BICYCLE ACCIDENTS
Insurance Coverage for Bicycle Accident Injuries
Each year more bicyclists share the road with other drivers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians. Bicycling benefits your health and savings, and reduces your carbon footprint. Bicycles are generally used by people of all ages, including young children, for various purposes. Regardless of the purpose, bicycling poses a risk of harm from a collision with a bicyclist, vehicle, pedestrian, or an object. As a result, injured bicyclists naturally have questions regarding insurance coverage of their injuries. These accidents clearly result in substantial physical injuries, medical bills, and lost income. The experienced attorneys at Slatter Law Firm will aggressively fight to recover the maximum compensation for your injuries.
There are multiple types of insurance policies that may cover your injuries from a bicycle accident. Below is a description of those insurance policies.
California requires at-fault drivers to pay for the damages and injuries they cause in an accident. The law also requires drivers to have auto insurance with the following minimum liability limits: (1) $15,000 for one injured person; (2) $30,000 total per accident if more than one person is injured; and (3) $5,000 for property damage. If the at-fault driver only has the minimum insurance coverage, injured victims must use other policies for coverage for damages exceeding these limits.
Despite these minimum coverage requirements, some drivers fail to have auto insurance at the time of the accident. However, injured victims may find relief from their own auto insurance policy’s uninsured motorist coverage. This uninsured motorist coverage also applies when the at-fault driver only has the minimum insurance coverage and your losses exceed that policy’s limits. In this scenario, your policy’s underinsurance coverage may cover these additional losses if the underinsurance provision of your policy is greater than the at-fault driver’s policy. For example, if the at-fault driver’s insurance is only $15,000 and your insurance underinsurance provision is $30,000, you may be able to collect the difference between the two limits, or $15,000.
Your auto insurance may also be a source of compensation for your damages and injuries. Many insurance policies have medical payments coverage, which pays for medical expenses up to a specific limit.
If your medical expenses are greater than the coverage provided by the above sources, your own health insurance may be used to cover these expenses. Your health insurance generally covers your medical expenses, subject to the specific terms of your policy, such as deductibles and copays. Many injured victims rely on their health insurance for coverage of these expenses while their personal injury claim or lawsuit is pending.
Your homeowner’s insurance may also provide coverage for your losses. Some homeowner insurance policies cover bicycle theft and damage caused by third parties, and may also cover personal injury. Your experienced bicycle accident attorney will analyze your policy to determine the extent of coverage of your losses.
Based on the risks of bicycling along with the needs of cyclists, more insurance companies are offering policies for bicycling. These policies often cover theft, property damage, and bodily injury.
Bicycle accidents are governed by the laws of negligence. Bicyclists share the same rights and responsibilities as drivers. Drivers are required to drive with reasonable care and caution to prevent harm to other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Drivers fail to fulfill this duty of care when they violate a traffic law or engage in unsafe driving practices. If the driver’s failure to drive with reasonable care caused your accident, the driver may be at-fault for your injuries.
Due to their high impact and speed nature, bicycle accidents often result in significant physical injuries. The above insurance policies may be source of compensation for the expenses and losses relating to these injuries. It is therefore important that you hire an experienced bicycle accident attorney, who can thoroughly pursue all sources of compensation for your injuries.
Contact Us Today
Contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney today if you or a loved one was involved in an accident involving a dangerous road condition. Slatter Law Firm has been helping individuals injured due to car accidents and slip and falls throughout Los Angeles and Southern California for over four decades. To schedule a free consultation, call our office at (310) 405-0964 or contact us online.
