Were you severely injured in a bike accident in Kansas? Read these 4 ways to get ahead on your bicycle case, then call our Kansas attorneys.
1. Mistakes To Avoid After a Bicycle Accident
Some of the common mistakes we see in bicycle accident cases are, one, they don’t collect all the evidence or aren’t able to collect all the evidence as soon as possible there at the scene. Sometimes, the injuries suffered in a bicycle accident can be pretty significant and severe, which may require you have to go to the emergency room so you’re not even in a position to gather all that evidence there at the scene, to take photos, or talk to witnesses. Because of that, it’s important to hire an attorney very quickly so that the attorney can investigate and preserve that evidence for you.
Another common mistake we see in bicycle accident cases is people will talk to the insurance company of the responsible driver and give a recorded statement. That is a very serious mistake. You do not want to talk to the insurance carrier under any circumstances. It may seem like it’s okay for you to do that because you’re just going to tell the truth. What harm there can be in that? The insurance company’s goal, however, in talking to you and gathering a statement from you is to determine a way to justify in their minds delaying or denying your claim entirely. They are skilled at doing this. They will ask questions in a certain way or in a certain order that helps them deny your claim.
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes we see people make is they just hire the wrong attorney. They hire somebody that is really not focused on getting the best recovery for them. They fail to get an attorney who is an experienced trial attorney, someone experienced in handling bicycle accident cases. You want to make sure that you have an attorney with this experience and who is prepared to take your case to trial and present your case to a jury if that’s necessary. Don’t make these mistakes. Hire an attorney quickly, one that is the right attorney.
2. Insurance Investigation
You should never give a statement to the insurance carrier for the driver that hit you. The insurance company, while you may think you don’t have anything to hide, you’re only going to tell the truth, the insurance company is looking for ways to justify in their minds delaying your case or denying it entirely. They are skilled at asking questions in a certain way or in a certain order to gather evidence on their side to deny your claim. Do not give a statement to the insurance company. Do not talk to them. The best thing you can do is hire an attorney as quickly as possible so that you can have an attorney representing you through this process.
3. Attorney Fees
You’ve been injured as a result of a bicycle accident, you’re dealing with a lot of expenses, medical bills and other expenses, and the last thing you want to have to worry about is paying an attorney. It doesn’t cost anything to hire an attorney to handle your bicycle accident case. We work on a contingency fee, which means my fee is a percentage of whatever we recover for you. You won’t ever have to pay a retainer or anything upfront. You’ll never get a bill as we are working on the case. We do all the work upfront. When we settle the case or recover money for you, our fee is a percentage of that. In other words, we don’t get paid until you get paid.
4. Partial Fault
In Kansas, even if you are partially at fault in a bicycle accident, you can still recover for your injuries. There are a lot of details that go into determining how much you can recover, but it is important to hire an attorney who can properly investigate the case and gather the evidence to determine if you do have any fault, and if you do, how much fault do you have in order to determine what kind of claim you can make and how best to recover for your injuries. If you have a bicycle accident injury and you feel that you may be partially at fault, you may still pursue a claim and recovery your damages.
Were you or a loved one severely injured in a bicycle accident in Kansas and have questions about these 4 ways to get ahead on your bicycle case? Contact our experienced Kansas bicycle accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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