Bicyclists lack structural protection, so when a heavy vehicle collides with them, bicyclists often suffer life-altering injuries. This can leave bicycle accident victims confused about their legal rights and options for recovering compensation to cover their medical bills, lost wages, and other losses. A Thornton personal injury lawyer from Dulin McQuinn Young can explain your legal rights and options during a free case review. Contact us today to get started. Whether you were hit by a commercial truck or need a car accident lawyer to investigate a negligent driver, Dulin McQuinn Young is here to help.
How a Thornton Bicycle Accident Lawyer Can Help
Thornton bicycle accident lawyers provide essential legal support during difficult times. When you hire Dulin McQuinn Young, we help in every way by:
- Conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of your accident
- Gathering accident reports, critical evidence, and medical records to help support your claim
- Listening to 911 calls to understand how the accident was reported in real time
- Requesting traffic camera footage and extracting data from helmet cams
- Helping accident victims navigate Colorado’s complex fault laws
- Interviewing witnesses who observed the accident
- Subpoenaing cell phone records if distracted driving was suspected in the accident
- Working with accident reconstruction experts, who use lane markings, sight lines, property damage, and pictures of the accident scene to create visual representations of how the accident occurred
- Collaborating with your medical team and economic experts to determine your long-term impacts
- Fighting for fair compensation
If a bicycle accident led to the lost life of a loved one, our legal team can also help your family pursue a wrongful death claim during this difficult time.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Thornton, Colorado
Most bicycle accidents occur due to the negligence of a motorist, bicyclist, or other party. Common causes of bicycle accidents include:
- Failure to yield: Motorists might turn in front of an oncoming bicyclist due to impatience, causing preventable accidents when they collide.
- Following too closely: Motorists should give bicyclists wide berth when sharing the roadway with them, but many impatient drivers do not.
- Unsafe passing: Colorado law requires drivers to have at least three feet of space when overtaking a bicycle, but some drivers ignore this law and cause crashes due to unsafe passing.
- Distracted driving: Drivers might be distracted by cell phones, passengers, pets or children in the car, or other causes, delaying their reaction times or causing them to sideswipe a nearby cyclist.
- Dooring: Dooring incidents occur when a driver or passenger in a vehicle opens their door into the path of an oncoming cyclist.
An experienced bike accident lawyer can investigate your accident and determine who is responsible for it.
Important Colorado Bicycle Accident Laws to Know
Colorado’s bicycle statute, C.R.S. § 42-4-1412, states that bicyclists have all of the same rights and duties as drivers of other vehicles, with a few exceptions. Some important rules to know include:
- Failure to yield: Motorists might turn in front of an oncoming bicyclist due to impatience, causing preventable accidents when they collide.
- Motorists must yield the right of way to bicyclists in a bike lane.
- Motorists must give cyclists at least three feet of distance when passing them.
- Cyclists must generally stay in the right lane unless they are making a left turn.
- Bicyclists usually can’t ride on sidewalks.
Contact Dulin McQuinn Young for a Free Consultation
At Dulin McQuinn Young, we get to work right away after a bicycle accident. We investigate the collision, request medical records, organize documentation of our client’s losses, and manage all of the legal paperwork and deadlines. Contact us today for a free case review.