If you are struck by a car, van, SUV or truck when you are biking, get medical attention and talk to an experienced injury lawyer as soon as possible.
COVID-19 has spurred an unexpected spike in demand for bicycles around the world, according to the BBC. Using a bike or an e-bike to commute or exercise makes a lot of sense in reaction to a virus that makes it dangerous to take public transportation or go to the gym.
The coronavirus made bicycle-related factory work dangerous. Manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and retailers have been playing catch up to try to meet the increased demand for cycles, parts and equipment that started with the March 2020 pandemic onset and continues to this day.
The Vancouver Sun reports that these phenomena are also occurring locally. In a parallel development, the total kilometres of bikeway in Vancouver more than doubled from 2009 to 2019. However, as of this writing in July 2021, the City of Vancouver’s website states that about 60% of severe transportation-related injuries and deaths involve cyclists or pedestrians, and about 60% of cycling injuries involve vehicles.
Flurry of BC cycling likely to include bicycle-vehicle collisions
There can be significant advantages when anyone in the Vancouver area who is involved in an accident with a motor vehicle while bicycling consults with a lawyer as soon as possible. The lawyer will know what benefits and legal remedies are available to help make the victim whole again especially if serious injuries resulted like broken bones, road rash, head injury, spinal cord injury, facial trauma and others.
Bringing in a lawyer early on also allows them to launch a thorough investigation of the accident on behalf of the victim while the evidence and memory are still fresh.
Dealing with the ICBC
Bicyclists in British Columbia hurt in collisions with cars may file insurance claims with the ICBC. Insurance benefits available may include medical costs, income replacement, dental care, home support, rehabilitation, occupational or physical therapy, vocational rehabilitation and more – regardless of who was at fault for an accident.
A lawyer can assist an injured bicyclist with their ICBC claim, potentially recovering more benefits than the victim would have received alone. Often, the claimant may not be aware of some of the kinds of relief available, so may not know to fight for them all. In addition to the ICBC claim, the lawyer may provide advice about other legal remedies.
Other remedies for bicycle accident losses
For example, Vancouver Is Awesome reported in May 2021 that the victim of a vehicle-bicycle crash has filed a lawsuit against the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and the vehicle driver. The suit alleges that the driver was speeding, did not maintain required margins of safety and was “inattentive, fatigued or impaired.” The plaintiff accused the municipal defendants of liability based on alleged inadequate improvements for bicycle travel in Stanley Park in which bike traffic had gone up 180% between April 8 and June 22, 2020, alone.
A lawyer will analyze the entire incident and all related losses to ascertain all potential legal remedies and sources of reimbursement.
The lawyers at the Vancouver office of Sugden, McFee & Roos LLP represent bicycle riders in the area and in the Lower Mainland as well as throughout British Columbia who have sustained injury in accidents with larger motor vehicles to obtain full, fair compensation for their losses.