Las Vegas
Bicycle Accident
Attorney
free consultation
PH: (702) 878-2889
In places like Nevada, where children and adults can consistently take advantage of good weather, bikes are common. Some people enjoy cycling for fun or exercise; others use their bikes to commute to and from work. Whatever your reason for hopping on a bike, you should be confident that you can safely ride around Las Vegas and Henderson, whether you’re riding on Burkholder Trail or just riding your bike to work. Unfortunately, careless drivers are all too common and cause serious bicycle accidents.
If you or a loved one were involved in a bike crash that was another person’s fault, contact a Las Vegas bicycle accident attorney as soon as possible. By talking with an experienced injury attorney from Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC, you have someone to advise you on whether you have a valid claim. If so, our personal injury attorneys can advise you on the potential value of your claim and guide you through the process of seeking compensation.
To discuss your bike accident injuries with us, use our online form or call (702) 878-2889 to schedule a free consultation.
If you or a relative were struck by a vehicle while riding a bike, we recommend calling a Las Vegas bike accident lawyer as soon as possible. Our team at Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC has years of experience helping injured cyclists and surviving family members after vehicle-bicycle collisions. We also have handled single-bicycle accidents resulting from dangerous and defective roadways and traffic devices.
We understand how devastating these circumstances are. As a cyclist, you may suffer injuries that prevent you from getting back on a bike. You may have suffered a concussion or traumatic brain injury, even while wearing your bike helmet. Your child may suffer disabling or disfiguring injuries that impact their future. You may be grieving the loss of a parent, spouse, or child. All of this is unfair, and pursuing a lawsuit will not fix the situation.
However, demanding to receive compensation for your injuries or loss can help your family obtain a small amount of justice and move forward without suffering further financial harm. Our team is here to handle the insurance claim and litigation processes. We will guide you through each step of a claim with compassion and candid advice.
We are well-respected personal injury and wrongful death attorneys with the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. We received a 10.0 rating on Avvo for personal injury law, and we have a record of obtaining outstanding results for our clients.
If you were involved in a bike crash or witnessed a collision, we recommend you:
If you are not the victim of the crash, then you should also offer the injured party or parties aid. You may not be able to do much other than speak with the victim, call 911, and apply pressure to any bleeding. Do not move the rider if it looks like they may have suffered a spinal cord injury.
We understand you may not have been able to do any of this after a bicycle accident in Clark County. If you were hit by a car and hurt, you might have had no other options but to wait for help. You may have been unconscious. This is another reason to hire a lawyer right away. We will gather all of the evidence of what happened at the scene.
Bicycle accidents can be caused by a cyclist who violates a rule of the road or is reckless in sharing the road. However, a majority of the bicycle accident claims we handle in Las Vegas involve a cyclist being injured by a negligent driver. Our bicycle accident lawyers have found many vehicle-bike collisions occur because of:
After being struck by a vehicle, you may not know what happened. You may not be sure whether the motorist was speeding, distracted, intoxicated, or driving after a 12-hour night shift. One reason to hire a Las Vegas bicycle accident attorney is to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.
Nevada’s bike laws can become relevant during your claim if the other party claims you violated a law and that this violation contributed to the collision.
As a cyclist, you have the right to share the road with cars. You are neither required nor encouraged to use the sidewalk—though riding on the sidewalk is allowed in many areas.
You must ride with the flow of traffic, but you are not required to ride on the shoulder. Whenever possible, you must ride as far to the right as you can. You can ride toward the left if it is not safe to stay right, when you are traveling a comparable speed to the rest of traffic, or when you need to make a left turn.
Vehicles must move over at least three feet when passing you. If you are on a multi-lane road, then the vehicle should move to the other lane to pass. If a vehicle cannot provide enough space, they should not pass you.
In addition to these rules of the road, if there is a clearly marked bike lane, you must use it—with exceptions for safety and necessity.
While riding on the road, you must follow all of the same rules as motorists and obey traffic signs and devices.
Nevada law does not require bicycle riders to wear a helmet. A negligent motorist cannot use the fact you were without a helmet to escape liability for your injuries.
If you ride at night, you must have a white light on the front of your bike, red reflectors on the rear of your bike, and reflective material on both sides of the bike. If you fail to have the minimum required lights and reflectors on your bike while riding at night, a motorist can use this fact against you. However, this does not automatically mean you do not have a claim for compensation.
To learn more about Nevada bicycle law and any relevant Las Vegas ordinances, contact Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC. We are well-versed in bike law and will explain how it may impact your claim.
The party responsible for your bike accident injuries is typically the party whose negligence caused the crash.
Negligence is the breach of a duty of care, which results in harm to one or more persons. All motorists and riders are legally required to behave as reasonably prudent people would under the same or similar circumstances. This requirement is known as an ordinary standard of care.
If a driver fails to act reasonably or carefully, and their conduct leads to a collision, then this driver is negligent.
Comparative negligence is a legal rule that arises when two or more parties may be at fault for a crash. During a bicycle accident claim, you may need to worry about comparative negligence if the driver argues you were also or mostly at fault.
Nevada follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If an insurer, judge, or jury finds you are less than half at fault, you can recover compensation. Your settlement or court award, however, will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
If an insurer, judge, or jury finds you are 50% or more responsible for the bike crash, the law does not allow you to receive compensation.
A Las Vegas bicycle accident attorney will prepare for a claim of comparative negligence and defend against it. We will fight hard for your liability to be limited during your claim for compensation to ensure you receive as much compensation as possible.
The party that is directly responsible for causing the crash may not be the same party responsible for compensating you. When we handle your claim, we look for all sources of compensation, including any relevant insurance policies.
Other insurance policies might be available if the vehicle was borrowed or rented. The vehicle owner, rental company, or credit card used to make the reservation may have a relevant policy.
We also investigate whether the at-fault driver was an employee on duty at the time of the crash. When a negligent driver is a working employee at the time, then the employer is typically liable for your injuries. We will pursue compensation under the employer’s insurance policy.
When you are injured in a bike crash that was another party’s fault, then you may be entitled to compensation.
Through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, a bicycle accident lawyer will demand you receive compensation for your past and future:
Compensatory damages are meant to compensate you for specific physical, emotional, and financial injuries. Punitive damages, however, are meant to punish the wrongdoer. A judge or jury will only award punitive damages if the at-fault party’s actions were malicious or egregious.
Also, punitive damages can only be awarded up to a certain amount because Nevada caps this type of compensation. If your compensatory damages are less than $100,000, you can receive up to $300,000. If your compensatory damages are more than $100,000, you can receive up to three times the amount of your damages.
You have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit in Nevada. Talk with a Las Vegas bicycle accident attorney about this deadline and the importance of pursuing your claim right away. If you file suit after the two-year mark without falling into a legal exception, the court will dismiss your case.
If you are interested in receiving a settlement after being hit by a car, contact Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC. We will thoroughly investigate and analyze your claim. Then, we can provide candid advice on how to best move forward. We often focus on obtaining our bicycle accident clients a fair settlement as soon as possible. If a settlement is unavailable, we are not afraid to fight for your right to compensation at trial.
To schedule a free consultation, submit your information through our online form or call (702) 878-2889.