Sumter Bike Accident Lawyer
The weather is generally mild year-round in South Carolina. Additionally, gas prices are high and Sumter is a relatively compact urban area. This combination of factors significantly increases the number of bicyclists in Sumter. Unfortunately, many drivers can’t or don’t keep a proper lookout for children and other bicyclists. They can’t because they are impaired by something like alcohol or fatigue. They don’t because getting where they are going is more important to them than looking out for the safety of others.
Many drivers only worry about themselves, and insurance companies only worry about their profits. In contrast, the diligent Sumter bike accident lawyer at The Stanley Law Group always focuses on victims’ rights and always work to uphold these rights. These rights include fair compensation for your serious injuries. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
What Causes Bicycle Accidents?
We touched on the two major causes of bicycle accidents above. Now, let’s look at these causes in more detail.
Aggressive driving causes about half of the vehicle collisions in South Carolina. This umbrella term includes dangerous behaviors like speeding, tailgating, turning unsafely, and ignoring traffic control devices.
Driver impairment causes most of the remaining car crashes in the United States. Some kinds of driver impairment include:
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Distraction: Hand-held device distraction gets much of the attention in this area. Statistically, however, hand-held devices are only a small part of the problem. Hands-free phones are almost equally as dangerous. Frequently, the hands-free phone is embedded in the dashboard. Other kinds of distracted driving include eating while driving, drinking while driving, and talking to passengers while driving.
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Medical Condition: As is the case with other forms of driver impairment, motorists with moderate or serious medical conditions know they shouldn’t get behind the wheel, but they ignore the risk. Colds, flus, and other moderate illnesses cause watery eyes, fatigue, and other symptoms which diminish driving capabilities by as much as 50 percent. More serious illnesses, like epilepsy, could cause drivers to suddenly pass out while they’re behind the wheel.
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Alcohol: During pandemic lockdowns, many people self-medicated with alcohol and traffic enforcement declined to a trickle. As a result, many drivers got into the habit of driving drunk. Like most bad habits, this one is easy to form and hard to break. Although most people are well-aware of the dangers, drinking and driving is almost at an all-time high.
Defective products, like bad tires that cause drivers to lose control of their cars, also cause a handful of bicycle accidents in South Carolina.
How Does a Sumter Bicycle Accident Lawyer Settle My Case?
Establishing a claim’s settlement value is the first order of business. Basically, the settlement value is like a new car’s sticker price. Both figures serve as the starting point for financial negotiations. Usually, the settlement value starts with current and future medical bills. So, meaningful settlement negotiations can’t start until medical treatment is at least substantially complete.
During these negotiations, insurance company lawyers often drag their feet or make low-ball offers. To jumpstart stalled negotiations, most attorneys file legal paperwork.
This action usually triggers a mandatory mediation requirement. During these court-supervised settlement negotiation sessions, both sides have a duty to negotiate in good faith. Things like low-ball offers and going through the motions are not allowed. Therefore, civil mediation in South Carolina is about 90 percent successful.
Reach Out to a Dedicated Sumter County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Sumter bicycle accident lawyer, contact The Stanley Law Group, P.A. Attorneys can connect victims with doctors, even if they have no insurance or money.
