Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Alabama
Fighting for Maximum Compensation for Those Injured in Bicycle Accidents
Jacob Maples holds an AV Preeminent Rating, a distinction earned by only ~10% of lawyers.
Injured in a Bicycle Accident? You May Be Owed Compensation
As a cyclist, getting into an accident with a car is terrifying, and your extreme vulnerability leaves you at risk of great injury. If you’ve been hurt because a motorist was careless, you may be owed compensation. If you’ve sought out this web page, you’ve probably been seriously injured in a bicycle accident caused by someone else. You’re probably hurting and may have missed work. You may be worried about paying your bills. We are here to help. Our firm offers free legal advice. Call our Alabama bicycle accident attorney today.
Verdicts & Settlements
What Can a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Alabama Do for Me?
You may be skeptical about how you can save money by hiring an attorney. People often assume they’ll save money by handling their claim on their own, but most of those that do, end up being awarded far less than they would have been if they’d had an attorney. This is due in large part to a lawyer’s ability to protect the value of your bicycle accident claim.
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Why Choose Us As Your Alabama Bicycle Accident Attorney?
Our bicycle accident attorney has the experience to conduct an accident investigation to support your claim. This involves making sure every at-fault party is identified to maximize your compensation. It also involves showing causation—proving the actions of the at-fault driver caused the accident, and the accident caused your injuries. Making these connections is crucial to a successful claim.
Our bicycle accident attorney knows how to determine how much your claim is worth, factoring in all the information from the accident investigation, as well as all your damages. Knowing how to determine all the damages for your claim is essential. Your damages may include non-economic losses, in addition to financial ones. Depending upon the circumstances, punitive damages may also be available. Our Huntsville bicycle accident attorney will make these determinations to bring you all the compensation you are due.
An experienced bicycle accident attorney won’t be tripped up by the insurance company’s money-saving tactics. This is one of the biggest risks you face in handling your claim—one you don’t have to worry about when you’ve got the right lawyer. Our Huntsville bicycle accident attorney knows the tricks the insurance company will unleash to try and drop the value of your claim. Let us take the stress of dealing with big insurance off your hands.
Having a skilled bicycle accident lawyer provides you with guidance regarding settlement offers, so you know which ones are worthy of your time and which are not. When you’ve got an attorney, the insurance company won’t be able to pressure you to accept less than you deserve for fear you won’t get a better offer, because you’ve got your attorney to guide you.
Retaining a lawyer gets the insurance company’s attention. They know they can’t mistreat you through intimidation, delays, and denials. They also know, that if they refuse to offer a reasonable settlement amount, your lawyer will sue them.
In addition to these benefits, hiring a lawyer gives you the time and mental space to rest and focus on your recovery. The last thing you need to deal with while healing from major injuries is a battle with big insurance. Let your lawyer handle it.
Protect the Value of Your Claim by Avoiding Mistakes
You can help your attorney protect your claim by avoiding several common mistakes. Read on to find out about some of the most frequent missteps that damage people’s claims.
Make Sure Your Attorney is the Right Person for Your Claim
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for people to hire the first attorney recommended by a friend or family member. But that attorney may not regularly practice in personal injury. They may not even be a trial lawyer. Assuming every attorney can bring you the same results would be like randomly picking a doctor and assuming they had the necessary training to perform the specific surgery you need. People don’t make this mistake with doctors; you shouldn’t make it with a lawyer. The best lawyer for you is going to be a personal injury trial attorney with experience winning bicycle accident claims, both in and out of court. Be ready for whatever contingencies arise by hiring the right lawyer for your claim.
Don’t Skip the Medical Exam
Though you’re likely to suffer serious injury in a bicycle accident, the adrenaline rush that comes with an accident may keep you from being fully aware of how badly you’re hurt. Don’t assume you are okay if you aren’t in a great deal of pain. Adrenaline can mask pain and give you energy. Have a doctor examine you to make sure. In addition to protecting your health, seeing a doctor will provide support for your bicycle accident claim. Without an official record of an exam, the insurance company can suggest you weren’t injured because you didn’t see a doctor.
Take Your Treatment Plan Seriously
When you’ve been released from the doctor’s office or hospital and sent home to continue your recovery, your doctor will provide you with a treatment plan. It will list the ways you can help yourself recover. These are likely to include reduced activity, increased rest, and medications. Treatment plans vary depending on the type of injuries you’ve incurred and most include more than one type of treatment. For example, many treatment plans incorporate medication and physical or occupational therapy sessions. Adhere to whatever your doctor recommends for you. Don’t skip appointments, take your meds, and don’t engage in activities you aren’t physically ready for. One of the easiest ways for insurance companies to devalue claims is by catching a claimant doing something that contradicts their treatment plan. Many people don’t realize insurance companies still employ investigators to follow up on the claimant’s activities. If, for example, you’re supposed to be staying off an injured hip and you are caught on surveillance video trail riding on a horse or an ATV, your claim is going to be at risk. You may think your treatment plan is unimportant and ineffective. Know that it’s an easy win for you—or the insurance company—depending on how well you follow it. Put it to work for you and protect the value of your claim.
Refuse the Recorded Call with the Insurance Company
Once an accident report is filed with the insurance company, you can expect an adjuster to reach out to you to record your statement. They usually do this early in the process, aware that the longer they wait, the better the chances you’ll hire an attorney to advise you. They know you’re most vulnerable early in your recovery before you’ve gotten a lawyer. Most people think they’ve got to take the call from the insurance company. This is not true. You are not required to take this call without a lawyer to advise you. The safest thing to do when the insurance company calls is to delegate this conversation and all communications about your claim to your Huntsville bicycle accident attorney. Your attorney knows how to communicate with the insurance company in a way that protects your claim. The purpose of the recorded statement interview is to provide the insurance company with information they can use to devalue your claim. Insurance adjusters are very good at steering these conversations to provide answers that can be twisted for this purpose. Any aspect of the accident the insurance company can blame on you will remove blame from them. The less blame that sticks to them, the less they owe you in compensation. This means it’s important that you refuse the insurance company’s request to record your statement. Let your lawyer handle all insurance company communications instead and protect the value of your claim.
Don’t Procrastinate in Hiring A Bicycle Accident Lawyer Huntsville
Time is critical to your claim after a bicycle accident. You’ve got to make sure you and your lawyer have access to as much evidence as possible to support your claim while it’s available. While your attorney will want access to the police’s accident investigation, they will also want to conduct their investigation with the specific goal of supporting your claim. This may involve the lawyer visiting the accident scene to make sure no evidence was missed. For example, there may be a store security camera pointing at the sidewalk in front of the store. Your attorney may discover that footage also happened to record the accident, proving the car that struck you ran a red light or stop sign. In addition to checking for additional evidence, your attorney may want to speak to witnesses to get statements first-hand. The sooner they can do this, the better recall witnesses are likely to have. If too much time passes before you start your claim, there’s the chance witnesses will forget important information, or they may relocate, making them difficult or impossible to find. The sooner your lawyer can speak to witnesses, the more useful the information they provide will be. Your lawyer’s ability to build you the strongest possible claim is going to depend in part on how quickly they can begin an accident investigation. Getting started as quickly as possible will help them succeed.
Jacob A. Maples
Your Alabama Injury Attorney
Jacob Fights For You.
He handled my case with speed and efficiency. I couldn’t be happier with his services. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.
Tori Rhodes
My experience with Jacob Maples was great! I appreciate him and his paralegal Lisa! They are easy to talk to, explain detail for detail, and will keep you updated on everything. Hands down great experience!
Autumn Coleman
ABOUT INJURY ATTORNEY
Jacob A. Maples
Alabama injury lawyer Jacob Maples holds an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell; a distinction only held by approximately 10% of all attorneys. His focus is on representing individuals with personal injury claims and insurance carrier disputes. Jacob’s career began in Birmingham, Alabama, serving as an associate in an insurance defense law practice. There he gained valuable litigation experience, honing his skills across the state of Alabama. He became frustrated, however, by the treatment accident victims received and made the decision to switch sides. Jacob now represents individual clients victimized by personal injury accidents and insurance company abuses. His passion is standing up for the rights of people facing these challenges.
