Posts Tagged ‘Attorney’

1. The insurance company cleaned my clock.

 

2. They only paid what they wanted to pay.

 

3. They wouldn’t pay for a lot of the medical bills.

 

4. They gave me a lousy deal on my car.

 

5. They wouldn’t reimburse me for some of my car rental expenses.

 

6. They wouldn’t give me pain and suffering for most of my medical bills.

 

7. They wouldn’t give me my wage loss.

 

8. They wouldn’t give me anything for my future medical expenses.

 

9. They wouldn’t give me anything for my future wage loss.

 

10. They didn’t give me much of anything at all.

Here are ten useful tips of advice from a bicycle accident lawyer to follow if you have been in an accident. You can also learn more about how to handle a bicycle accident in Long Beach, or any city, by calling the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson at any of the numbers which can be found on our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learning how we can assist you.

 

Obviously, if you have had an accident, and you are reading all of this advice, it may have been a few hours since the accident. However, if you ever have another accident, or if it’s only been a few hours since you were hurt, here’s what you should do from the start.

 

First, take a look around and determine if you or anyone, are hurt. If so, taking steps like trying to prevent further injury or loss of blood are the most important thing you can do. Even if some other driver caused you to be injured, it’s just good manners to help the other driver if they are hurt. They may even be so thankful that they admit their fault to you. The worst thing you can do is get angry or start a fight.

 

Second, make sure everyone is safe from being injured further. If you are in the middle of traffic, and you are dizzy, sit down away from traffic. If your vehicle is a traffic hazard and you have accident warning devices like flares or triangles, put them out on the road to warn other drivers and get away from the car. Let the police an other emergency personnel investigate the scene with the vehicles in place and move them more safely at a later point.

 

Third, call the police. Accident reports are extremely helpful if the police will do such a report. Let the police know you are injured immediately. Answer the police questions honestly. But if you are dazed or confused, let them know you need medical treatment and answer only what you feel sure about. Remember, your statements can and will be used against you if you admit fault, and it will be too late and too fishy to later say you didn’t know what you were saying at the scene. Police know that your best recollection is immediately after an accident.

 

Fourth, get the other driver’s information including their names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, make and model of their vehicles, license plate numbers, and their insurance company name and policy number. If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses and telephone numbers as well. If the other driver makes any admissions of fault, write those down as well.

 

Fifth, if you have a camera on your cell phone or in the car and you aren’t too injured, take some photos of the vehicles and the scene. If you can’t do it right away, do it after you are released from the hospital.

Sixth, if you are hurt, obtain medical treatment. Don’t decline the ambulance or hospital examination to save your insurance company money or to be stoic. Take your valuables out of your car if you can and get checked out at the hospital. If you are not hurt, don’t get treatment you don’t need. However, remember, after an accident, you may feel a rush of adrenaline that causes you to only start feeling symptoms of pain a few hours later. If you have a health plan that requires you to obtain permission first, call them and find out where you are allowed to seek treatment.

 

Seventh, call a good bicycle accident attorney as soon as you have had your initial treatment, so the attorney can gather other important evidence and prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and obtaining such things as recorded statements that you feel fine, when many of your symptoms have yet to manifest themselves. A good bicycle accident lawyer can save you from making a great deal of mistakes and can shoulder much of the hassle of knowing what to do about car repairs, car rentals, medical treatment, witness statements and the like. If you think you will save money by not having an attorney, think again. A good bicycle accident lawyer can almost always obtain much higher settlements, obtain reductions of medical bills and insurance liens and prevent you from making costly mistakes. Also, most bicycle accident attorneys advance costs of obtaining police reports, medical records and the like and are paid and reimbursed for these costs only out of any settlement.

 

Eight, you will need to report the accident to your insurance company, but since they will want to take a recorded statement from you, just like any other driver’s insurance company, it’s good advice to retain an attorney first. And if the other driver did not have insurance, remember that it is your own insurance company that will be your adversary. You will also need to report the accident to the Department of Motor Vehicles and your lawyer can give you the form for this.

 

Ninth, do not agree to settle your claim privately with the person at fault for the accident. This almost never works out to your advantage. Don’t agree not to call the police. Police reports that determine the fault for an accident are golden. Your agreement to not involve the police only affords an opportunity for the other driver to change his story and blame you when the police will no longer investigate the accident.

 

Tenth, don’t pay a traffic ticket without a fight if you weren’t at fault or agree to accept a small payment for your vehicle repairs without knowing that the amount will in fact cover the cost of all the repairs.

 

If you’ve had a bicycle accident in Long Beach, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Cambria or San Luis Obispo, or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Long Beach Bicycle Accident Lawyer and your Santa Monica Bicycle Accident Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with auto, motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian, car, bus, train, boat and airplane accident experience, wrongful death experience and insurance law expertise who can ensure you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

 

If you have a personal injury legal matter, a dog bite or if you’ve lost a loved one in a wrongful death accident, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

Have you been injured on a bicycle due to a defective road or negligent motorist while riding your way to a friend’s house? If so, then you have possibly gone through the excruciating phase of your life. In cases like these, you need to consult a bicycle accident attorney.

These legal professionals specialize in defending the rights of people who have been in biking accidents. They know and understand bicycle riding laws and other related accident cases.

Because of the exhaustive nature of bicycle accident claims, the assistance of this type of lawyer must be sought.

If you or your loved one has been involved in a bike accident, it is a good idea for you to contact a lawyer sooner rather than later. There are various reasons to do this.

First of all, in bicycle accident cases, the motorist is frequently at fault. Although cyclists are expected to follow the rules of the road, car drivers too often ignore bikes and fail to give them enough space to maneuver compared to what they would give to another motor vehicle.

Many motorists fail to properly share the road with bicyclists. Hence, vehicle collisions often result.

Furthermore, a bike obviously offers much less protection than a motor vehicle. It is no match to most vehicles that may weigh up to thousands of pounds.

Obviously, the bicyclist is usually the one seriously injured if struck by a car. The injuries sustained may be very serious, while those in the car may have suffered without a single bruise.

Last, if you lack medical insurance, it's especially important for you to contact a lawyer, as you may require long-term rehabilitation or multiple surgeries following a car-bike collision.

In addition, battles with insurance companies result in unfavorable settlements for bicyclists, motorists receiving as much as 40% higher compensation for damages.

Due to the dangerous nature of bicycle, injury causing accidents frequently happen. It occurs mainly because of these three common scenarios:

• reckless, belligerent or blindsided motorists

• swinging car doors

• jay walking pedestrians

The most common cause of bicycle accident is due to a negligent driver. The injured rider may be entitled for reimbursements to cover their medical bills, lost wages, rehabilitation, and permanent disability.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that in 2005, 784 bicyclists were killed on roads in the U.S., most of them from crashes with motor vehicles. More than 540,000 people are being injured each year in bicycling accidents with about 67,000 suffering head injuries and 27,000 requiring hospitalization.

Victims of bicycle accidents must learn to preserve evidence and other pertinent documents. This is because well-preserved evidence will help ensure the fullest compensation available in cases of serious injury or wrongful death. It can be done by:

• taking pictures

• documenting the road and weather conditions

• recording data as to construction sites

• gathering detailed information regarding property damage

When an accident is caused by a negligent driver, the injured rider may demand reimbursement for medical bills, lost wages, rehabilitation, pain and suffering and permanent disability.

To protect your legal rights following severe injury or wrongful death resulting from a bicycle accident, it is best to immediately consult an experienced bicycle accident attorney.

Our personal injury defenders are well trained in obtaining a successful verdict for our clients injured due to bicycle accident misfortune. To avail of our free case evaluation services, please visit our website and fill out our form.