Denver Bicycle Accident Attorney

Bicycle accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries, including those affecting the spinal cord and the brain. If you’ve been injured, you may be facing surgeries, physical therapy, or even lifelong care.

Our bike accident attorneys look at both your present expenses as well as those your injuries may cause you to incur in the future. This allows us to vigorously pursue the maximum personal injury settlement that you are entitled to.

Recoverable losses may include:

If a loved one passed away due to a bicycle accident, you may be eligible to recover compensation for this terrible loss. Our Denver wrongful death attorneys can discuss your legal options.

In Colorado, there are laws that bicyclists must follow when sharing the road. Failure to do so may make you liable, or partially liable, after a bicycle accident occurs. Additionally, other state laws may have an impact on how much compensation you can recover, as well as the timeline your case will need to follow.

Below, we’ll go through some specific state laws that may affect your case.

What Traffic Laws Are Required for Bicyclists?

 You are subject to the same traffic laws as motor vehicles when riding a bicycle. As a bicyclist, you must observe and obey all traffic signals and signs and always ride in the same direction as traffic. Additionally, bicyclists must yield before crossing traffic for a left-hand turn, just like you would in a vehicle. You must also use hand signals to indicate your intention to merge or turn.

Since 2022, the Colorado Safety Stop Act has provided a new and safe way for bicyclists to proceed through intersections across Colorado

Essentially, this law means that, as long as an intersection is clear of any oncoming traffic, bicyclists age 15 or older can now treat a stop sign as a yield sign and not come to a complete stop before passing through the intersection. Bicyclists can also now treat a stop light as a stop sign — as long as the intersection is clear.

What Laws Must Motorists Follow When Sharing the Road With Bicyclists?

Drivers of motor vehicles must follow all of the normal rules of the road when driving alongside bicyclists. However, there are also some additional laws that they must follow when near bicyclists.

In terms of safety, one of the most important of these laws is the three-foot rule. Under this law, cars must give clearance of at least three feet when passing a bicycle.

Does Colorado Have Bike Helmet Laws?

No. Currently, the state of Colorado has no laws requiring cyclists to wear helmets. However, our Denver bike injury attorneys highly recommended that you wear a helmet wherever you’re riding, as this significantly reduces your risk of head or traumatic brain injuries.

How Does Modified Comparative Negligence Apply to Bike Crash Cases?

Under Colorado law, if you were partially responsible for your accident, this may affect the amount of compensation that you can recover. The damages you can be rewarded will be reduced by the percentage of your fault in the accident. For example, if you are eligible for $100,000 in damages but you were 35 percent at fault, then you would only recover $65,000.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Bike Accident Lawsuits in Denver?

 You have a limited time in which you can pursue a personal injury lawsuit following a bicycle accident. This limit may be two or three years, depending on your case.

 Our Denver lawyers can guide you through the legal complexities that affect your case. We can ensure that all paperwork is filed correctly and within any legal deadlines that may apply. Contact The Paul Wilkinson Law Firm, LLC, to get started on your case right away.

Following a bike crash, you should tend to your injuries and receive medical attention before trying to do anything else. Making a prompt police report is also critical to the claims process following an accident. You should always contact the Denver Police Department or dial 9-1-1 to make a report after an accident has occurred. Police officers on the scene will fill the report with their narrative observations of the accident, as well as information about witnesses and evidence.

If you can, you should collect some basic evidence from the scene. For example:

Once you retain a Denver bicycle accident attorney from our firm, we will also be able to collect evidence on your behalf. We can access evidence that may be hard for an accident victim to obtain. This includes surveillance footage or the driving records of the at-fault driver.

Important evidence may be time-sensitive: for example, surveillance footage may be scheduled to be overwritten, and skid marks can fade. Do not delay seeking legal representation and beginning a claim.