We hear a great deal about bicyclists and pedestrians getting hit by cars, but one thing we rarely hear about are pedestrians getting hit by bicyclists. Yet, these types of accidents do occur, and on a pretty regular basis. The damage that can result can be fairly catastrophic and, unlike car accidents, bicycle riders aren’t required to carry insurance to ride their vehicles.
What, then, is a pedestrian supposed to do if they’ve been hit by a careless bicycle rider and suffered major injuries? How do you get coverage for your medical bills, your lost wages, your pain and suffering and other damages? The key to these cases may often be found in the homeowner or renter’s insurance policy. Learn how you can get a settlement in bicycle vs. pedestrian accidents, and how a qualified personal injury attorney can be your best bet at collecting damages.
Bicycle vs. Pedestrian Accidents
As our nation becomes more bicycle-friendly, and more cyclists hit the roads, the number of accidents with pedestrians are on the rise. Every year, thousands of people all over the nation are harmed when they’re hit by irresponsible cyclists who don’t obey traffic laws, who blow through stop signs, who weave in and out of traffic and otherwise engage in reckless behavior.
When you’re hurt by a reckless cyclist, you deserve compensation. Unfortunately, in most cases, bicyclists don’t bother to get liability insurance to cover them when they ride around. It is, however, still possible to get a major settlement in these cases, if you take the right approach.
Homeowner or Renter’s Insurance Policies
While bicyclists aren’t required by law to carry insurance on their vehicle, their homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance can attach in many of these cases. Almost every insurance policy of this kind has personal liability coverage, which helps to protect the homeowner or renter against unexpected occurrences. Often, this coverage extends to bicycles.
Homeowner and renter’s policies usually extend coverage for “sporting activities,” which includes riding a bicycle. It extends to damage that the cyclist causes to someone else’s person or property.
Seeking Damages
If you’re hurt in this way, the process of getting compensation is the same as any other injury case. You need to prove that the cyclist was acting recklessly, and that reckless behavior caused your injury. If you can show this, you’re entitled to collect damages for your medical bills, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, emotional damages, lost wages, lost future compensation, damage to your relationships and loss of consortium and more.
Working with a Personal Injury Attorney
Getting these compensatory damages, however, requires help. Insurance companies will go to great lengths to avoid paying out these claims, even sometimes resorting to the claim that you’re at fault.
That’s why in order to have the best shot at getting significant compensation for the injuries you’ve suffered, you need help from a qualified San Francisco personal injury attorney. If you’ve been hurt by an irresponsible cyclist and you need advice or aid seeking compensation for your injuries, call the injury lawyers at Gruber Law Group for a free consultation today.
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