Having a lawyer after a Florida bicycle accident occurs can significantly reduce your stress level as you work to recover compensation for your losses. Even though an attorney is not absolutely necessary for an injury victim to recover compensation, these claims can become complicated quickly, particularly when insurance carriers and legal teams get involved.
An Attorney Can Gather Evidence
After a bicycle accident, collecting the right evidence can be crucial for building a strong case. An experienced attorney can help gather comprehensive evidence that supports your claim. This includes collecting police reports, witness statements, and photographic evidence from the accident scene.
Your lawyer can also help secure surveillance footage, if available, and work with experts to reconstruct the accident scene if necessary. These efforts are important, especially when the fault is disputed or unclear.
Your Lawyer Will Help Calculate Losses
Calculating the total losses from a bicycle accident involves more than just adding up medical bills. Your lawyer will consider several factors, including lost wages, potential future medical expenses, and non-economic damages such as pain and suffering.
In Florida, where the impact of an accident can extend far beyond immediate physical injuries, having an attorney ensures that you claim all potential compensations. This calculation is vital for securing a settlement that truly covers the extent of your losses. You need a settlement that can help make you “whole,” both physically and financially.
Navigating No-Fault Insurance Claims
Florida operates under a no-fault insurance system, which means that your personal insurance carrier will cover your medical bills and lost wages (but only up to the limit of your policy) regardless of who caused the accident. However, this coverage can be complicated when it comes to bicycle accidents because no-fault laws primarily focus on motor vehicle accidents. If you carry personal injury protection (PIP) as part of your auto insurance, it may also cover your injuries from a bicycle accident if a motor vehicle was involved.
The no-fault insurance law in Florida can be quite confusing, especially in accidents involving non-motorized vehicles like bicycles. While PIP coverage extends to injuries you sustain in a bicycle accident involving a motor vehicle, it does not apply if the accident did not involve a motor vehicle.
In such cases, pursuing compensation requires navigating through complex liability issues, which typically necessitate legal expertise. An attorney will help you understand your rights under the state’s no-fault laws and guide you on the best course of action, whether it’s filing a claim under your own PIP coverage or pursuing a claim against a responsible party.
When Should You Hire an Attorney?
The best time to work with an attorney is as soon as possible after the incident occurs. A St. Petersburg bicycle attorney with experience handling tough bicycle accident claims can get involved and help investigate the bicycle collision and gather the evidence needed to prove liability. These claims must be filed within a specific amount of time, but the sooner you get started, the better your chances of recovering the compensation needed to move forward.
Even if you fail to secure assistance from an attorney right away, do not hesitate to reach out for legal assistance if you have trouble with insurance carriers or if your claim gets denied.
