Bike Accident Lawyer
There are few things in life more traumatic than watching your child suffer. If your child has recently been hit by a motor vehicle while he or she was riding a bike, please understand that you do not have to weather this situation alone. Our firm has extensive experience assisting families to sort out their legal options in the wake of accidents affecting children. Speaking with us will not place you under any obligation to take legal action. But it will help to ensure that your legal decisions moving forward are informed ones.
Liability for Childhood Bike Accidents
Every accident is different, so there are few “hard and fast” rules that apply to every situation involving a bike riding victim. However, it is generally safe to assume that when a motorist hits a child who is riding a bike, the parents of that child may hold the motorist at least partially responsible for any harm that occurs as a result. That is not to say that parents must file a civil lawsuit against the offending motorist, but the option is generally available in these kinds of situations. This tends to be true even when the accident was partially the child’s fault and/or partially the fault of the child’s parents.
Accidents are complex affairs. It is relatively rare that a single factor causes an accident in its entirety. That is why determining liability tends to be a challenging task. For example, if a motorist hits a child because he or she is drunk, the liability in that situation is probably pretty straightforward. However, if a motorist is distracted behind the wheel and hits a child who is riding a bike while alone on the side of a freeway, the child’s parents may be held partially liable for the accident, even though the driver was distracted. The child’s presence on a road that is forbidden for bike travelers almost certainly contributed to the harm suffered by the child in some way.
Why Does Liability Matter?
Determining liability in an accident case is important because doing so allows the parties and the court to calculate appropriate damages. If a motorist is solely responsible for the harm resulting from a collision, he or she will be responsible for paying all of the damages associated with the accident. If more than one party is held to be partially liable for the harm caused, the amount of financial harm they may be held responsible for will be affected accordingly. For example, if a motorist is held to be 75 percent responsible for an accident and the child’s parents are held to be 25 percent liable, the motorist will only be required to pay for 75 percent of the financial damages associated with that accident.
Accident Claim Guidance Is Available
If your child has been hit by a car while he or she was riding a bicycle, please do not wait to contact our firm. Speaking with our team does not commit you to taking any legal action whatsoever. But because your options may become less viable with time, it is important to consult with a personal injury lawyer Washington, DC offers as soon as possible after an accident has occurred. That way, if you do decide to take legal action, your case will not suffer as a result of dated evidence, statute of limitations challenges and other obstacles that may be avoided by acting quickly.
Thank you to our friends and contributors at Cohen & Cohen, P.C. for their insight into personal injury claims and child bike accidents.
