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Riding a bike is an excellent form of exercise. It allows you to be outside in the fresh air while engaging in a fun, economical, and environmentally friendly method of transportation. Many people in the Cook County area bike for recreation and as a way to get to work or school. However, there are not dedicated bike lanes on every street, and when bike riders need to share the roads with motorists, accidents occasionally happen.
If you recently suffered injuries in this manner, a Cook County bicycle accident lawyer could look into what legal options might be available to you. A reliable personal injury attorney is ready to help you move forward by filing a lawsuit that describes the losses you suffered as a result of this incident.
Although some cyclists fall off their bikes due to poor roadway conditions or because they crash into unexpected objects on the road, many serious accidents occur when cars hit cyclists. Often, those accidents happen due to the recklessness, carelessness, or negligence of car drivers. Some of the most typical reasons that drivers crash into bikes are as follows:
Cook County bicycle accident attorneys have extensive experience identifying the causes of accidents. If the evidence points to the driver’s negligence or carelessness, a team of dedicated attorneys could work diligently to ensure that the driver pays for their mistake.
Many times, more than one party bears responsibility for an accident. That means that some cyclists are partially to blame for causing accidents as well. Bike riders sometimes violate traffic ordinances, such as when they weave through traffic, fail to yield as required, or run through red lights or stop signs. However, the fact that the bike rider somehow contributed to their accident by breaking the law should not automatically exclude the fault of the driver that hit them.
According to 735 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/2-1116, a cyclist could still recover compensation from a driver as long as the bike rider is not more to blame for the accident than the driver. If the driver’s actions contribute to more than 50 percent of the blame for the accident, that driver should still be legally responsible. The damages available to the cyclist would be reduced in proportion to the cyclist’s percentage of responsibility. For example, if the injured cyclist was deemed 10 percent at fault for the accident, then they would only receive 90 percent of the damages that were owed to them.
A bicycle collision attorney in Cook County could review the facts from an accident to advise someone on how an Illinois court would apply the comparative fault statute in their situation.
If you sustained losses in a bike crash, you need to work with a Cook County bicycle accident lawyer who understands the rights of cyclists. A strong team of attorneys could stand up to large insurance companies and defense attorneys in order to make sure that you get what you need and deserve. Call the office today to get started.