Damages in a Bicycle Accident Lawsuit

No matter what the cause of a bicycle accident is, most of them have one thing in common – they lead to severe injuries. These injuries, in turn, result in significant financial losses, also known as damages – and those damages can be sky-high. It’s bad enough to be seriously hurt – having to worry about how you’re going to deal with your damages can make things even worse.

But if you work with a Jones Law Group bicycle accident attorney, you can rest easy. Our firm has an extensive amount of experience in cases similar to yours, and we’ve helped our clients obtain substantial compensation. Once we get all of the facts, we’ll determine exactly how much to demand from the insurance company of the motorist who hit you.

Get in touch with us as soon as you can for a free consultation. You can give us a call at (727) 571-1333, or you can contact us online.

The following is a look at some of the more common damages in a bicycle accident lawsuit, along with information on how we may be able to help you recover the ones you’ve incurred.

Past and Future Medical Bills

Even if you were as safe as possible when on your bike, that didn’t protect you from being struck by a negligent driver. The medical bills have been rolling in ever since, with seemingly no end in sight. You received a bill for ambulance transport, the emergency room visit, any surgery you may have required, prescriptions, and more.

When it comes to obtaining the maximum compensation to pay for those bills, however, you’re going to have to think about not only your current bills but as well as the ones you may accumulate in the future. Unless your doctor expects you to make a full recovery relatively soon, you’ll need treatment for quite a while.

This is why you should never accept a settlement offer from the at-fault driver’s insurance company without talking to an attorney first. They’ll take into account your past and future medical bills to make sure you are fully compensated for all of them.

Past and Future Lost Wages

The same principle applies to your lost wages, which you’ve very likely started to experience. Damages in a bicycle accident lawsuit could compensate you not only for the money you’ve lost but also for the money you’ll continue to lose until you can get back to work.

Loss of Earning Capacity

But what if you won’t be able to work at the same job again? What if a reckless driver hurt you so badly that you’ll have to find another profession, one that may pay a great deal less than what you’re used to making? This is where a skilled lawyer can be incredibly important.

Your attorney will factor in what you would have likely made when demanding compensation on your behalf. If you had not been injured, there’s a good chance you would have worked for several years to come. You would have earned raises, bonuses, and possibly commissions. All of this will be included in the amount your attorney requests.

Pain and Suffering

How do you put a dollar amount on pain and suffering? Again, you turn to an expert attorney. Your injury has led to a great deal of excruciating pain, more than likely. This includes the pain from not only the injury itself but also the treatment you’ve needed. But an experienced attorney will know how to place a value on your suffering.

Emotional Distress

As awesome a place as Florida is to live. It’s also an alarmingly dangerous place to be on a bicycle. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Pinellas County or any other part of the state.

Not only have you had to deal with the physical pain resulting from the accident, but you’re also probably going through a lot of emotional distress as well. A traumatic brain injury, for example, can be not only painful. It can also lead to behavioral changes. This is one of the most catastrophic types of injuries because victims can sometimes no longer take care of themselves. They can get incredibly frustrated as a result.

Emotional distress is yet another example of damages in a bicycle lawsuit that can be hard to calculate – unless you have a Jones Law Group attorney working on your behalf.

Disfigurement, Disability, and Scarring

All of the above can also have a negative impact on mental health. If you’ve suffered severe scarring or you’ve been disfigured, you may be hesitant to go out in public. You could be afraid that people may stare at you or possibly even humiliate you. No one deserves to have to endure this kind of situation. If they’re forced to do so because of the negligence of a motorist, they have every right to make that motorist pay dearly. That’s exactly what our team of dedicated attorneys will attempt to do.

Funeral and Burial Costs

Tragically, bicycle accidents can sometimes be fatal. When this happens due to negligence, that’s considered a “wrongful death.” This is an extremely complicated area of the law, and it takes a lawyer with a great deal of experience to be able to navigate those complexities.

The costs associated with a funeral and burial can reach thousands of dollars very easily. This can, of course, be a massive financial burden on the surviving family members. Because this happened so suddenly, the family will likely not have the resources necessary.

But by filing a wrongful death lawsuit, the family may be able to recover not only funeral and burial costs but other wrongful death damages as well. One of our attorneys can tell you much more.

Contact Jones Law Group if You or a Loved One Has Been Involved in a Bicycle Accident

To learn more about how to protect your ability to pursue compensation for your damages, check out our guide on what to do after a bicycle accident. If you have questions about the different types of damages in a bicycle accident case, we’re here to help.

A Jones Law Group bicycle accident attorney is standing by to provide the expert legal representation it will take to help you obtain full and fair compensation. Use our online form or call (727) 571-1333 for a free case review.