Knoxville Bicycle Accident Lawyer
The Marble City has a number of very popular attractions which draw visitors from almost everywhere. Examples include Old City, Market Square, and downtown’s Gay Street. These venues are very walkable. To get around them, it’s even easier to use an e-scooter, bicycle, or other such vehicle. Many car and truck drivers think these non-motorists are basically second-class citizens. But bicyclists, pedestrians, and other non-motorists have the same legal right to use the road, and the same legal right to safety, as everyone else.
Since these victims have no airbags or other safety restraint systems to protect them during wrecks, they often sustain serious injuries. A compassionate Knoxville bicycle accident lawyer at Fox Farley Willis & Burnette, Attorneys at Law understand the intense physical, emotional, and financial pain and suffering these injuries cause. Head injuries and other physical injuries, along with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other emotional injuries, are very difficult to recover from. We make recovery easier by obtaining the financial compensation these victims need and deserve.
What Causes Bicycle Crashes?
Typically, people don’t “accidentally” crash into bicyclists. They accidentally leave the lights on. Defective car products, like a defective tire or ignition switch, cause a few wrecks. Speeding, running a red light, turning unsafely, and other operational mistakes cause other wrecks.
Driver impairment causes many of the bicycle crashes in Tennessee. Examples of driver impairment error include:
- Fatigue: For some reason, many drivers don’t take drowsy driving very seriously. But fatigue and alcohol affect the brain and body the same way. Both conditions affect motor skills and judgment abilities. As a matter of fact, driving after eighteen consecutive awake hours, something many people do almost every day, is like driving with a .05 BAC level.
- Drugs: Stoned driving is a bigger problem than drunk driving in many jurisdictions. Marijuana is the most common drugged driving culprit, followed by Oxycontin and other prescription pain pills and Sominex and other over-the-counter sleep aids. The immediate effects of these drugs often wear off quickly, but latent effects linger for several hours. The duty of care requires motorists to be in tip-top condition when they get behind the wheel.
- Alcohol: The extended drunk driver crackdown that began in the mid-1990s has largely failed. The proportion of fatal alcohol-related wrecks is about the same today as it was during the Clinton years. Much like the impairing effects of drugs begin with the first puff or pill, the impairing effects of alcohol begin with the first drink.
Bikelash, a political issue, also contributes to some bicycle wrecks. Many drivers oppose things like concrete pillars and lower speed limits which make the environment safer for bicyclists.
Compensation in a bicycle accident claim usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. A Knoxville bicycle accident lawyer may be able to obtain additional punitive damages as well, in some extreme cases.
Resolving Negligence Claims
Most injury claims settle out of court. These resolutions end cases sooner, so victims get the compensation they need and deserve sooner. Moreover, these settlements give the parties in the case, as opposed to a judge or jury, almost complete control over the outcome.
Informal settlement negotiations usually start when medical treatment is at least mostly complete. If these talks stall or break down, a Knox County judge usually asks a third-party mediator to jumpstart negotiations. During negotiations with a mediator, both sides have a duty to negotiate in good faith. Because of these things, mediation often works when informal negotiations have failed. In fact, the mediation success rate is close to 90 percent.
Reach Out to a Savvy Knox County Lawyer
Injury victims are usually entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Knoxville bicycle accident lawyer, contact Fox Farley Willis & Burnette, Attorneys at Law by going online or calling 865-500-HURT. You have a limited amount of time to act.
