Bike Accident Lawsuit Loans

Bike Accident Lawsuit Loans Overview

Bicycle accidents happen more frequently than you might think. Unfortunately, bicycle accidents often severely injure plaintiffs – this is where Uplift Legal Funding comes in. Like most motorway related accidents, bicycle crashes are fairly simple. We offer 24 hour approval, and a best terms guarantee on bike accident loans. If you receive a contract from another legal funding company and send it to Uplift, we will be able to beat it.

If you have a bicycle accident lawsuit case and have hired an attorney, give us a call to discuss your case and its potential for bicycle accident lawsuit loans.

Bicycle accidents vs. car accidents

While riding a bicycle does give the rider some mild protection in the form of a helmet and maybe knee and elbow pads, bike accidents still result in severe injuries to the rider. There are a few differences in how you would pursue a bicycle accident lawsuit case than you would a car accident case.

Below we have listed a few of these differences.

Liability

There are differences in liability standards in bicycle accidents. This is because generally, bikes and cars have the same right of way. However, even if a biker is acting within full rights of the law, they may still be held liable for the bicycle accident.

It is harder for bicyclists to carry the ‘burden of proof’ because they have similar right of way as cars. As such, bikers have to be more vigilant when riding to ensure they don’t get hurt. Failure to do so results in severe injuries which may be difficult to prove is the main fault of the passenger vehicle.

When riding on the road, bikers have to follow the same laws as motorized vehicles while also acting within bicycle laws.

Most cyclists are unaware of this and end up doing one of the following that holds them liable for their accident;

• Not stopping – bikers are supposed to yield right of way in accordance with motor vehicle laws
• Ignoring traffic signs – some bikers are unaware that they must stop at stop signs and traffic lights
• Crossing without signaling – turning or changing lanes without some signal to cars around them

Safety

While a bicyclist has more protection than a person who is walking, it is not by much. At most a bicyclist will wear a helmet to protect themselves. Less than half of bicycle riders report wearing a helmet.

This means that when a biker is hit by a car or truck, there is an extremely high likelihood of them being fatally injured.

Bicycle accident statistics and what causes them

Below we have listed national biking accident statistics and what causes them. We have also listed some ways you can avoid being in a bicycle accident. It’s important to be extra vigilant when riding a bicycle, since proving liability for biking accidents may be extremely difficult.

Statistics

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 857 bicyclists were killed in 2018. This is a 6.3% increase from 2017. According to the IIHS only 29% of bike riders report that they routinely wear a helmet when riding. Alcohol usage is involved in 37% of biking accidents.

Adult bicycle accident death, which is classified as people who are older than 20, has tripped since 1975, accounting for 87% of death. Children bike accident deaths have decreased significantly since 1975, making up 23% of fatal accidents.

Typically, bike accidents are more likely to occur in urban areas, accounting for 79% of all fatal bike accidents in 2018. Men are 8 times more likely to be in a fatal bike accident than women.

8 common causes for biking accidents

Below are some of the most common causes of biking accidents.

• Dooring accidents – car drivers opening doors without checking if there are bikers approaching
• Side swiping bicyclists – when switching lanes, cars may side swipe a biker
• Rear ending the bicyclist – if a biker is going to slow, a car is more likely to drive closely. This causes rear ending collisions when the biker must make a stop
• Crossing in front of the bike – drivers do not properly estimate the size of the biker’s wheels and when moving in front hit the bike
• Drivers turning into bicycles on their right side – bikes generally stay on the far right side of the road. If a driver does not check, they collide into the biker
• Speeding – cars speeding and hit bikers who are in the middle of the lane
• Drugs and alcohol – either the biker or the car driver are under the influence and less aware of their surroundings
• Failure to follow traffic control devices – bikers are not always aware that they must follow traffic signs. When this happens it increases the likelihood of bike accidents

Different liability standards

There are different liability standards when it comes to bike accidents. While this is not always the case, in a bicycle accident the cyclist will have a harder time proving they were not liable for the accident.

Bikes have as much right of way as cars do. If there is not a specific bike lane, bikes are supposed to ride in the far right lane of traffic. There are ‘side of the road’ laws that protect biciclist who are riding in that area.

Here is a list of some of the incidents drivers would be held liable for if injuring a bicyclist:

1. Opening a door and hitting a cyclist
2. Brushing a cyclist with a car or truck
3. Striking a cyclist while turning right

However, a bicyclist is not confined to the right side of the road. If the rider is moving at pace with traffic, they can be in the middle of the lane.

Here are some other reasons a bike rider can leave the side of the road:

1. if the lane is too narrow to share safely with passing cars
2. to make a left turn
3. to avoid debris or other road hazards

In these situations one way liability is determined is if the motorist has given the bike rider enough space. Because side of the road laws force bikers to share a lane with passing cars, the car driver has to give the bicyclist a reasonable amount of space. Generally each state believes this to be three feet.

But, if the cyclist has not conformed to either proper right of way laws or did not follow car traffic laws while biking in the middle of the lane, liability can be placed on them.

Protection from bike accidents vs car accident protection

Bikers have little to no protection when they are in an accident. As stated earlier only 29% of bike riders report repeatedly wearing a helmet whenever they go riding.

Wearing a helmet has been proven to increase safety for bike riders. This is because it lessens the risk of traumatic brain injury. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), most of the 80,000 bike accident related head injuries treated per year are brain injuries.

Other common injuries in biking accidents include:

• Amputations
• Bone break or fracture
• Lacerations
• Soft tissue damage
• Wrongful death

While each of the injuries listed above can occur in a car accident, it is less likely. This is because cars have been implemented with new technology that is made to lessen injuries and fatalities when in an accident.

Bikes however, have no new innovations that help protect the rider. As such, bike accidents are more deadly than car accidents. There is nothing to protect the rider from the car or truck that has collided into them.

Who pays for these severe injuries?

If you are able to prove liability then the driver’s insurance company will pay for your injuries. Unlike car accidents, you usually will not have underinsured or uninsured (UIM or UM) coverage in-play while riding your bike. That means you only have one potential insurance policy to go-after (the insurance of the person who hit you).

FAQs about bicycle accident loans

Below we have listed some commonly asked questions about bike accident lawsuit loans with Uplift.

What benefits does Uplift offer in my bicycle accident settlement?

There are many benefits to choosing Uplift for legal funding. We have listed just a few ways we can help you.

• Larger settlement – getting a lawsuit can help you get a larger settlement. This is because you will be able to stay in your lawsuit longer instead of having to take a lower settlement
• Fast Approval – we can get you approved within 24 to 48 hours of applying
• Quick and easy – from start to finish we keep you informed about your funding process
• Direct transfer – once approved for funding, we have it sent to you within 24 hours

Why choose Uplift for my bicycle accident lawsuit loan?

Even though legal funding is not regulated in most states, Uplift still follows best practices procedures. This means that we do what is in the best interest of our clients.

We never try to get you to sign a risky contract or take more pre-settlement funding than you need. This is so you can keep more of your settlement. Additionally to this, we never check credit or employment history. This is because you get our pre-settlement funding based on the quality of your case and not your personal credit.

We offer simple, non-compounding rates. This means we only charge rates based on the original amount. We never charge rates based on already accumulated charges. This is how we keep our rates low and manageable.

Is getting legal funding for my bicycle accident like getting a loan?

There is a big difference between legal funding and loans. Legal funding is contingent on the success of your case. If you do not win your case then you get to keep the cash advance. It’s that simple.

With traditional loans, you have to pay back your loan regardless of whether or not you win your settlement. Also, traditional loans typically have extremely high, compounding rates. This means you might end up paying over 100% in rates back once your case has concluded.

Legal funding with Uplift does not do this. We offer simple, non-compounding rates. Additionally, all of our pre-settlement funding is non-recourse, meaning you don’t pay it back if you don’t win. And lastly, we always advise you only take what you absolutely need because we want you to keep as much of your accident lawsuit settlement as possible.

How Uplift helps injured bike accident plaintiffs

We help personal injury plaintiffs cover living expenses while waiting for a bicycle accident lawsuit settlement. Bicycle accident lawsuit cases can take a while, and insurance companies know you might be in bad financial shape. Uplift settlement loans help you wait for a better deal, rather than caving to early settlement pressure.

Our case managers work with your law firm to process cash advances fast with no credit check necessary. Give us a call today for a free consultation. We can quickly estimate a bicycle accident lawsuit case value and see how much bicycle accident lawsuit loans you qualify for.

You can apply online (only takes 5 minutes!) or give us a call at (800) 385-3660.