Carmel’s Monon Trail may be pedestrian-oriented, but bicyclists enjoy its amenities, too. Carmel has installed bike paths for local cyclists who want to enjoy the city’s sprawling metropolitan centers and quiet natural beauty. Unfortunately, bicyclists can often find themselves in danger both on Monon Trail and off it if the people around them don’t keep their well-being in mind.
Pedestrians, motorists, and other parties who violate the duty of care owed to Carmel’s cyclists can do serious harm to anyone trying to navigate the city by bike. You can still find yourself the victim of a bicycle accident, though. Fortunately, you can schedule a no-obligation case consultation with Vaughan & Vaughan bike accident lawyers in Carmel.
Should You Call a Bicycle Accident Lawyer After a Collision?
Indiana does not require its bicycle accident survivors to contact an attorney after their accidents. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t convenient to discuss your accident with an attorney. When you bring an attorney onto the scene of a bicycle accident, you can count on them to:
- Help you communicate your losses to your insurance provider
- Explain your situation to local police
- Counter a liable party’s attempt to deflect blame
- Investigate the scene of your accident for signs of negligence
- Compile evidence of negligence into a legal claim
- Initiate settlement negotiations on your behalf
- Take your bicycle accident claim to court
In other words, a bicycle accident lawyer in Carmel can help protect you from someone else’s accusations of fault while finding ways for you to secure compensation for your losses.
What’s more, Vaughan & Vaughan attorneys operate on contingency. You will not have to worry about legal fees while working with our team. In fact, our Carmel bicycle accident lawyers do not get paid unless we win your case. You can discuss the nature of contingency and our contingency fee agreements during your first free consultation with our team.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
What Damages do You Deserve After a Bicycle Accident?
The damages you can request after a bicycle accident vary depending on the nature of your losses. In most cases, though, you can break your bicycle accident losses down into two categories. Your economic losses, or losses backed by tangible bills, can include:
- Medical expenses
- Cost of restoring or replacing damaged property
- Wages lost while in recovery
Make sure you keep track of any post-accident invoices or bills that come your way, as those bills can appear as evidence of your losses in a bicycle accident claim.
Once our attorneys establish the sum of your economic losses, we can modify that sum by your non-economic, or intangible, losses. These can include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
Our team can assess the nature of your accident and reference state-approved multipliers to establish the economic impact these losses have on your case.
There is no fee
unless you win
How do You Hold Someone Accountable for a Bicycle Accident?
The most effective way to hold a particular party liable for your bicycle accident losses is to present evidence defending your assertion of fault.
The evidence you bring forward alongside your complaint should highlight the nature of the liable party’s negligence. Similarly, you can use the evidence you find to emphasize that the liable party owed you a duty of care at the time of your accident.
With that in mind, viable forms of post-bicycle accident evidence can include:
- Statements from witnesses
- Police records
- Statements from first responders
- Additional expert witness statements
- Video or photo footage of your accident
You can discuss which forms of evidence are most relevant to your case with our Carmel, IN, bicycle accident attorneys. Our team can then turn to our network of professional sources to help outline the negligence that so recently upturned your life.
What Rights does a Bicycle Accident Claim Afford You?
When a court moves your bicycle accident claim forward, you earn the right to dictate how you want conversations about a settlement to proceed. For example, you can request that your attorney arrange out-of-court conversations between yourself and the liable party. Once there, you can negotiate a bicycle accident settlement without going before a judge.
You can alternatively take belligerent, unresponsive, or corporate clients straight to court. Your attorney can initiate discovery on your behalf and ensure accurate information about the nature of your case makes it into the appropriate hands. Our team can then prepare our opening and closing statements while helping you prepare your testimony.
What’s more, we can help you alternate between these options, depending on the liable party’s responsiveness and your own level of comfort. At the end of the day, we want to give you back some of the control that a bicycle accident stole from your life.
When Should You File a Bicycle Accident Claim?
It’s in your best interest to file a bicycle accident claim as soon as you can after your accident. Indiana Code §34-11-2-4 states that Carmel residents interested in civil action have no more than two years to investigate their losses, draw their conclusions, and present those conclusions to a civil court.
Carmel civil courts have the right to reject any bicycle accident claim that comes forward after its statute of limitations expires. If you try to submit your claim after this deadline passes, you will not have the opportunity to fight for the damages that you deserve.
That said, compiling all of this information while contending with your injuries and daily responsibilities can feel impossible. Fortunately, a bicycle accident attorney in Carmel can step in and manage your investigation. It’s often easier to balance the physical, financial, and legal elements of your post-accident recovery when you have an attorney lending a hand.
It’s Time to Take Your Bicycle Accident Losses to Court
Bicyclists deserve to feel safe on Monon Trail and throughout Carmel at large. If you were involved in a bicycle accident and feel like someone else’s negligence is to blame, let a Carmel bicycle accident lawyer know. Vaughan & Vaughan can help you investigate your losses and bring them to a judge’s attention.
Pursuing a personal injury claim after a bicycle accident can help you secure the financial support you need to adequately restore your previous quality of life, regardless of what bills come your way. For more information about the compensation you may deserve, contact our office by phone or online and schedule your no-obligation case consultation.
