How Much is My Bike Accident Injury Claim Worth?

July 13, 2017
Personal Injury

When you’re injured in a bike accident, the impact can be life-altering. It’s likely that you’ll need immediate, urgent medical treatment. The trauma of colliding with a much larger vehicle can be serious. Long-term care may also be necessary to bring you back to health. Plus, some bike accident injury victims never fully recover. The accident can lead to a lifetime of therapy. You may not be able to work at your normal job if your injuries are severe. This can lead to financial difficulties at a time when medical bills are adding up.

California law allows you to recover compensation from the person who caused the incident through negligent conduct. The amount of your settlement or verdict depends upon the legal theory of damages. In bicycle accidents cases, they generally fall into one of two categories:

1. Economic Damages:

“Economic” damages are those supported by documentation. When determining how much your bike accident injury claim is worth, you would include:

Medical Expenses: You will likely visit different healthcare professionals that treat your injuries. Each of these providers will bill you for their services. Your claim will include costs related to practitioners such as doctors, ER physicians, medical specialists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, and others. You can ask for both past medical expenses and future medical cost.
Lost Wages: If you miss work due to your bike accident injuries, you may recover the lost wages. To prove lost wages as an economic loss, you can present pay stubs, canceled checks, or tax records. Like medical expenses, you may ask for both past and future lost wages. In addition, you can request loss of earning capacity from the negligent party.

2. Non-Economic Damages:

You would also include damages that fall in the non-economic category. These are damages where there are no receipts. They include:

Pain and Suffering: It’s hard to put a value on the trauma you will experience after a bike accident. However, you can be sure that there will be lingering effects. Your case is worth compensation for pain and suffering that may result from the inability to sleep, chronic soreness, and lack of mobility.
Emotional Anguish: You will include the impact of a bike accident on your daily routine and lifestyle when considering what your case is worth.
Loss of Relationships: The value of your bike accident claim also includes losses you suffer with respect to your loved ones.

A Long Beach Bike Accident Lawyer Can Help

Being involved in a bike accident is horrific. But California law protects victims by allowing them to recover losses. However, it is difficult to prove your right to compensation. It usually requires an extensive legal background in personal injury cases. When you’re up against a pushy insurance company or in court, it’s necessary to have a strong advocate at your side.

The dedicated attorneys at The Beliz Law Firm have the experience and skills to ensure you’re fully compensated for the various types of losses you sustain, so please contact us about your case. We’re available at (562) 452-3772 to answer your questions, or can schedule a case evaluation for you at our convenient Long Beach, CA location.

Michael Beliz

Michael A. Beliz, Esq., established The Beliz Law Firm in the spring of 2011. Michael has been a practicing attorney since 2006 and worked for two of the most prominent plaintiff’s personal injury law firms in Southern California. He has worked on and handled hundreds of cases as an attorney in all types of personal injury cases, including vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents and dog bites, and successfully recovered millions of dollars for his clients.