s pure comparative fault law, the amount of recovery the injured cyclist may recover is reduced by his portion of the fault. For example, in a case where the injured cyclist was awarded recovery of $100,000 and the cyclist was determined to be 40% at fault for the accident, he would receive $60,000, which represents the 60% fault that was apportioned to the adverse driver.

Benefits of Hiring a Buffalo Bicycle Accident Attorney

If you are a cyclist who was injured through the fault of another in a motor vehicle accident, it is important to call one of our experienced Buffalo bicycle accident lawyers today. At-fault drivers and their insurance carriers routinely deny injured cyclists their due compensation, claiming that the party’s injuries were not “serious” injuries within the meaning of the law.

An experienced attorney knows how to fight back to ensure that the injured cyclist receives all of the compensation they are owed for their injuries so that they are made whole again.

Don’t let the insurance companies dictate to you the value of your case! Call today and put the power back in your hands.

In cases where a damaged or neglected roadway or defective bicycle caused the cyclist’s injury, no-fault insurance is not applicable. In these types of cases, the injured cyclist can pursue a court case against the city, township, or municipality who neglected proper road repairs, or the manufacturer or designer of the defective bicycle.

The cyclist must prove that they sustained injuries as a direct result of the at-fault party’s negligence. Upon such a showing, the injured cyclist may then recover both economic and non-economic damages as discussed above.

Pursuing a case against a city, township, or municipality is not always easy, as an injured cyclist generally has only 90 days from the date of their injuries to initiate their claim against a governmental entity.

These claims often necessitate investigative work like obtaining video evidence of the accident if available, investigating the duration the dangerous road condition was permitted to exist, and determining whether or not any other similar such accidents occurred as a result of the hazard presented by the defective roadway.

Similarly, pursuing a product liability claim for the defective bicycle requires a great deal of initial leg-work, and the pre-litigation investigation often entails consulting with engineer and design experts who can testify that the bicycle and its components were negligently designed, manufactured, or assembled.

The best thing an injured cyclist can do when they suffer injuries due to a defective roadway or defective bicycle is contacting a Buffalo personal injury attorney immediately so they can begin working on the case right away to ensure the best possible outcome.

Contact Our Buffalo Office Today

If you or a loved one is the victim of a bicycle accident, you need knowledgeable and experienced Buffalo accident attorneys by your side. Let us begin work on your case today. Allow our office to begin working on your case as soon as possible. Call us today so that we may begin work on your case right away!

Read Our FREE Bicycle Accident Guide

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