Torrance Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Torrance Bicycle Accident Attorney
Bicycles are popular throughout the Torrance, CA area and all over southern California for many reasons. Some use them as alternative transportation to and from work, some for exercise, and some simply for pleasure. Whatever the case may be, bicyclists need to understand the risks of an accident when they share the roads with motor vehicles.
Despite the fact that California has made several changes in recent years throughout the state aimed at increasing the safety of bicycling, bicycle accidents can and do still happen. If you or a loved one sustained bicycle accident injuries due to the negligence of another party, talk with our firm. It is essential that you speak with an experienced Torrance bicycle accident lawyer as soon as possible to determine your best options for legal recourse.
Why Do I Need an Attorney?
Whenever a bicycle collides with a motor vehicle or vice versa, it is almost always the bicyclist who suffers the worst of the resulting damages. It will be incredibly difficult for an injured bicyclist to manage recovery from their injuries while navigating a complex legal case. Hiring a Torrance, CA bicycle accident attorney means the victim can focus on recovery while their attorney handles their case.
Your CA bicycle accident attorney can help you secure physical evidence from the accident scene, obtain additional evidence to support your case, such as phone records, traffic camera footage, and vehicle computer records. They can also help you prepare for the legal proceedings ahead. Instead of risking your claim on a technical error or procedural mistake with the local courthouse, choose an experienced Torrance bicycle accident lawyer with a solid case record to represent your bicycle accident claim.
Why Choose McLachlan Law, APC?
When you need a reliable legal team to assist with a bicycle accident claim, you must find legal counsel with a solid record of successful cases similar to your own. At McLachlan Law, APC, we take a personalized approach to legal representation and strive to provide every client with comprehensive, compassionate, and responsive legal counsel. We understand how devastating a bicycle accident can be for the victim and their family and have successfully represented many challenging bicycle accident lawsuits in the past.
Attorney Mike McLachlan has more than 25 years of experience practicing civil law in Torrance, CA, and throughout southern California. Rest assured that when you choose McLachlan Law, APC to represent you, our team will help you navigate your case with greater confidence.
How Do Bicycle Accidents Occur?
Bicycle accidents happen for many reasons:
- Bicycles are smaller and harder to see than motor vehicles, making it easy for bicycles to pass in other drivers’ blind spots.
- Some drivers do not yield the right-of-way to bicyclists as they should, causing accidents.
- Bicyclists riding along rows of parked cars must be cautious. If a driver opens their door after parking in front of the bicyclist, it may force them to swerve or collide with the open door.
- Speeding, aggressive driving, and driving under the influence are some of the leading causes of serious traffic accidents. When these factors cause bicycle accidents, the damage is likely to be severe for the bicyclist.
- Distracted driving continues to be a common cause of traffic accidents across the country, but it is even more dangerous for bicyclists. A distracted driver is more likely to miss a smaller bicycle than a passenger vehicle.
Whenever a bicycle accident results in injuries and other damages, the injured bicyclist must determine whether another party is responsible for the incident. If so, they can take legal action against the at-fault party to secure compensation for their losses.
Proving Fault for a Bicycle Accident
The crux of any personal injury claim is negligence, or the failure of a party to exercise reasonable care in a given situation. To succeed with your bicycle accident claim in Torrance, CA, it is essential to identify the party responsible for the accident and prove their negligence. This means proving they had a duty of care, violated that duty of care, and directly caused your bicycle accident. This establishes liability for your claimed damages. However, it is necessary for a bicycle accident claim plaintiff to prove their claimed damages resulted from the accident in question and not some other cause.
Your Torrance bicycle accident lawyer can assist you in proving negligence and the full extent of your damages. Your attorney can also help you navigate any state statutes that might come into play with your case, such as California’s pure comparative negligence statute. This law states that a plaintiff who is partially responsible for their claimed damages may still recover compensation. They will lose a percentage of the case award as a penalty for their comparative negligence.
Damages and Compensation in Bicycle Accident Claims
A bicycle accident can easily cause catastrophic physical injuries that leave the victim unable to work and possibly disabled. Spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain damage, and severe bone fractures are just a few of the injuries possible from a bicycle accident. These injuries can cause long-term damage. Personal injury claims allow injured victims to secure several types of compensation, including medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and pain and suffering. Proving the full extent of these damages and the long-term losses the victim is likely to experience often comes down to physical evidence and testimony from medical experts.
An experienced Torrance, CA bicycle accident lawyer can help their client secure compensation for immediate and future medical expenses, lost income and lost earning potential, and compensation for their physical pain and psychological trauma. It is not uncommon for successful bicycle accident claims to yield substantial compensation. One of the best things any bicycle accident victim can do to increase their chance of success with a personal injury claim is to hire the right attorney to represent them.
McLachlan Law, APC is here to assist you with your bicycle accident claim. If you are ready to discuss legal options with an experienced and reliable Torrance, CA bicycle accident attorney, contact us today and schedule a case review with our team.
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What Our Client Say About Us
"Attorney Mike McLachlan, did such an awesome job for me and I feel like anyone who has Mr McLachlan representing them is completely in capable hands as well as fortunate. Between his knowledge, compassion for the law, he takes his time and listens to your concerns and answers all questions thoroughly (Even the ones you ask three times, with patience!) returns phone calls or emails on a timely manner as well. Mr McLachlan and his team was always there for me at every step during this long process."
--Debbie