Bicycle Accidents

This leaves the victims and their families struggling with medical expenses, lost wages, and – in the event of a fatality – severe grief and financial uncertainty.

If you or a loved one were involved in a bicycle crash, you need an Atlanta accident lawyer to advocate for you. The Dixon Firm fights every day for the rights of injured bicyclists and their families, including those in our Spanish communities. Our Georgia bike crash attorneys can work to help you receive the compensation you need during your recovery process.

Busy intersections and high-traffic areas are among the bike accident hotspots in Georgia. More specifically, bicycle accidents in Atlanta often occur at one of several common locations. They include:

• Midtown: This area is a popular destination for dining, shopping, and entertainment, which in turn means a heavy bicyclist presence. Peachtree Street, 10th Street, and 14th Street are among the locations where bicyclists must use extreme caution.
• Buckhead: Office complexes, residential neighborhoods, and upscale shopping can all be found in Buckhead. Heavy congestion makes the area dangerous for bike riders, especially on Peachtree Road, East Paces Ferry Road, and Lenox Road.
• Intersections: Throughout Atlanta, bicyclists should expect careless drivers, speeding, and traffic violations that put them in danger. Marietta Street and Decatur Street, in particular, are known areas where bicycle crashes are common.

These are the risk factors that endanger bike riders:

• Aggressive motorists: Road rage and speeding usually accompany the most aggressive drivers, and they put everyone – especially bicyclists – at risk of an accident.
• Failure to yield: Georgia law requires motorists to yield to bicyclists in bike lanes, but too many drivers disregard the law and cause crashes.
• Lack of bike lanes: Moreover, not every road in Atlanta or the rest of Georgia is bicycle-friendly due to the absence of clearly marked bike lanes.

Understanding why bicycle accidents occur can help you make an argument for driver negligence and claim the monetary damages you need in your legal case. Among the most common reasons for these wrecks are:

• Distracted or aggressive driving: Cell phone usage is one of the top causes of distracted driving, along with disruptive passengers, listening to music, and eating and drinking in the car. Aggressive driving, meanwhile, reduces the ability of drivers to slow down and avoid colliding with a bicyclist.
• Failure to yield: Drivers must yield to cyclists at intersections and crosswalks, and they can receive a traffic ticket for failure to do so. Unfortunately, the threat of a ticket is often not sufficient to deter bike crash negligence.
• Dooring accidents: These occur when a driver or passenger carelessly opens their door in the path of an approaching bicyclist. It is most commonly seen when vehicles park on streets, especially if car doors open directly into a bicycle lane.
• Unsafe lane changes or turns: Every driver must ensure there are no vehicles (including bicycles) in their blind spots when they change lanes. When making a turn, motorists must be aware of any bicyclists who are crossing the street.
• Poor road conditions or lack of bike infrastructure: Bad road conditions are dangerous for everyone, especially bicyclists who are directly exposed to the threat of heavy traffic. State and local governments that fail to properly maintain bike lanes or safely design roads may be held liable for a bicycle accident caused by a car.

Because they lack the protective steel frame and airbags of a passenger vehicle, cyclists are at a heightened risk of serious and sometimes fatal injuries. Common among bicycle crash injuries are:

• Broken bones: When a bicyclist is thrown from their bike, they may try to break the fall with their arms or legs. This will almost always result in broken bones.
• Road rash and soft tissue damage: Coming into contact with the road will cause the bicyclist’s skin to rub against the asphalt, resulting in painful road rash. Soft tissue injuries, meanwhile, involve damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
• Traumatic brain injuries: A traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a bike accident is unfortunately common and severe. A serious head injury can dramatically affect the victim’s cognitive functioning, behavior, and personality.
• Spinal cord injuries: Damage to the spinal cord can cause paralysis, which can mean significant medical bills, lost capacity to work, and decreased quality of life. If you suspect a spinal cord injury after a bike crash, you must seek immediate medical attention.
• Wrongful death: Tragically, many bike crashes claim the lives of victims in Atlanta and elsewhere in Georgia. Eligible survivors have the right to seek wrongful death damages, and our law firm can assist them.

To file a lawsuit to seek compensation, the victim must prove not only how the crash occurred but who caused it. Examples include:

• Negligent drivers: Bike accident fault in Georgia often points to irresponsible drivers who speed and break traffic laws.
• Rideshare companies: If the driver was working for Uber or Lyft, these rideshare companies’ insurers could be on the hook for the victim’s losses.
• Commercial vehicle operators: The drivers of large trucks and other commercial vehicles may have been poorly trained or screened, which may lead to their employers being liable.
• Local governments: The Atlanta government may be responsible for poor road maintenance and signage issues. But you should know that different rules apply when suing the government.

Knowing what to do if you’re hit while biking in Georgia could significantly impact your health and your legal rights. We suggest taking these steps after a bike crash in Atlanta:

• Get medical care: See a doctor, even if you don’t think you were severely injured. Not all injuries show up right away, but failing to treat them could worsen your condition, and it will also unnecessarily complicate your legal claim.
• Report the crash: Call 911 and report the accident to emergency services. The dispatch will send a law enforcement officer to your location to generate a police report; this report will serve as vital evidence later.
• Document the accident scene and your injuries: Take pictures and record videos of the accident scene and your injuries. Err on the side of more rather than fewer pictures and videos, and try to capture as much detail as you can.
• Speak with witnesses, but limit what you say: If there were any witnesses to the crash, get their names and contact information, but be careful what you say. Do not speculate as to how the crash happened, or the nature of your injuries, and do not admit fault even if you think you might have been to blame.
• Call a lawyer: There is a good chance the at-fault party’s insurer will call you and ask questions about the incident. Before speaking with insurance, it is important that you talk to an attorney who is experienced in handling bike accident cases.

Although you may need to take your case to court, bike accident settlements are common in Atlanta. It is usually to everyone’s benefit to settle claims without a trial if possible. 

You should be aware of the types of bicycle injury compensation that Georgia law allows you to request. It includes:

• Medical expenses: Cyclists can seek compensation for both their current and reasonably estimated future medical needs.
• Long-term disability and rehabilitation: If you suffer from long-term disability or need physical therapy or rehabilitation, your attorney can ask for compensation for the related costs.
• Lost income: This category of damages includes both income you lost while being hospitalized and recovering, as well as decreased earning capacity resulting from your injuries.
• Pain and suffering: Among the damages you can ask for are so-called non-economic damages, which include pain and suffering and related losses.
• Property damage: Bicycles and bike gear are often expensive, so injured cyclists can include these and other property losses in their claims.

Your legal right to monetary damages hinges on whether you hire a trusted bicycle injury law firm to represent you. We understand that when you are searching for a top Atlanta bike accident attorney, you want someone with legal experience and tenacity. 

But what makes The Dixon Firm’s approach unique is our:

Extensive Understanding of Cyclist Rights and Georgia Traffic Laws

We know the rights that bicyclists enjoy in Georgia, which in turn means we understand the legal duties of drivers who come in proximity to cyclists. This frames our investigation of the accident and the legal case we build on behalf of our clients. When you hire us, you can count on the experience we will bring to bear in your claim.

Local Experience with Atlanta’s Most Dangerous Roads

The Dixon Firm is familiar with some of the most dangerous roads throughout Atlanta. This allows us to understand the most common causes of bicycle accidents at these locations, which enables us to better develop your legal case. Find out why so many bicycle accident victims count on our firm’s local knowledge.

Personalized, Aggressive Representation

Our clients are not just file and case docket numbers. Because every bicycle accident case is unique, so too is our approach to handling each one. 

We will put together a customized strategy with a foundation of dedicated legal advocacy. The objective is to maximize your compensation, whether through settlement or trial.

Bilingual Legal Team

Many bicycle accident victims are from Atlanta’s Hispanic community. They may be unfamiliar with the civil court system, and the language barrier certainly doesn’t make their experience easier. 

Our firm’s Atlanta bilingual legal team is here to help. We explain the legal process and provide dedicated counsel from start to finish.

Can I Sue if I Was Hit on My Bike?

Yes, you can sue if the at-fault driver caused your bike accident. You will have the burden of proving that the driver negligently acted or failed to act in causing the crash. You may also sue other responsible parties, depending on the circumstances of your case.

What if I Wasn’t Wearing a Helmet?

You can still recover compensation if you weren’t wearing a helmet, but your claim will be more complicated due to the principle of comparative negligence. If a court determines that a victim’s actions worsened their injuries (for instance, by not wearing a helmet), it will assign a percentage of fault to the victim, and the damages will be reduced accordingly. However, we work to rebut allegations of comparative negligence wherever possible.

What if the Driver Fled the Scene?

If your bicycle crash was a hit-and-run accident, we will work to identify the driver. But even if this is not possible, there may be other avenues of recovering compensation, such as through your automobile uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. We will explore all ways of securing compensation.

When bicyclists get in accidents, they need quick responses from a legal team that cares about them. That’s where The Dixon Firm comes in. We offer a free bike crash case review, local support for victims, and bilingual assistance. Contact us to get started.