Protect Yourself With a Portland Bike Accident Attorney

If you suffer an accident while biking, you need an experienced Portland bike accident attorney to fight for you. At Rizk Law, we know that biking is an integral part of the lives of most Portland residents. And we want to help keep you safe. So go ahead and bike, Oregon! And we will be here for you in case everything does not go according to plan.

Biking Is a Part of Portland’s Unique Culture

Touring the coast, mountain-biking legendary Phil’s trails in Bend, cruising Champoeg State Park with the grandkids, or just commuting to work — for Oregonians, bicycling is a passion, a healthy lifestyle, a mode of commuting, and just plain fun. Whether it’s in Portland, Corvallis, Bend, or Eugene, we can’t imagine Oregon without its strong biking culture.

Bicycling is so popular these days, Oregon offers a “share the road” bicycle vanity license plate. Bicycling fits Oregon’s green ethos. It’s in line with Oregon’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. New pedestrian and bicycle initiatives such as the Tilikum Crossing Bridge in Portland suggest biking will flourish in Oregon for the foreseeable future.

Increased Number of Bicyclists Has Led to Increased Risk of Accidents

Since 1991, bike traffic has increased 322% on Portland’s four main bicycle-friendly bridges: the Hawthorne bridge, Broadway, Steel, and Burnside, while trips taken over these bridges by car have neither increased nor decreased. As cyclists increase in number, those who choose motorized transportation will have to adjust to the changes in traffic flow. Riding a bike across the city’s bridges and alongside main roads is becoming increasingly more dangerous. In fact, Oregon’s top 3 worst intersections for cyclists appear in Portland. The interchange on US 26 is #1 with the highest traffic volume of the three. In 2013, it was responsible for 213 injury crashes. Other high density locations for bike accidents include Capitol Highway, Division, and the points where Northeast Glisan crosses Interstate 205 and 122nd Avenue.

While cycling is a beloved part of Portland’s culture, traversing Oregon roadways has not been all roses and butterflies. Many cyclists have died. Many more have suffered serious injury from being struck by motorists. Hostilities between motorists and cyclists have sparked fights and enduring resentment. As bicycling gains momentum and populations increase, motorists and cyclists will inevitably collide more frequently, increasing their need for legal representation.

If Sustain Injuries in an Accident,You Need an Experienced Portland Bike Accident Attorney

Injury or death of a loved one resulting from a bike accident can have a catastrophic impact on your life. Money to compensate you from your losses could potentially come from several different sources, including insurance coverage from a driver who hits you, your own automobile insurance coverage, or from a lawsuit against whoever caused your injury, including:

a biker, driver or pedestrian if you were injured by their fault;
the bike manufacturer or seller if you were injured as a result of an issue with the bike;
or the owner of the land on which you were injured. This is f you were injured by the condition of the road you were riding on. This could be an individual, a company, or even a public entity. The owner of the land greatly affects the challenges involved in each type of lawsuit.

How Will a Portland Bike Accident Attorney Help You?

The personal injury claims process is long, confusing and hard-fought. Insurance companies have teams of lawyers working to reduce the expenses of the insurance company. This can result in you being paid unfairly, unless you have someone fighting on your side to even out the scales of justice. Moreover, if insurance coverage does not apply, or does not give you the best remedy, you will need an experienced Portland bike accident attorney to take your case through litigation and potentially file a lawsuit and go to trial. Regardless of the best path for your case, a strong local attorney with knowledge of these laws can protect you by doing the following:

Gathering Facts and Evidence Related to Your Case

From the first day you meet, a good Portland bike accident attorney is gathering information about the facts of your case and the relevant laws that apply. First, they will work to get all the information you have, including:

your narrative of what happened
copies of any police reports
photographs or videos
names and lists of any witnesses who saw the accident or your injuries
medical reports, bills, and names of your medical providers
documentation of any lost income

Negotiating With Insurance Companies

An experienced Portland bike accident attorney knows that every call with the defense is an opportunity to negotiate your case. The sooner your case is resolved, the fewer costs you will have. And of course, the faster you will get compensation. Only bike attorneys with years of experience can strike the right balance to get the best settlement possible. Almost all person injury cases settle without going to trial. So your lawyer’s ability to effectively negotiate the resolution of your case usually determines how much money you will receive.

Litigating at Trial

You need a Portland bike accident attorney who is not afraid to go to trial. If the other side thinks your attorney is unwilling or incapable of going to trial, your negotiating position could be severely undermined. You need an attorney who is experienced in trial and ready to fight through the whole process. This should be done while showing the other side that he is highly skilled at litigation and willing to fight through the case until enough money is on the table.

You Need to Speak With a Portland Bike Accident Attorney as Soon as Possible

Most personal injury cases related to bikes have a two-year statute of limitations. That means that you have two years to file a case from the day you are injured. Of course, you want to make sure you hire a Portland bike accident attorney before these two years end. More importantly, you want to hire someone as soon as you can. This is because you want your attorney to have the time to develop the facts of your case and negotiate towards a resolution of your case, without being pressured to file a lawsuit merely because the statute of limitations is about to expire.

Filing a lawsuit in court greatly increases the expenses of litigating your case and the time you will have to invest. For this reason, it is often advantageous to have your lawyer working on the case long before the statute of limitations expires. This will give him enough time to resolve the case through negotiations before ever having to file a lawsuit with the court.

Additionally, if you do not document medical and financial losses and reach out to eyewitness of accident or your injuries close to the time you are injured, these witnesses and documents become more difficult to gather. And the less evidence you have to support your case, the weaker your bargaining position is with the other side. Meet with a Portland bike accident attorney as soon as possible. By doing so, you will receive guidance through the process of gathering evidence and preserving it for the future of the case.

Hire a Portland Bike Accident Attorney Today

To get a Portland bike accident attorney on your side, call Richard Rizk at (503) 245-5677 for a free consultation about your bicycle injury claim.