North Louisiana Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Practice Areas
Bicycle Accident Attorney in Shreveport, Bossier City, and Mansfield, Louisiana
Bicycle riding has many benefits. It can provide exercise to burn calories and release endorphins and is a great way to blow off some steam from a stressful day’s work. In North Louisiana, bike riders often seek the thrill of their next physical endurance challenge within the bike lane. However, a common fear among many cyclists in Shreveport, LA is that they’ll become the victim of a bicycle accident.
This concern among cyclists is valid, given that protective gear is lacking for bike riders. When evaluating protection, motor vehicles offer full coverage to an individual’s body, whereas a biker’s only form of protection generally consists of a helmet. Because of this, when it comes to a bicycle accident, catastrophic injuries or even a wrongful death claim are more likely to occur.
Once the damage is done, some families are only left with medical bills, the insurance company calls, and the emotional distress of their seriously injured or lost loved one who can never be replaced. When a Shreveport wrongful death occurs from a negligent driver, Gordon & Gordon Law Firm offers a compassionate North Louisiana bicycle accident lawyer waiting to discuss the events of the bike accident in a free consultation.
Louisiana Bike Laws
The average bike accident is more dangerous in states that cater to those with fast-paced lifestyles. However, with rising crime rates paired with excessive driving speeds, Bossier City or Shreveport may be two of the most dangerous areas in the nation for a bicycle accident to occur.
Louisiana is known to be a dangerous state for those riding bicycles. One of the contributing factors to this is the openness of drivers expressing anger and hostility toward bicycle riders. In fact, Louisiana law has recently seen new proposals for protective gear and other legal efforts to implement a more long-term legal process to resolve serious injuries from occurring in and around the bike lane.
Under Louisiana state law pertaining to bicycles, bicycle riders are required to ride closest to the right as practicable. However, they can legally occupy the full bike lane or ride near the left when turning left, passing, or for safety reasons, such as narrow lanes. Now, what does that say about Louisiana motor vehicle operators? Does that law make you feel safe, as a cyclist?
In this state, a “Three Feet for Safety Law” is implemented for the safety of those riding bicycles. This law enforces motor vehicle drivers to exercise a “safe distance” of at least three feet away from the bicyclists and must maintain that safe distance until the driver is safely beyond the bicycle to prevent harm.
What Causes a Bike Accident?
Bike accidents in North Louisiana can take place for a number of reasons. Regardless of one’s own level of caution while biking, a motor vehicle driver’s behavior typically dictates whether your bike journey will be a safe one. For instance, a bicyclist is most at risk for serious injury when the following occur:
Driver Inattention
When a driver chooses to text and drive, he or she is distracted in three ways:
- Cognitively – The driver’s mind is distracted.
- Visually – The driver’s eyes are on the phone instead of the road.
- Manually – The driver doesn’t have both hands on the wheel.
Despite over 87% of the population knowing that texting and driving can cause serious accidents, statistics still show that this continues to be a serious, ongoing problem. Astonishingly enough, 30% still admit to texting and driving, regardless of the rising number of personal injury cases.
Drinking and Driving
We find it unfortunate that even with all of the technology and inexpensive passenger services available that a person would still choose to drink and drive. Regardless of the high potential for head and brain injuries, spinal injuries, or cases involving a wrongful death claim, some individuals still take a chance behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Although numerous transportation opportunities have been put in place as an alternative route to drinking and driving, DUIs cause bicycle accidents on a routine basis in Shreveport/Bossier City.
In Louisiana, a blood alcohol level above 0.08 is considered “legally intoxicated.” However, visual impairment can begin as early as having a 0.02 blood alcohol level. When a drunk driver gets behind the wheel, an erratic driving pattern can make it nearly impossible for a bike rider to avoid a bicycle accident. Some cyclists may not even be aware of the intoxicated driver, thus causing no time to prevent impact from a motor vehicle. Even in the best-case scenarios, a helmet alone will not prevent catastrophic injuries from occurring.
If you’ve been injured by someone who was drinking and driving, regardless if he or she was over the legal limit, you need to hold that person accountable for their actions. Regardless of how much the driver had to drink, they owe you enough monetary compensation to cover your economic losses, such as medical expenses and lost wages. They also should compensate you for the non-economic damages you sustained, such as emotional distress, as well as any pain and suffering.
The experienced North Louisiana bicycle accident attorneys at Gordon & Gordon provide a free initial consultation for bike accident victims.
Aggressive Drivers
Bike accidents can be caused by aggressive drivers who become impatient and follow too closely behind bicycle riders. Some drivers become so aggressive they intentionally fail to share the road and throw objects to encourage bicycle accidents. There was even a recently reported Shreveport bicycle accident from a hostile driver deliberately running a person on a bike completely off the road.
Again, if a bicycle accident occurred and you sustained injuries, especially in a situation as we outlined above, you need to hold the at-fault motorist legally accountable. If not for your own sake, for the safety of other cyclists in the Shreveport/Bossier area.
Bicycle Accident Injuries
Bicycle accident injuries can often vary depending on the factors surrounding the accident’s impact and previous health conditions before the bicycle accident.
In our free case evaluation, a Gordon & Gordon bicycle accident lawyer will discuss the legal process, how your injuries can affect your compensation, and whether or not you have a viable bike accident claim.
Common Shreveport bicycle accident injuries include:
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Brain injuries/TBI
- Facial injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Loss of limb
- Back injuries
- Wrongful death
If you or a loved one suffered catastrophic injuries, such as a head injury or spinal cord injury, or a tragic fatality from a bicycle accident, it’s important that you speak with an experienced North LA personal injury attorney as soon as possible. If you are searching for a trustworthy law firm that cares for your best interests and will work hard to establish the driver’s liability, call for a free consultation with the Gordon & Gordon bicycle accident lawyers. Everything said in your initial consultation is privileged and confidential under the attorney-client relationship. Our Shreveport injury attorneys want the best outcome for you, whether that be with an insurance claim, insurance company settlements, or at trial. We ultimately want the chance to recover compensation for the injury victims who suffer from an at-fault driver.
Who Can be Held Liable for Bicycle Accidents?
The ability to prove negligence will often require legal assistance from an experienced bicycle accident lawyer. Understanding liability is something our injury lawyers can help you with. In a Louisiana bicycle accident case, you must prove that the negligence of another person was the cause of your bicycle accident. If a motor vehicle driver causes a bike accident that resulted in severe injuries, then that driver, as well as their insurance provider can be held liable.
Liability is not strictly limited to motor vehicles, however. Any person can be found liable in a bicycle accident case if they were found to be negligent, including:
- Pet Owners: If a pet intervenes in the bike lane and causes a bike accident, then a lawsuit can be filed against the animal’s owner.
- Pedestrians: Pedestrians’ failure to follow safety rules, regulations, and other traffic crosswalks can cause bike accidents. When a person fails to walk when a traffic light is enforced and causes a bike-pedestrian accident, a lawsuit can be filed against the involved pedestrian.
- Parts Manufacturer: If faulty parts or materials caused the accident, whether this was on the bike or the car, the manufacturer can be held liable for damages sustained as a result of the accident.
- Government: If poor road conditions, such as potholes and fallen debris caused the accident, then you could file claims to the responsible agencies for any injuries sustained as a result of these poor road conditions.
When determining liability, the Shreveport personal injury attorneys at Gordon & Gordon Law Firm can guide you on the necessary grounds for personal injury lawsuits in the state of Louisiana. Also, on the flip side, if a bicyclist caused an accident, and you sustained injuries as a result of that accident, we may be able to help there, as well!
Once the necessary legal proceeding documents have been secured for our attorney-client relationship, our bike accident lawyers will be fast at work utilizing our extensive legal and financial resources to build a strong bicycle accident case. As dedicated personal injury attorneys, we will also create a plan for obtaining the best financial compensation/financial recovery outcome on your behalf.
Why Do I Need a Lawyer for my Bicycle Accident Injury?
In most states, establishing a negligence claim can often be the most challenging aspect for a personal injury lawsuit. That’s why you need an experienced legal team fighting for you in your corner. At Gordon & Gordon Law Firm, our personal injury law office has litigated on behalf of those who are:
- Fighting for their life with extensive medical treatment,
- In need of physical therapy for a full or even partial chance of recovery, and
- Dealing with insurance claims which are far less than the actual settlement value deserved from the insurance company.
Our Shreveport injury attorneys are here to help you prove negligence and hold the at-fault driver or party responsible. Reach out today for a free legal consultation.
Establishing Negligence for Bike Injury Claims in Louisiana
You’ll need a North Louisiana bicycle accident attorney to help prove and establish evidence that:
- The driver of the motor vehicle had a duty to drive responsibly and abide by traffic laws in order to keep cyclists, pedestrians, and other drivers safe from potential car accidents in Shreveport and the surrounding areas.
- The driver failed to keep their responsibilities or the “owed duty.”
- The breach of the duty owed caused the bicycle accident.
- The bicycle injuries caused economic and/or non-economic damages.
In the state of Louisiana, you only have a limited window of opportunity to file your bicycle accident claim.
Under Louisiana’s statute of limitations, you only have one year to file your injury claim. Our personal injury law firm can work efficiently to gather evidence, review your accident report, look at your medical records to help calculate a fair claim for your case, help file your insurance claim, and represent your case in civil court if we can’t come to a fair settlement agreement.
How a North Louisiana Bicycle Accident Attorney Can Help Your Case
Gather Evidence
Once we have the attorney-client relationship created, our legal team will get straight to work gathering evidence to support your bike accident claim. For example, we may be able to find video surveillance footage of the bike lane intercepting, thus causing the bike accident.
Review Your Accident Report
Gordon & Gordon Law Firm will review your accident report thoroughly to check for any discrepancies or out-of-the-ordinary flaws that need further investigation, and how the documents reporting the accident line up with your side of the events. In some cases, an opened car door or other factors play a significant role in the cause of the accident.
Help File Your Insurance Claim
Our Louisiana injury attorneys will work with you to file your insurance claims. If the bike accident caused injuries, you could receive financial compensation for the associated expenses. Your personal injury lawyers will fight for a worthy settlement from the insurance company, making sure the settlement offer is fair. The settlement should at least cover the actual cost of medical bills, physical therapy, any other extensive medical treatment needed for your recovery, as well as lost wages, property damage, and legal costs associated with the accident. It should also cover the non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, as well.
Represent Your Case in Court
Bicycle riders deserve to have an injury attorney represent their case in court if the at-fault party can’t come up with a reasonable settlement offer. Don’t settle for a lawyer who is set on easily settling your case. At Gordon & Gordon, our legal team will fight to ensure that you receive maximum compensation for your losses, even if that means taking your case all the way to trial and fighting for you there.
Personal Injury Lawyers Fighting for Injured Victims
At Gordon & Gordon, our Shreveport, Bossier City, and Mansfield personal injury lawyers have fought for bicycle accident victims and helped families overcome all that is lost in a bike accident for over 30 years. If you need a North Louisiana bicycle accident attorney or if you just need professional advice from an experienced accident lawyer, call 318-716-HELP today for a free consultation before your time to seek justice has run out.