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With extensive expertise in personal injury actions, the attorneys and staff at Godsey Martin can help you get the compensation you deserve if you have been injured in a bicycle accident. Don’t wait another moment to reach out for your free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll review your case and give you timely advice.
How Common are Bicycle Accidents in Texas?
The number of fatalities from bicycle accidents in Texas remains at a modest level, but they are growing. The Texas Department of Transportation says that 82 bicyclists were killed during 2020, up slightly from 68 in the prior year. Together, pedestrian and bike-related fatalities accounted for one of every five traffic-related deaths in Texas during that year.
The increase in fatalities involving bikes, pedestrians, and motorcycles prompted the Texas DOT to launch a public-service awareness campaign to help highlight the dangers and provide the driving public with tools to better protect each other on the roads. The campaign, known as “Be Smart. Drive Smart,” has components aimed at motorists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and others, with the goal of making the roads safer.
What Should You Do After a Bicycle Accident?
The attorneys at Godsey Martin strongly recommend you proceed with due caution and care at all times following an accident. No matter the circumstances, accidents are disorienting and unnerving, and the last thing you want to do is say or do something in confusion that limits your ability to recover just compensation.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, your focus should be on yourself and those around you who were involved in the accident. Make sure you are not seriously injured; if you are able, check on others in the accident and summon emergency help as soon as the situation has stabilized. Police will have to be called. Since the accident involved a bicycle, they will need to investigate the circumstances.
Assuming you are not seriously injured, focus on documenting what happened. Taking pictures of the accident scene from numerous angles can help provide important evidence in establishing liability, even if it never reaches a litigation phase. If you feel up to it, get contact info from the other driver, including information about their insurance coverages as well as their name, phone number and email address. Were there any witnesses? Then it would make sense, again within reason, to jot down their names and phone numbers as they may be able to provide important evidence.
There are circumstances in which a bicyclist could be considered at fault — say, perhaps, by making an unexpected or sudden stop or turn. The personal injury attorneys at Godsey Martin PC can also help protect your rights, should you be deemed as partially or wholly liable for the accident. We will work to establish clear documentation to establish the facts.
Regardless of issues of fault, you will at some point need to file a claim with the insurance company, either your own or the other driver’s. The attorneys at Godsey Martin can help counsel you through this step and put you in the best position to obtain proper compensation.
What Are the Main Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Texas?
According to Share The Road Texas, a bicycling advocacy organization, Texas authorities respond to about 3,000 bicycle accidents each year. Over a six-year period between 2010 and 2016, Texas recorded almost 17,000 bicycle crashes, resulting in nearly 10,000 injuries and 364 deaths, Share the Road estimates.
Distracted drivers are to blame for a substantial number of these accidents, but other factors cited by authorities include:
- Bicyclists pulling out in front of vehicles
- Vehicles turning left or pulling out in front of bicyclists
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Failing to stop at a traffic signal or a stop sign
- Attempting to pass on the right of a vehicle
- Neglecting to look before turning
- Weaving recklessly through traffic
All of these could well be attributed to a simple mistake. But they also might be the result of negligence, which speaks to liability and can prove to be a most important factor in evaluating your personal injury case. The attorneys at Godsey Martin will help identify the key factors in your case and make recommendations for how best to proceed.
Our team can also help protect your rights if it appears you, as the bicyclist, may be assessed a portion of the blame. It is possible for bicyclists to be held liable for mistakes in action or judgment that result in damage to cars or property or injuries to drivers and passengers. We’ll work with you to establish the facts so the case is settled fairly.
Contact the Bicycle Accident Lawyers at Godsey Martin
Biking is a great hobby and also an environmentally friendly way to get from point to point. But it also comes with certain inescapable dangers. If you’ve been involved in a bicycle accident and suffered injuries, or if you have lost a loved one in a biking accident, then you should consider obtaining advice from experienced legal counsel at Godsey Martin PC, serving all of Texas with offices in Houston and Dallas.
The team at Godsey Martin, made up of more than 130 legal professionals, focuses on personal injury cases of all types. This includes accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, and pedestrians. We also assist in slip-and-fall and other types of accidents that involve serious bodily injury.
Godsey Martin knows that every case is unique. We will take the time to review the facts and provide you with an honest assessment of the best way forward. We’re fighters for you and won’t be satisfied until you receive compensation. Call us or contact us online to set up a free, no-obligation consultation.
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Our legal team, located in Dallas and Houston, understands the steps that need to be taken to help accident victims get their life back on track. We will stand by your side throughout the entire legal process, fighting the insurance companies and the negligent driver responsible in order to provide you the money and justice you deserve. Click or call us today to begin your case.
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