Bicycle Accident Attorney

Bicycle Accidents are Common and Their Consequences Can Be Serious

A collision between a bike and a car, truck, or Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) frequently results in catastrophic or fatal injuries to the bicyclists involved. These types of collisions typically have a devastating impact on the bicyclist because cyclists lack the steel frame protection provided to motor vehicles. The body of a motor vehicle serves as a shield for motor vehicle occupants and it protects them from direct contact with the road or solid structures. Unlike drivers of motorized passenger vehicles, bicyclists are not afforded the same insulation at the moment of impact.

Thousands of bicyclists are injured every year and many suffer debilitating injuries from collisions with moving vehicles that often weigh in excess of 3,000 pounds. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bike accident, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for your injuries and losses. Our attorneys will evaluate the circumstances surrounding and facts of your bicycle accident to determine whether or not you are entitled to compensation and will provide you with an estimate of the value of your bike accident claim.

Determination of Liability: Oregon’s Rules of the Road

Oregon’s Rules of the Road operate as a driver’s manual for Oregon residents. Under these rules, bicyclists are generally treated like other motor vehicles and bicyclists are expected to obey Oregon traffic laws. That said, drivers of cars, trucks and SUVs are required to follow additional guidelines and undertake certain safety precautions that are designed to protect bicyclists due to cyclists’ heightened level of vulnerability on Oregon’s roads. Some statewide precautions designed to protect Oregon’s bicyclists include:

• Drivers of motorized passenger vehicles must yield to bicyclists in a bike lane.
• Drivers of motorized passenger vehicles must yield to bicyclist on a sidewalk.
• Prohibitions on reckless vehicular assault of bicyclists.
• Drivers must drive to the left of bicyclist which they pass, at a safe distance, and only return to their original lane a safe distance away.

Important Safety Practices Can Reduce Bicycle Accident Injuries

As a means of helping to avoid accident-related injuries, it is important to keep some bicycle safety tips in mind. While our experienced and knowledgeable bicycle accident attorneys are prepared to represent you if you are injured in a bike accident, we would of course prefer that bicycle accidents and resulting injuries be entirely avoided. Some basic steps that can reduce your risk of being involved in a serious bike accident include:

• Wearing the proper protective gear: Helmets, shoulder, and knee pads are essential.
• Properly equip your bike with safety equipment: Headlights, bells, and horns.
• Be aware of your surroundings (bike defensively): Maintain a careful lookout for distracted drivers and try to catch their eye or slow down if they can’t see you.
• Avoid drivers exiting their vehicles: When riding on the left hand side of parallel-parked cars, you should ride far enough to the left to avoid slamming into the door of a car if a driver suddenly opens the door in front of you. Moving cars can already see you as they are attempting to pass you, but drivers who have just parked may not be paying attention or looking for bicyclists as they climb out of their cars.
• Never ride against traffic: This is an extremely dangerous bike-riding practice to be avoided at all costs. Every year Oregonian bicyclists are seriously injured or killed because they chose to ride the wrong way down the street.

It is important to be educated about all possible bike accident scenarios and to take proper precautions to avoid getting into those accidents. The bicycle accident and personal injury attorneys at Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Attorneys, PC believe that “minor bike accident” is a misnomer because bike accidents usually involve severe and even life-threatening injuries including brain injuries, neck and back injuries, and paralysis.

Bicycle Accidents in Oregon

There are many dangerous, negligent (careless), or reckless practices that may contribute to a serious bicycle accident. Some of the most common causes of bike accidents on roadways are:

• Intoxicated drivers.
• Distracted drivers.
• Aggressive drivers.
• Fatigued drivers.
• Anxious or impatient drivers.
• Roads that are in disrepair.

Serious bicycle accidents in Oregon can lead to permanent life changes that interfere with your ability to work, your relationship with your friends, spouse, or children, and your general ability to fully enjoy and participate in life’s activities. When these simple pleasures are taken from a bike accident victim, it is both fair and reasonable that that victim should receive financial compensation for the injuries that he or she suffered. A negligent driver cannot give you back your ability to walk or the joy of being able to carry your child on your shoulders, but he or she can provide the financial compensation for you can obtain the physical therapy and medical care you need to improve the quality of your post-accident life. The bicycle accident and personal injury attorneys at Dwyer Williams Cherkoss Attorneys, PC are committed to vigorously representing our clients so that they can obtain the compensation they need to provide for their family despite serious and debilitating accident-related injuries.