Omaha Bicycle Accident Lawyer

• Our results showcase our ability to achieve positive settlements and verdicts for our clients. Our lawyers have recently tried five jury cases in Douglas County, Nebraska, and obtained a greater verdict than the settlement initially offered in each case.
• We cater to each client’s specific needs. You will receive personalized care and attention from your Omaha bicycle accident lawyer, as well as communicate with us frequently throughout your case. We tailor our legal strategies to each unique case. Our firm has extensive experience in handling bike accident claims, ensuring you receive the best possible representation.
• Knowles Law Firm operates on a contingency fee basis. This means we will only get paid if we are successful. If we do not win your case, you won’t pay us a dime. If we do secure compensation on your behalf, our fee will be charged as a percentage of what was won.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a recent bicycle accident in Omaha or anywhere in Nebraska, an Omaha bicycle accident attorney at Knowles Law Firm can help you seek justice. We can go up against a motor vehicle driver or insurance company on your behalf to pursue the case results that you need to move forward.

Our Omaha personal injury lawyers will be your advocates and guides during this difficult time. Contact us today to schedule a free bicycle accident case consultation with an experienced bike accident attorney.

Types of Bicycle Accident Injuries

Despite being a commonly enjoyed activity, bicycle riding comes with a relatively high risk of common bicycle accident injuries and deaths. Bike riding near motor vehicles can put the bicyclist at risk of serious or fatal collisions.

Every year, bicyclists suffer life-changing injuries in traffic accidents around Nebraska. With or without protective gear such as a helmet, a bicyclist could end up in the hospital. The nature of bicycle accidents causes certain injuries more often than others.

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Leg and foot injuries
• Head and face injuries
• Broken bones
• Dislocations
• Spinal cord injuries
• Road rash/abrasions
• Contusions / concussions
• Lacerations
• Muscle strains/sprains
• Neck and back injuries
• Paralysis
• Broken bones
• Internal organ damage

Many of these require ongoing care for the rest of their life.  All of this could be prevented by a motor vehicle driver simply paying attention to the road. This negligence can lead to the ability of a bicyclist to recover for their medical costs, ongoing rehabilitation, and any lost wages. An Omaha personal injury attorney can assist you in calculating the number of damages you are entitled to receive.

It is important to contact a personal injury attorney shortly after your injury to prevent any settlement from occurring with the negligent party’s insurance company. Insurance companies are in the business to make money – they often do so by settling with an injured party shortly after an accident occurs.  Any settlement which you sign, may limit your ability to bring a bicycle accident claim for your injuries.

Most Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents 

In Nebraska, it is necessary to determine who or what caused your bicycle accident before you can file an insurance claim. This is because Nebraska is an at-fault car insurance state, where the party responsible for the crash pays for the related costs. Bicycle accidents on public roads are often caused by motor vehicle drivers. These accidents often result in severe injuries, which can necessitate legal assistance for filing personal injury claims.

Many different examples of driver negligence and recklessness can cause a bicycle accident in Omaha, including:

• Distracted driving: Driver inattention took 3,142 lives in 2019 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Many of these lives were bicyclists and pedestrians who went unseen by inattentive drivers. Texting and driving is the number one type of driver distraction.
• Driving while drunk or drugged: Driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance can impair a driver’s senses, reflexes, and judgment. Drunk driving drastically increases the risk of collisions, including bicycle accidents.
• Breaking traffic laws: Speeding, failing to stop at an intersection, failing to yield the right-of-way, and breaking other traffic laws can make bicycle and vehicle traffic cross paths, resulting in harmful collisions. As a result, drivers often do not pay attention to bike lanes and incoming bicyclists, resulting in serious injuries.
• Making unsafe lane changes: Lane-change accidents are common on public roads, especially for bicyclists, as they are small and difficult for drivers to see. Drivers are responsible for checking their blind spots and ensuring that a lane change is safe before executing the maneuver.
• Reckless driving: Driving recklessly, or with a wanton disregard for the safety of others, can refer to excessive speeding, racing, following too closely/tailgating, wrong-way driving or red-light running – all dangerous practices that can cause a bicycle accident.
• Following too closely: Many motor vehicle drivers are impatient with cyclists that whom they share the road, leading to vehicles coming dangerously close to bicycles. Following too closely, unsafe passing, cutting bikers off, and honking at them can cause bicycle accidents.
• Dooring: Dooring refers to a motor vehicle driver swinging a door open into the path of an oncoming cyclist. The bicyclist may strike the door and be propelled off of the bicycle and into the road.
• Turning on top of a cyclist: When turning left, drivers must check for oncoming bicycle traffic. Failing to yield to cyclists can lead to intersection accidents. Similarly, if a cyclist is to the right of a driver, a right-hook crash can take place if the driver doesn’t check before making a right turn.

Drivers cause the majority of vehicle accidents of all types, including car and truck accidents, but are a major problem for vulnerable bicyclists. If a driver causes a bicycle accident, his or her car insurance company must pay for related costs.

Bicycle accidents in Omaha may also be caused by issues not related to motor vehicle drivers, however, such as:

• Road hazards: If the cause of a bicycle accident is a road hazard or defect, such as a pothole, the government could be responsible for failing to maintain a safe public road. On a private road, the private property owner could be liable for dangerous premises, instead.
• Bicycle defects: If the bicycle contains a defective part, it may malfunction in transit and contribute to a crash. Common examples include bad brakes, defective handlebars, and broken chains. Product defects can place liability on the bicycle manufacturer or seller
• Bad weather: Biking in bad weather, such as rain or fog, can come with visibility problems that increase the risk of an accident. If a motor vehicle driver doesn’t drive safely in poor weather, he or she could strike a cyclist.

Even if you were involved in a single-vehicle bicycle accident – one that doesn’t involve a motor vehicle driver – it is possible that a third party is responsible for your wreck. The Omaha bicycle accident lawyers at The Knowles Law Firm can help you determine the cause of your bicycle accident and explore all available outlets for a financial recovery.

Bicycle Accident Claim Timeline

A statute of limitations is a law that is in place to keep the justice system just for both parties: the plaintiff and the defendant. Without a law requiring a plaintiff to file within a certain amount of time, he or she could feasibly hold the threat of a lawsuit over the defendant’s head indefinitely. This would be unfair to the defendant. A statute of limitations also encourages timely filing to protect the integrity of the evidence used in the case.

If you suffer an injury in a bicycle accident in Omaha, you must keep a careful eye on your timeline for filing a bicycle accident injury claim. You are not given an indefinite amount of time in which to file an injury claim in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Revised Statutes, Section 25-207(3), gives claimants a limit of four years to file a personal injury claim, in most cases. With only rare exceptions, claims that are brought after the statute of limitations has expired are dismissed by the courts.

While four years may seem like a long time to file a bicycle accident claim, this deadline can approach quickly. Waiting to file could put you at risk of missing the time limit, as well as losing important evidence to prove facts that are relevant to your case.

For example, eyewitness statements may become less reliable over time as the memory fades. To protect your rights, act quickly to initiate your claim and begin the financial recovery process.

If you wish to seek financial compensation for fatal bicycle accident wrongful death case in Omaha, you will have just two years from the date of death to file. Two years is also the deadline to file a workers’ compensation claim in Nebraska.

If your defendant is a government entity – such as after a bike accident caused by a road defect – you must also make your claim in writing to the Risk Manager within two years.

Damages You Could Recover

It can be extremely important to your future to file a bicycle accident claim as soon as possible after a collision in Omaha. Prompt claims filing can ensure you do not miss the deadline and lose your right to obtain compensation.

Filing an insurance claim or an injury lawsuit with the help of one of our Omaha personal injury lawyers could end in compensation for your economic and noneconomic damages. The compensatory award the defendant may owe you could make up for many different losses.

• Injury-related medical expenses
• Past and future pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Lost wages and missed future earning opportunities
• Bicycle repairs or replacement
• The cost of hiring an attorney
• Punitive damages

Filing a bicycle accident injury claim can help recover various types of damages.

The best way to find out what your bike accident claim could be worth is with a free consultation at the Knowles Law Firm. We can carefully review your case, calculate your damages and help you determine a fair amount of compensation to demand from the defendant.

A bicycle accident attorney can then help you negotiate your insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit for maximum compensation.

Hire an Omaha Bicycle Accident Lawyer from Knowles Law Firm Today

If you or a loved one have been injured in a bicycle accident, do not hesitate to contact an Omaha bicycle accident attorney at the Knowles Law Firm. Our attorneys are avid supporters of bicyclists anywhere and will work tirelessly to ensure the responsible party is held responsible for your injuries. Contact us today for your initial free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Filing Omaha Bicycle Accident Claims

What are Nebraska’s Laws and Regulations?

In Nebraska, cyclists who ride on streets or any path set aside by the local Department of Transportation have the same legal rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle operators. There are exceptions to this where the relevant laws are not applicable, and there are additional laws that specifically govern the use of bicycles in Nebraska.

Understanding and following the rules of the road is vital, as violations of the law can lead to being held partially or fully liable for an injury.

Some critical Nebraska bicycle riding laws include: All bicycles and riders are required to have safety equipment when out on Nebraska roads. The equipment includes a bell or other warning device, a white light on the front, and a red light on the rear.

What to Do After a Bicycle Accident?

After a bike accident occurs, the recovery process is often long and painful. Bicyclists often suffer very serious injuries after an accident, including head trauma, spinal cord injuries, and internal organ damage. Many of these injuries require ongoing care for the rest of their life.

All of this could be prevented by a motor vehicle driver simply paying attention to the road. A bicycle accident lawyer can assist you in calculating the number of damages you are entitled to receive.

How to Determine Liability in a Bicycle Accident?

Determining liability in a bicycle accident revolves around the topic of negligence. Negligence is defined as “carelessness, recklessness, or unreasonable conduct” under Nebraska’s personal injury legislation. If someone else’s carelessness caused financial loss, the victim is entitled to be paid by the negligent party. The comparative negligence rule may apply if the bicyclist is partially at fault for the accident.

What Are Some Omaha Bicycle Safety Tips?

As a cyclist in Omaha, you should take your safety into your own hands. Do not trust drivers to follow the rules of the road and see your bicycle. Instead, assume the opposite – that they will break the law and place you in danger. Ride defensively, meaning prepared to stop or take evasive action to avoid an accident, at all times. Remain vigilant while on your bike.

Use these safety tips to decrease your odds of getting into bicycle accidents:

• Wear brightly colored clothing or a reflective vest
• Avoid riding between sundown and sunup
• Properly maintain your bike
• Keep your actions predictable to drivers