Our Gainesville, Georgia personal injury lawyers are ready to fight for the rights of injured riders after they’ve been in a frightening bicycle accident. Weaver Law Injury Attorneys has decades of experience advocating for bicycle accident victims who have been struck by careless drivers.
After an accident, don’t wait to get the help you need to recover physically and financially. For a free consultation, contact us today.
How Do I Know If I’ll Need a Lawyer for My Bicycle Accident?
If you endure a serious injury in a bicycle crash caused by a reckless motorist, a lawyer can be an important protection for your case. It’s also the best way to guarantee you receive the most for your recovery. This support is critical to pay for the best care available so you can return to your bike rides again as soon as possible.
If your accident only leaves some minor scrapes and soreness behind, you may not need a lawyer’s help. But when broken bones, a head injury, or a permanent disfigurement are involved, medical expenses rise, and car insurance companies begin to look for ways to limit the support you receive. They stop being helpful and start looking to save money.
These are just a few of the advantages a Gainesville GA Bicycle Accident lawyer can give to your case and your recovery:
- A lawyer fully investigates your bicycle accident and collects evidence to build a strong case against the driver
- A lawyer takes action when insurers try to blame you for the collision or cast doubt on how severe your injuries
- A lawyer works with your doctors to determine what you need now and in the future for your care and makes sure you receive every cent you’ll require to fully recover
- A lawyer handles the frustrating claims process and all communication with insurance adjusters so that you have additional time to focus on healing
- There’s no upfront cost to hire Weaver Law Injury Attorneys, and we only get paid if we win your case
- A lawyer can often earn you much more in support than you could have by filing a claim yourself
We get aggressive on your behalf and don’t allow the facts to be changed. We leave insurance companies no choice but to accept full accountability. We insist on the maximum recovery support for our clients and their families.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Gainesville GA
Riders in Gainesville have a lot of trails and parks to ride through, such as Midland Greenway. Unfortunately, for cyclists looking for a longer run or trying to ride to work or school, finding local roads featuring bike lanes can be difficult.
Riders may have to merge with busy traffic on roads like Green Street. Georgia gives bicyclists the right to use regular traffic lanes, like any driver, but motorists can be ignorant of the law or just simply careless and not give them the space they need for safety. (Georgia Vehicular Code 40-6-294)
Cyclists are often asked to ride alongside heavy, fast-moving vehicles with little more than thin clothing and perhaps a helmet as protection. Most cyclists know to be extremely cautious when sharing the road with motorists. Unfortunately, even the most cautious cyclist could still be severely harmed or killed if a motorist is negligent.
These are just a few of the most common ways that drivers can put bicyclists at risk:
- “Left cross” or “right cross” accidents– These crashes occur when drivers fail to notice riders before making left-hand or right-hand turns at intersections and run straight into oncoming cyclists.
- “Right hook” accidents – A “right hook” accident can happen when a driver and cyclist are traveling in the same direction, and the driver fails to create enough distance in front of the bicycle before turning right. As a result, the cyclist is struck from the side or collides with the turning vehicle.
- Rear-end collisions – A rear-end bicycle collision can occur when a driver follows too closely behind a cyclist. Bicycle riders can be pinned and crushed, or thrown from their bikes as a result.
- Backing up accidents – When drivers fail to check their surroundings before reversing out of driveways, garages, or parking spaces, they can back up straight into cyclists passing behind the vehicle.
- Dooring accidents – If a driver or passenger in a stopped vehicle opens one of the vehicle doors without looking, they can open the door directly into the path of oncoming bicycles. Dooring accidents can lead to severe injuries, sometimes even launching cyclists into the air upon impact.
Gainesville’s 2025 Metropolitan Transportation Plan promises added bikeways and improved intersection designs for pedestrians and cycling safety, but for now, riders travel at extreme risk when having to enter traffic.
Drivers who force impacts and cause injuries must be held fully accountable for their actions. Riders must get support from the time of the accident, through recovery, and until they can get on a bike again.
Gainesville GA Bicycle Accident Statistics
The Georgia Governor’s Office of Traffic Safety reports that our state saw a tragic 29 lives lost in bicycle collisions in 2022. That was up from 15 lives lost in 2021.
Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) data also shows a tragic spike in serious bicycle accidents in Gainesville and Hall County more recently. Its figures reveal there were 16 serious bicycle accidents across Hall County in 2023. That was a leap from 2022, when there were only five serious bicycle accidents recorded. It remains to be seen if this troubling trend will continue when official accident data for 2024 is released.
Types of Injuries from Bicycle Accidents
Cyclists lack the same protective features that shield vehicle occupants from the brunt of the impact in a collision. No airbags, no seat belts, and no padding can cushion the blow from a vehicle and the road surface.
These are just a few of the types of injuries that can send riders to Northeast Georgia Medical Center emergency room:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Face, neck, and jaw injuries
- Back and vertebral injuries
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Broken or dislocated bones
- Amputated limbs or digits
- Spinal cord injuries
- Partial or total paralysis
- Soft tissue strains, sprains, and tears
- Internal injuries and bleeding
- Scrapes, cuts, bruises, and burns
- Knee and joint injuries
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
What Can I Receive Compensation For After a Bicycle Accident?
If someone else was partially or fully responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, you might be entitled to recover damages for your losses. “Damages” is the legal term for money awarded to victims in personal injury claims.
With the help of a bike accident attorney, you can establish a solid claim to prove the other person’s liability and demand the compensation you need. This could include money to reimburse you for:
- Past and future medical costs for treating accident-related injuries
- The value of any lost wages from missed time at work while you recover
- The subjective costs of the physical pain you suffer and will suffer
- The emotional trauma victims go through as they must give up hobbies, especially riding bikes, for a time or even permanently
- The projected value of losses in your future earning potential if you are severely injured and unable to return to your usual job
- The costs of repairing or replacing your bicycle, if it was damaged in the crash
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a bicycle accident claim if I’m hit while not wearing a helmet?
Yes. Georgia bicyclists 16 and older aren’t required to wear safety helmets. The fact that you weren’t wearing a helmet doesn’t erase the liability a driver would bear for causing a collision. Victims could seek full recovery compensation.
Does an Auto Policy’s UM/UIM Coverage Apply in Bicycle Crashes?
Georgia drivers are required to carry specific minimum amounts of liability insurance by law. Liability insurance covers the costs of other people’s medical and property damage bills if the insured is at fault in a crash. However, not all drivers comply with statewide insurance laws. Even those who do may not have enough insurance to cover 100 percent of the costs associated with injuries or damage after a bicycle wreck. If you are injured in a Georgia bicycle accident, this is where your auto policy’s uninsured (UM) or underinsured (UIM) motorist insurance could kick in to help you. UM and UIM insurance are optional in Georgia, but they’re automatically added to all insurance policies, so you should have them unless you actively opted out. UM and UIM insurance are meant to cover your costs after an accident involving a driver with no or insufficient insurance. Luckily, cyclists who carry UM or UIM insurance on their cars can rely on this coverage for bicycle accidents with uninsured or underinsured drivers.
What if I don’t have the extra money to pay a bicycle accident lawyer?
You don’t need any money to hire Weaver Law Injury Attorneys to represent your case. We don’t charge our clients any upfront money. First of all, we don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. If we lose, you don’t owe anything. If the case is successful, you still won’t have to struggle to pay our attorney’s fee. Our payment comes out of the settlement money you receive.
Talk to a Gainesville Bike Accident Lawyer Now
If you’ve been seriously injured in a bicycle accident in Gainesville, Georgia, contact Weaver Law Injury Attorneys today. We’ve been serving North Georgia for more than 20 years and continue to advocate for safe bike rides and full support for accident victims.
Our Bike accident attorneys in Gainesville offer a free consultation to review your case and answer your questions. Contact us online to schedule your free consultation. There’s no obligation for this free case review.
And if you feel we can help you secure more for your injury, you don’t need to worry about finding the money to hire a bike accident lawyer. We don’t earn anything for our services unless we recover money for you. Then our fee comes out of the bike accident settlement check that a car insurance company must provide to you and your family.
