With its year-round warm weather, abundant sunshine, and flat landscape, Miami offers an ideal location for bicyclists to enjoy their hobby. While bicycles are a fun and healthy way to get around the city, Miami’s sprawl and traffic present many dangers to cyclists. In a car-bicycle collision, the cyclist almost always comes in second place. Even a vehicle strike at slow speeds can lead to back injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or other catastrophic damage for a bicyclist.
If you suffered injuries in a bicycle accident in South Florida, a member of the Miami personal injury lawyer team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine could protect your rights. We help you pursue the compensation you deserve to pay for your medical bills, lost time at work, pain and suffering, and other damages. Let us handle the legal process and the insurance company negotiations so you can focus on recovering from your injuries and getting back to your life.
Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation with a bicycle accident lawyer in Miami, FL.
Drivers Must Share the Road, But Many Do Not
Drivers in Florida must share the road with bicycles. Cyclists must follow all the same rules of the road as motorists, including stopping at red lights, yielding the right of way, signaling for turns, and so forth. Bicyclists are even allowed to ride in traffic lanes when no bicycle lanes are available, though they must move as far to the right whenever possible to let faster traffic pass.
Unfortunately, ignorance and impatience prevent many drivers from peacefully coexisting with bicyclists on the road. Some of them are unaware that bicyclists have the same rights as they do. Others are aware but feel that bicyclists, who typically travel at slower speeds than motor vehicles, are a nuisance and in the way.
This situation can easily cause an accident. That is particularly dangerous – potentially even lethal – for cyclists.
How Do Car-Versus-Bicycle Crashes Happen?
Some of the most common types of bicycle accidents involving cars include the following.
Collisions at Intersections
Many bicycle accidents occur due to a vehicle strike at an intersection. Drivers often do not watch closely enough for bicycles or pedestrians when turning or proceeding through an intersection. These accidents can take the following forms:
- A “right cross” crash, where a driver turning right at an intersection strikes a bicyclist proceeding straight across the intersection; or
- A “t-bone” collision, where a driver proceeds through an intersection and strikes the side of a bicyclist crossing in front of them.
There can also be other causes of bicycle accidents at intersections, like driver inattention or running a stop sign or red light.
Other Types of Collisions
Bicyclists are also at risk for rear-end collisions. In this case, a car driver attempts to overtake a bicycle but does not leave enough room and strikes its rear tire, often causing the rider to flip off the bicycle.
Door “clotheslines,” also called “dooring accidents,” are another common scenario. This type of collision often occurs on busy streets and involves an occupant of a parked car opening a door into the path of an oncoming bicycle.
Were You in a Miami Bicycle Accident Involving a Car?
Not all bicycle accidents involve cars, but those that do tend to share a few common characteristics. Most significantly, bicyclists’ injuries are often severe due to the size and weight difference between a car and a bicycle. Also, the driver is usually partially at fault in a car-bicycle accident.
Sometimes both the car driver and the bicyclists share the blame for a collision. Because Florida follows contributory negligence rules, you can win damages even if you were partially at fault. If a car collided with your bicycle, but you were distracted by your phone at the time, you could be partially to blame for the crash. If your share of the blame equals 20 percent, you would receive 80 percent of your total damages.
What to Do After a Bicycle Accident in Miami
Bicycle accident injuries can be severe, requiring hospitalization, surgery, and potentially months or even years of therapy and rehabilitation. The medical bills from these services can accumulate quickly. Take action as soon as possible after a bicycle accident and hire an attorney who will protect your rights and aggressively pursue the compensation you deserve.
What Compensation Am I Eligible to Recover After a Bicycle Accident?
The legal team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine wants to help you recover the full damages you are eligible for after a bicycle accident. We do not let our clients leave any money on the table. Before you accept a settlement offer from the driver who hit you or their insurance company, talk to us. Insurance company settlement offers tend to pay much less than what you could receive with an attorney negotiating on your behalf.
We have won substantial settlements for many of our clients in the Miami area. Your award might include some or all of the following damages:
- Medical costs, including both current and anticipated future bills from hospitals, surgeons, doctors, physical therapists, and more;
- Lost wages, which include any paychecks you missed out on during your recovery;
- Reduced earning capacity, which is your inability to return to the same level of work you were doing before the accident;
- Property damage, which compensates you for the full value of your bicycle and other personal property lost in the accident;
- Pain and suffering, which is money to compensate you for the physical and emotional pain you have experienced; and
- Punitive damages, or additional compensation to punish the responsible party if they were behaving recklessly or maliciously.
If your close relative died from a bike accident, we can seek additional compensation for the beneficiaries.
Is There a Deadline for Your Bicycle Accident Case?
Yes, Florida law limits the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit seeking compensation from the party whose carelessness caused the accident that injured you; under Florida Statutes § 95.11(3)(a), your Miami personal injury lawsuit must get filed within four years. If your loved one died from a bike accident, Florida Statutes § 95.11(4)(d) says that your wrongful death lawsuit must get filed within only two years.
Please realize that merely negotiating with the liable party’s insurer does not satisfy the deadline. People who try to handle their injury or wrongful death cases without an attorney often miss the lawsuit filing deadline when, to their shock and distress, the claims adjuster no longer takes their phone calls.
Missing the filing deadline could forever bar you from holding the negligent party accountable for your losses. The defendant and insurance company will not have to pay you a single dollar after the time limit for filing a lawsuit expires.
You Can Afford a Miami Bicycle Accident Lawyer From Our Firm
We handle bicycle injury and wrongful death claims on a contingency fee basis. That means that you do not pay us any upfront legal fees. We even take care of the litigation costs like court costs and expert witness fees during the case and wait until you win before we get reimbursed.
With this fee arrangement, we receive a percentage of the settlement proceeds or jury award. You do not pay anything until you win.
Find Out What Our Clients Think About Us
Reviews from previous clients are a great way to find out if people are happy with a law firm’s service. Here are some examples of reviews from our clients:
- “Anidjar &Levine is a great law firm. They gave us a free consultation over the phone and we were able to resolve our case easily… Keep up the good work guys!” – 5 stars – Kharmen W.
- “What unbelievable professionalism. If you have to hire an attorney to represent you during a difficult time, there is no other choice than Anidjar and Levine. Everyone I dealt with was great.” – 5 stars – Charles L.
- “I had such an amazing experience here! Jonathan Holtz was my attorney and I could not have asked for a better person to take my case. He was very responsive and did a great job of keeping me informed! I would highly recommend letting them be your attorney.” – 5 stars – Sarah A.
We take pride in delivering the best service possible to our clients. Come find out for yourself.
Contact Us to Schedule a Free Attorney Case Evaluation Today
The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine team wants to get started on your case immediately. To schedule your free case evaluation, contact us today.
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, our motorcycle accident attorneys offer complimentary consultations to help you understand your legal options for compensation. We can help you navigate the claims process and recover the financial payout you deserve if a negligent motorist caused your crash. Contact our office today to learn more.
We Can Help.
