While a lot of people in the greater Albuquerque area enjoy riding bicycles both in the city and the surrounding beautiful New Mexico countryside, doing so carries risks. As a previous post on this blog discussed, bicyclists face dangers from loose dogs, poorly repaired sidewalks and, especially, cars and other motor vehicles. While of course bicyclists should follow the rules of the road and pay attention, many of these accidents happen despite the fact the bicyclist was being as careful as possible.
On the other hand, these accidents are often still preventable the driver of the vehicle involved or the property who let his or her sidewalk fall in to disrepair or who let his or her animal roam free. It also bears repeating that bicyclists, just by nature, are more vulnerable in accidents because they are on a lightweight vehicle and don’t have a lot of protection.
Our legal team represents bicyclists after they have been in an accident. Our first order of business after taking on a case is to investigate the accident to make sure we have an accurate understanding of what happened as well as a full account of the extent and severity of our client’s injuries.
We can then assist our client with filing the proper claims for insurance benefits, whether those claims are against the driver of another vehicle or against a property owner. If we cannot then obtain a satisfactory settlement of our client’s claims, our next option would be to pursue compensation through an appropriate lawsuit. Compensation sought can include reimbursement for medical expenses and other out-of-pocket costs, as well as lost wages and coverage for non-economic damages like pain and suffering.