You may consider yourself a skilled bicyclist, especially if you use your bicycle as your main form of transportation. But even still, you are sadly not immune to getting involved in an auto collision with others you must share the road with. Without further ado, please continue reading to learn how you might be made the victim of a bicycle accident and how an experienced Panama City bicycle accident attorney at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help you recover after being involved in one.
How might I get involved in a bicycle accident on Florida roads?
Even if you practice an abundance of caution while riding your bicycle, and even if you are navigating Florida roads with a designated bicycle lane, you may still unexpectedly find yourself in the middle of a terrible auto accident. Such an accident may involve yourself with a standard motor vehicle driver, a motorcyclist, a pedestrian, or even a fellow bicyclist. More specific examples read as follows:
- An accident with a standard motor vehicle driver: this may happen if a driver is distracting while texting and veers into your designated bicycle lane.
- An accident with a motorcyclist: this may happen if a motorcyclist recklessly weaves in and out of traffic and swerves into your designated bicycle lane.
- An accident with a pedestrian: this may happen if a pedestrian stands in your designated bicycle lane while waiting to cross a busy intersection.
- An accident with a fellow bicyclist: this may happen if a bicyclist is riding a poorly maintained bicycle and cannot brake on time behind you.
How might helmet laws apply to my bicycle accident claim?
You may be tentative to bring forward a bicycle accident claim if you were not wearing a helmet at the time of your collision. Well, you should know that Florida helmet laws do not require you to wear a bicycle helmet if you are over the age of 16. What’s more, the defendant of your case cannot use your failure to wear a helmet as evidence of negligence. Therefore, this fact may not increase the amount of fault assigned to you and subsequently decrease the amount of financial compensation you can recover for your damages.
However, it is worth mentioning that the Florida judge may use their discretion when determining your monetary award if there was a lack of helmet use. This is because they may suspect that your bodily injuries may not have been as serious if you elected to wear a helmet at this time (i.e., a concussion with a helmet versus a traumatic brain injury without a helmet). With this, your economic damages (i.e., medical bills) and non-economic damages (i.e., your shame of physical disfigurement) may not have been as severe. This may be especially relevant if you are primarily claiming head injuries in your case.
To better understand your legal rights in the matter at hand, please seek the advisement of a sound and skilled Panama City auto accident attorney. Please feel confident in knowing that our team at Manuel & Thompson, PA has significant experience in handling legal cases just like yours. So call us today.
