Whether you’re on your own bike or taking advantage of the bike share program in the city, you expect to have a safe ride. When drivers or others are negligent, though, a lovely bike ride can turn into a devastating accident. When this happens, our Southfield bicycle accident lawyers are here to help you.
Hirsch, Gaugier & Khan recover millions of dollars every year for our clients. Our Southfield personal injury lawyers will fight for you to recover the fair compensation you need for medical bills and other injury losses.
Reach out today to schedule a free consultation.
How Can Our Bicycle Accident Attorneys in Southfield Help With Your Case?
We want you to be able to focus on recovering. To do that, we handle every aspect of your legal case so that you don’t have to deal with insurance companies and offers that don’t actually meet your needs.
Our legal team can:
- Investigate the bike accident to find all liable parties.
- File all needed paperwork, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
- Negotiate on your behalf.
- Represent you in court (if needed).
- Handle appeals if a claim is denied.
You can explore our case results to learn more about the compensation we’ve recovered for our clients.
What Is the Cost of a Personal Injury Attorney?
Our personal injury team uses a contingency fee structure. Under this structure, you won’t pay upfront costs to us. Instead, we take on those costs and then take our fees as a percentage of the compensation we recover for you.
What do you owe us if we are unable to recover compensation for you? Nothing.
What Is the Value of a Bicycle Accident Case in Southfield?
The value of the final settlement for your case will depend on factors like the severity of your injuries and whether you are expected to make a full recovery from them. Your Southfield bicycle accident attorney will seek the maximum compensation you are entitled to recover.
Compensation may include:
Economic Damages
This compensates for the present and future expected financial losses of the accident. It can include compensation for:
- Medical expenses like surgeries, rehabilitative therapy, medications, hospital stays, and doctor appointments.
- Lost income.
- Lost job benefits.
- Diminished earning capacity.
- Property damage.
- Housekeeping costs.
- Childcare costs.
- Mobility aids.
Non-Economic Damages
This type of compensation accounts for the more personal effects of an accident. They can compensate for:
- Emotional distress and mental anguish.
- Physical pain.
- Loss of enjoyment.
- Loss of consortium.
- Loss of a limb or other disability.
- Scarring.
- Reduced quality of life.
Wrongful Death Damages
If you lost a loved one, our team will fight to hold negligent parties accountable financially. We may seek compensation for:
- The loss of the decedent’s financial support.
- The loss of the decedent’s emotional support or parental guidance.
- The decedent’s pain and suffering.
- Medical expenses.
- Funeral costs.
- Burial costs.
What Michigan Laws Affect Your Bicycle Accident Case in Southfield?
In Michigan, there are two important laws that may affect your case. These are the statute of limitations and the modified comparative fault system.
Under MCL Section 600.5805, you generally have three years to file a wrongful death or personal injury lawsuit. There can be exceptions to this, including when claims involve government entities, so always ask your lawyer about the expected deadline and timeline for your case.
Under MCL Section 600.2959, modified comparative fault determines who can seek compensation after an injury. Generally, you can only recover non-economic damages if you are 50% or less at fault. Additionally, any percentage of fault can proportionately reduce the amount of compensation that you can recover.
Who Is At Fault After a Bicycle Accident?
Who is at fault depends on what caused your bicycle accident. Some potentially at-fault parties can include:
- A driver: If they acted negligently, such as speeding or driving while under the influence.
- A government entity: If they failed to create or maintain a safe environment, such as blind spots at crosswalks or malfunctioning traffic signals.
- A company: If a commercial vehicle was involved and the company had poor hiring, training, or vehicle maintenance practices.
Proving fault is essential to successfully recovering compensation. Your lawyer can investigate the accident and gather evidence that shows that the four elements of negligence were present. These elements are:
Duty of Care
The other party owed you a duty of care towards you. For example, licensed drivers are expected to obey traffic laws.
Breach of Duty
Your lawyer may use evidence like blood alcohol test results, phone records, or black box data to show that the other party acted negligently.
Causation
The negligent action directly led to the accident. Your lawyer may gather evidence like witness statements, physical evidence, police reports, and video footage to prove causation. They may also consult with an expert witness, such as an accident reconstructionist, to help prove causation.
Damages
You had direct losses as a result of the negligence. For example, you have medical records that can document and support the timing, nature, and causation of injuries.
The more clearly your lawyer can prove these four elements, the stronger your case will be.
Contact a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Southfield Today
If you or a loved one were harmed in a bicycle crash, your future may look different than you expected it to. You shouldn’t have to face those losses on your own. Our legal team will fight for the fair compensation you need to recover after an accident.
Hirsch, Gaugier & Khan will handle every step of the process, from communicating with insurance adjusters on your behalf to ensuring that your case is filed on time. Reach out today to schedule a free consultation with a Southfield bicycle accident lawyer on our team.
