Florida’s warm weather and beautiful views make it a great place to go for a bicycle ride. But a bicycle accident injury is a surefire way to ruin any leisurely bike ride. These injuries can sometimes lead to serious injuries with a slow recovery. This can be devastating in terms of medical bills, lost wages, and overall well-being. Elstein Legal in Florida is the best place to call to find out what you’re entitled to following a bicycle accident injury.
Hialeah Bike Accident Resources
When you look at the statistics for bicycle accidents and injuries in Florida, it’s clear that riding a bike involves more risk than you may think. Even though Florida has clear regulations guaranteeing the rights of bicycle riders, accidents still happen way too frequently. In 2018 alone, Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported:
- 6,590 Bicycle Crashes
- 160 Bicyclist Fatalities
- 6,183 Bicyclist Injuries
This averages out to about 18 crashes per day. While the amount of injuries that happen per year is extremely unfortunate, the positive fact is that the law is on the accident victim’s side to help them recover from their losses.
In Florida, the bicycle is seen legally as a vehicle, and the cyclist its driver. This means that when you’re riding a bike, you have the same rights to use the roadways as other drivers. You also must follow all the same traffic laws as other vehicles, like stopping when required by signs and lights and yielding to pedestrians when indicated. Drivers of other vehicles must respectfully share the roadway with bicyclists to avoid accidents.
Causes of Hialeah Bike Accidents
Bicycle accidents and the injuries that result from them are most commonly caused by drivers of other vehicles. In these cases, you may have to prove that the driver of the other vehicle was being negligent, which resulted in the accident that caused your injury. Some of the common ways that other drivers cause bike accidents include:
- Speeding or otherwise reckless driving
- Not stopping for traffic lights or stop signs
- Turning without using a signal
- Failing to yield
- Changing lanes in an inappropriate manner
- Driving under the influence
To avoid an accident caused by a much bigger automobile, there are a few important safety rules you can follow:
- Wear brightly colored clothes, headlights, and reflectors to make yourself more visible to cars passing by.
- Avoid riding at dawn or dusk. Sunrise and sunset can impact a driver’s ability to see a bicycle.
- When possible, ride with other people. This will help make you more conspicuous to drivers.
- Wear a helmet to protect your head in case of a crash.
- Perform regular checks to ensure that your bicycle parts are in good working condition.
Meet Brian L. Elstein, Florida Personal Injury Lawyer
Personal injury lawyer Brian L. Elstein, Esq. has helped recover millions of dollars on behalf of his clients, and understands the importance of aggressively advocating for injured victim’s and their families.
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(305) 299-2835
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If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you deserve expert legal representation to seek the justice you deserve and obtain fair compensation. You will gain an advocate for every stage in the claims process until you have the compensation you deserve.
Call us at (305) 299-2835 or contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your case. There is no fee unless we win your case.