Richmond Bicycle Accident Lawyers
Bicycle riding through Richmond can be a leisurely activity, as well as an exhilarating one. Bikes provide their riders with a sense of freedom, possibility, and excitement. Cycling is an environmentally friendly way to get around town, but it can be so much more. Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage for growing children. Indeed, it is an activity that brings families together. Unfortunately, because of the negligence of local drivers, it can also be something that tears families apart.
Cyclists are some of the most vulnerable road-users in the community. When negligent drivers change lanes without signaling, fail to check their side windows when making turns, ignore stop signs and traffic lights, race through intersections and crosswalks, exceed the posted speed limit, use their cell phones while driving, get behind the wheel of their vehicles while intoxicated, or engage in any other kind of negligent conduct, their wrongful actions could have profound, life-changing consequences for other community members.
In Richmond, bicycle accident victims can be killed in collisions caused by negligent drivers. They can also sustain various types of injuries that range in severity from moderate to catastrophic.
When bicycle accident survivors sustain physical injuries, their roads to recovery can be fraught with emotional distress, exacerbated by the financial strain often placed on injured accident victims. The recovery process can be physically painful, lonely, and overwhelming. As a result, injured bicycle accident survivors often develop different mental health concerns, which can further complicate their recovery process. These commonly include:
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Other sleep disorders
- Alcohol abuse disorder
- Riding anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- And more
In addition to suffering physically and psychologically, bicycle accident victims in Richmond often incur substantial financial losses as a result of being injured in a collision. By working with our Richmond bicycle accident lawyers, community members who were struck by negligent motor vehicle operators before May 1, 2021 may be able to recover compensation by pursuing a civil claim against the at-fault driver. Our bicycle accident lawyers serving Richmond have experience helping many injured survivors of traumatic collisions in their pursuits of fair treatment and compensation.
Bicycle accident victims who were injured after May 1, 2021 will likely face additional challenges getting the necessary care and restitution they should be owed. When ICBC changed the way it distributes accident benefits to injured survivors of car crashes throughout the province, they also took away victims’ rights to pursue civil claims against the at-fault party. That means, even if your injury-causing collision was the result of a motor vehicle operator’s negligence, if your bicycle accident occurred after May 1, 2021, ICBC will not allow you to sue the at-fault driver. Instead, anyone injured in the collision– even the negligent parties themselves– are now entitled to no-fault accident benefits.
However, the switch to this “enhanced care” model of insurance coverage has already led many injured bicycle accident survivors to feel abandoned by ICBC. This new system makes it very difficult for injured accident victims to appeal denied claims or unfair decisions about the settlement amounts they have been allocated. It also tethers injured cyclists– many of whom are not even ICBC insurance policyholders– to this Crown corporation as the sole provider of their essential care and support. If you are concerned about what these new changes mean for the injured accident survivors throughout the province, contact your MLA and ask them to repeal the new “enhanced care” insurance model.
Regardless of when your injury-causing collision took place, our Richmond bicycle accident lawyers want to hear from you. Book your free initial consultation with our bicycle accident lawyers serving Richmond by calling 1-800-JUSTICE.
Call Today for Your Free Initial Consultation
No matter when your accident occurred, you may find a free initial consultation with our Richmond bicycle accident lawyers to be beneficial. To learn about options that might be available to you, schedule your cost-free, no-obligation first meeting by contacting us today.
