West Kelowna Bicycle Accident Lawyers

In a flash, because of the wrongful actions of a negligent driver, a leisurely bike ride can turn into a living nightmare. Unfortunately, collisions involving cyclists in West Kelowna can be fatal. Innocent, unsuspecting community members can have their lives cut short by complete strangers who have failed to operate their motor vehicles with a reasonable degree of caution.

Cyclists are among West Kelowna’s most vulnerable road-users. With only wearable gear like helmets or safety pads to protect them in the event of a collision with a fast-moving motor vehicle, cyclists involved in bicycle accidents can easily lose their lives or suffer permanent, catastrophic injuries. Depending on the types of injuries they have sustained and the practical impacts these newly acquired medical conditions have had on the bicycle accident victim’s overall quality of life, injured cyclists can suffer profound physical and long-lasting physical, psychological, and economic consequences.

This is especially true of injured cyclists who can no longer carry out the tasks of their jobs  because of the injuries they sustained in their bicycle accident. People who can no longer work and can no longer continue to earn the wages they had become accustomed to can lose a substantial amount of income in lost wages. Because of their injuries’ preventative impact on an injured accident victim’s ability to work in their chosen occupational field, a bicycle accident survivor could also suffer from a reduced future earning capacity.

In addition to the financial losses incurred by injured bicycle accident victims in relation to their lost wages and loss of future income, many seriously injured cyclists are forced to pay exorbitant, out-of-pocket costs for crucial, necessary medical care. Unfortunately, because of changes implemented by ICBC, recovering fair compensation in a timely manner is now more difficult than ever.

ICBC has introduced a new “enhanced care” model of automotive insurance coverage. All parties injured in a motor vehicle collision– including uninsured cyclists who have been struck by negligent drivers– are required to file an ICBC claim. The provincially-owned Crown corporation processes these claims and determines the amount of no-fault accident benefits that should be allocated to individuals. The switch to this no-fault system means that anyone injured in a collision, even the negligent driver whose wrongful conduct caused the crash to occur, can recover accident benefits.

This new system robs accident victims of their right to pursue legal action against the at-fault party responsible for causing the collision in which they were injured. The “enhanced care” model also makes bicycle accident victims beholden to ICBC, its policies, its standards, and its service delivery timelines. As a result, many injured bicycle accident survivors cannot access the amount of accident benefits they need to fully replace the income they have lost (or will lose in the future). They might also be subject to unfairly long wait-times to receive the medical services and care they require. On top of that, their options for appealing unfair determinations made about their claims by ICBC have been substantially limited. If you are concerned about what these sweeping changes mean for countless injured victims of bicycle accidents across the province, contact your MLA.

If your injury-causing collision occurred before May 1, 2021 when this new “enhanced care” system took effect, our West Kelowna bicycle accident lawyers may be able to help you pursue a civil claim in an attempt to recover the damages you are rightfully owed. To learn more about compensatory options that might be available to you, call 1-800-JUSTICE and book your free initial consultation with our bicycle accident lawyers serving West Kelowna.

Call 1-800-JUSTICE Today

Our West Kelowna bicycle accident lawyers provide a free initial consultation to all injured members of the local community. No matter when your collision took place, consider taking advantage of your cost-free, no-obligation first meeting with our bicycle accident lawyers serving West Kelowna.

To receive the benefit of personalized legal advice, contact us online or call 1-800-JUSTICE to speak with our West Kelowna bicycle accident lawyers today.