Asheville Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Unfortunately, our Asheville bicycle accident lawyer knows cyclists are uniquely vulnerable to motor vehicle accidents. They must travel with normal traffic, leaving them exposed to the flow of vehicles in downtown Asheville, on Patton Avenue, and in other dangerous traffic areas.

Cycling’s popularity as a sport, leisure activity, and method of transportation has increased in recent years in North Carolina, particularly in cities. Asheville is no exception. Bike lanes and “share the road” public outreach campaigns encourage cycling. Cyclists are a common sight on roadways.

There are many dangers cyclists face on roadways in Western North Carolina. Learn how bicycle accident lawyer Lakota R. Denton and his team in Asheville can help you if a negligent driver hits you as you’re riding and causes injuries. Contact us at 828-333-5996 today for a free case review.

Our Bike Accident Lawyer Knows Dangers of Cycling on the Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is as treacherous as it is beautiful, particularly for people who choose to travel by bike. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports an increase in the occurrence of motor vehicle accidents on the Parkway, including bicycle accidents.

Driver inattention and excessive speeds are the most frequent dangers in these accidents. Reckless drivers, blind curves, and narrow roadways all converge to make the Parkway a hazardous road to travel for drivers and cyclists alike.

Cyclists riding through tunnels sometimes end up in accidents simply because drivers could not see them. Even if a driver attempts to avoid an accident with a bicyclist, there is often little room on the roadway for a car to evade a collision.

Programs Aimed at Bicycle Safety

Ways to Protect Our Community and Reduce Bicycle Accidents

Public outreach is vital to increasing awareness of the cyclists riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A National Park Service signage campaign through 2011 resulted in a decrease in motor vehicle accidents. The signs identified features of the roadways that resulted in frequent problems. Greater driver awareness of these dangerous road conditions led to a decrease in the number of accidents in those years.

The use of warning signs regarding the presence of cyclists, especially in areas on the Parkway where cyclists frequently travel, could have a similar effect on decreasing the numbers of bicycle accidents.

Slow Down Asheville Safety Campaign

Our Bicycle Accident Lawyer Is Committed to Making Asheville Safer

Our Asheville bicycle accident attorney believes strongly in helping cyclists and pedestrians remain safe on Asheville roads. We teamed with NC Farm Bureau and Fast Signs of Asheville to create the Slow Down Asheville public safety campaign.

Our campaign works to promote safe driving behavior, using free yard signs to keep drivers alert. The signs remind drivers to watch for pedestrians, children, pets, and bicyclists.

We believe strongly in promoting public safety, and these signs remind drivers of the responsibility they have when traveling on Asheville’s roads.

How Our Asheville Accident Lawyer Can Help You

Unfortunately, even after safety campaigns, accidents still happen. After another driver hits your bicycle, resulting in injuries, you may hear from the driver’s insurance company. The insurance adjusters may try to convince you they are working with your best interests in mind.

However, this rarely is the case. The adjusters work for the insurance company, which attempts to maximize its profits by paying bicycle accident victims as little as possible. This means the insurer almost certainly will not offer you the fairest possible settlement.

Our Bicycle Accident Lawyer Works for You, Not the Insurer

Costs You Can Recover in a Bicycle Accident Case

You deserve to have someone on your side who actually advocates for you.

Our Asheville car accident lawyer has experience with accidents where a car collides with a bike. Our team knows how to defend the rights of cyclists who suffer injuries after a crash with a car.

We fight as hard as we can to help you win the settlement you deserve. We will take a number of items into account when seeking an award for damages for our clients, including:

• Medical bill costs
• Prescription drug costs
• Physical therapy costs
• Lost wages while you recover
• Long-term health outlook
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma.

How Our Bicycle Accident Attorney Negotiates with the Insurer

Once you choose to hire our team, we will begin negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf. We will use the facts in the case to show why you deserve a certain settlement amount.

We will use our work in similar cases in the past to figure out a fair number to request. However, we will not limit our request to amounts we’ve won in the past. We will apply the particular facts in your case to determine what amount to request.

If the insurer refuses to negotiate in good faith, our bicycle accident lawyer is ready to stand at your side in a court case. We appreciate the opportunity to tell your side of the story in court. We will not back down if the insurance company’s lawyers try to introduce inaccurate facts.

Trust Our Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Asheville

Our past clients know just how hard we worked on their behalf to help them receive fair settlements in their personal injury cases. You can count on us to do the same for you.

Often, insurance companies will try to downplay the severity of your injuries. The insurer may accuse you of exaggerating your injuries and of choosing not to work.

We Stand Up to Unfair Insurers

We do not allow our clients to receive this kind of treatment without fighting back. You did not do anything wrong. You were simply riding a bicycle when the driver hit you, resulting in a sudden change to your life that you never expected to happen.

Don’t let an insurance company guilt you into accepting a smaller settlement than you deserve. Let us use the facts in the case to show why you deserve a judgment that truly reflects your injuries and the way your life changed after the accident.

Call our Asheville bicycle accident lawyer at 828-333-5996 as soon as possible for a free consultation.

You Don’t Owe Us Anything Unless We Win Compensation for You

For accident victims who think they cannot afford an Asheville bicycle accident attorney, understand that Lakota R. Denton does not charge any money upfront.

Instead, we work on a contingency fee basis, which means our fee comes from a percentage of the final settlement amount in the case. Using this type of payment structure ensures that our goals align with yours at all times. If we do not win a settlement for you, you owe us nothing.

We will provide advice on how you should proceed when the insurer makes a settlement offer. We may advise you to accept the offer. Or we may believe going to court is in your best interest. However, the final decision in what happens with your case always lies with you.

Cycling on Major Roadways

Of all the hazards cyclists face, the most dangerous often are impatient or inattentive drivers. Drivers who ride closely behind cyclists or who do not give them enough clearance when passing them often cause accidents through these lapses in judgment.

In addition, a distracted driver may weave out of the lane or onto the shoulder where a cyclist is riding. They may also miss seeing a cyclist signal a lane change or a turn.

As the number of car accidents increase in Asheville, so does the hazard for cyclists and pedestrians on our roads. Our bicycle accident lawyer is ready to help those who suffer injuries because of the negligence of an inattentive or distracted driver.

Changes in State Laws to Protect Bicyclists

In an effort to reduce the number of accidents drivers cause by passing bicycles on one-lane roadways, North Carolina’s state legislature enacted new laws in 2016. These laws changed the rules for drivers when they interact with cyclists.

While drivers may pass bicycles and mopeds in no-passing zones, they do have to allow four feet of clearance between the car and bicycle. Additionally, the cyclist must not be making a left turn.

The law makes it possible for aggressive drivers to receive harsher punishments if their actions cause a bicyclist to become involved in an accident.

Growth That Accounts for Public Safety

As Asheville and other areas in Western North Carolina continue to grow, the roads will attract more vehicles, more cyclists, and more pedestrians. This increase in traffic means more bicycle accidents are likely to follow if bike-friendly urban development is not part of the government’s plans for growth.

Bike lanes are now a staple of certain areas in Asheville, which is great. However, cyclists traveling along Swannanoa River Road, Patton Avenue, and other roads without bike lanes remain at risk.

Advocating for Your Neighborhoods

Residents can push for adding bike lanes to their neighborhoods. This provides residents with bike lanes they can use themselves. Other cyclists traveling in the area can use them, too.

With new bike lanes and trails, cyclists can avoid traffic on major roadways, which could reduce the frequency of bike accidents. Public pressure is often the only way for citizens to make a change that results in safer roads for everyone.

At the Lakota R. Denton law firm, our bicycle accident lawyers in Asheville believe strongly in the rights of communities to fight for actions to make their neighborhoods safer. We support efforts to increase the miles of bike paths and trails in the Asheville area.

Contact Our Asheville Bicycle Accident Lawyer for Help with Your Case

If a negligent driver caused a bicycle accident for you on the Blue Ridge Parkway or in another area in Asheville, you are likely undergoing extensive physical therapy and other treatments. You may have soft tissue injuries, or you may need a long recovery period after surgery.

Returning to health after a serious bicycle accident can take months or years, during which accident victims are often unable to work. Our bicycle accident attorney understands how frustrating this situation can be.

If you suffered a serious brain injury after your bike accident, you undoubtedly have concerns over your long-term health outlook. Our Asheville traumatic brain injury lawyer knows how to speak with your doctors about your life going forward. We will fight tirelessly to show the insurance company why you deserve the settlement amount we’re requesting.

Client Testimonial

”Lakota is a true champion of those who have been faced with unexpected crushing circumstances. When you come up for air and are trying to make sense of why these tryings happen, he’s a person who’ll be there to help ground you and guide you back to normalcy. Along the way, if Lakota has anything to say about it, you’ll be made whole again in some meaningful way. Can’t recommend him enough!” – Lynn Allen (Google Review)