In a busy urban environment likeAtlanta, bicycle accidents are an unfortunate reality of daily life. Because bicyclists are more vulnerable than automobiles in the flow of traffic, injuries sustained in a collision with a car, truck, or motorcycle can be severe. With severe injuries come medical bills, lost income due to missed work, and tremendous pain and suffering. When you have suffered an injury while on your bicycle due to the carelessness, recklessness, or intentionally wrongful action of an automobile driver, is your right to hold those responsible for you injuries accountable. To seek rightful compensation, contact anexperienced Atlanta metro area personal injury attorney.

Car-Bicycle Accidents are Dealt With Differently Than Car-Car Accidents

If you are injured by a careless or reckless driver while driving your automobile, the process of recovering compensation for your injuries, property damage, and other losses will involve filing a claim with either your auto insurer or the at-fault driver’s insurer. In this situation, it is common for you to initially file the claim your own insurer. Then, your insurer negotiates a settlement with the at-fault driver’s insurer. In the bicycle-car accident context, the process may be quite different. Instead of dealing with an insurer, your best option may be to bring a civil lawsuit against the driver responsible for the accident. In court, with the assistance of an experienced Atlanta personal injury attorney, you will seek compensation for your injuries and losses directly from the at-fault driver instead of his or her insurer.

Negligence is a Common Basis of Liability in Bicycle-Car Accidents

If you are unable to reach a fair settlement with the at-fault driver and are forced to sue him or her in court for the compensation for your medical bills, property damage, and other losses, it will be the task of your skilled attorney to prove that the driver should be held legally liable for the accident. A common basis for imposing liability is negligence. Negligence is the breach of a duty owed by one person, business, or institution to another person that results in damages. In the bicycle-car accident context, the duty in question is the driver’s duty to drive safely and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the road. Common breaches of this duty include:

• Failure to signal a turn or lane change;

• Failure to yield or heed stop signs;

• Failure to look for nearby bicycles;

• Distracted driving (texting, talking, etc.);

• Intoxicated or impaired driving.

When the duty of safe driving has been breached in one of the above ways and caused you to suffer personal injuries (damages), negligence has occurred. As such, the negligent driver can be held liable for the injuries you have suffered. It is this liability that is the basis for the court ordering the at-fault driver to compensate you for the cost of medical treatment for your injuries, lost income due to missed work, pain and suffering, and other losses. If you have been injured by a negligent driver while riding your bicycle, contact anexperienced Atlanta metro area personal injury attorney.