When you are injured in a bicycle accident in Boca Raton, the at-fault driver and their insurance provider are responsible for the cost of treating your injuries and for any expenses that result from your injuries. It can be hard to know what to do when an at-fault driver causes an accident and then flees the scene.
If a hit-and-run driver is responsible for your accident and its financial aftermath, the financial impact of the accident does not have to create financial hardship for you and your family. Instead, a Boca Raton hit-and-run accident lawyer can help you explore your options for financial recovery when the at-fault driver does not stop and take responsibility for his actions.
When a hit-and-run driver damages or destroys your bike or injures you physically, find out how a lawyer can help you collect financial compensation.
Start Building Your Claim With Your Florida Crash Report
When you are involved in an accident in Boca Raton, you should always file a crash report with the local police. In fact, according to Florida Statutes § 316.066, a crash report is mandatory when the accident results in one or more of the following:
- Anyone in either car was injured.
- Anyone in either car was killed.
- Drug or alcohol use was involved.
- Either car was damaged.
- Either car was a commercial car.
Filing a crash report is important because it proves that you did not leave the scene of the collision. A report can protect you from claims against you that the other driver might attempt to make at a later date. Your crash report also contains the following information that can help prove the cause of the collision and may help you locate and identify the at-fault driver:
- Descriptions of the car that hit you
- Descriptions of the at-fault driver
- Contact information for any witnesses
- Notes from the investigating officer
- Photos or diagrams of points of impact
Our team will use the information in your crash report, along with information gained from our own investigation, to prove the cause of the accident, identify the at-fault driver, and contact your insurance provider for financial compensation.
Gather Additional Evidence To Support Your Bicycle Accident Claim
Along with your witness statements and crash reports, you can prove the validity and value of your compensation claim and help identify the at-fault driver. You can do this with medical reports that detail the extent and cost of the injuries you sustained.
If possible, try to collect or take pictures of any debris found at the scene. Look for dropped or damaged license plates or broken car parts that contain the VIN—or other identifying information.
You should also take pictures of the hit-and-run vehicle as it flees, if possible. But do not risk additional danger or harm to do so. You should document your injuries and points of impact on your bike with pictures. This information will be used by your Boca Raton bicycle accident lawyer to bolster and support your claim for financial compensation.
Factors That Determine Liability for Your Bicycle Accident Injury
There are a few elements of a bicycle accident injury or wrongful death claim that your attorney must be able to prove in order to pursue the damages you deserve:
- Duty of care: The motorist is responsible for safely and lawfully operating a motor vehicle.
- Breach of duty: The motorist negligently failed to uphold that duty of care, such as by speeding, ignoring traffic signals, driving while distracted, or driving while impaired by drugs, alcohol, or fatigue.
- Injuries: You sustained injuries as a result of the liable party’s negligence.
- Financial damages: Your injuries incurred monetary damages.
There are several methodologies that our Boca Raton bicycle accident lawyers use to prove claims on your behalf. These mostly rely upon police and accident reports, expert and eyewitness testimony, medical bills, doctor reports, and itemized insurance statements.
Types of Accident Claims We Handle
The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine can pursue personal injury claims on behalf of you or your loved one’s estate. Our office lets you worry about getting better. A Boca Raton bicycle accident lawyer on our team can take care of everything else in bicycle accidents involving:
- Pedestrians and other cyclists
- Collisions with vehicles on roadways
- Accidents involving public transportation services
- Property loss claims
- Wrongful death
- Malfunctioning equipment
If you or a loved one were injured in a bicycle accident, you may be eligible to receive compensation for damages that could include medical expenses, lost wages, lost benefits, pain, mental anguish, and loss of life.
Explore Your Options for Financial Recovery After a Boca Raton Bicycle Accident
After a bicycle accident in Boca Raton, you are entitled to financial compensation. You do not have to give up on collecting the compensation you deserve simply because the other driver flees the scene. When that does happen, you have two options for damages:
- Locate and identify the at-fault driver or vehicle owner
- Seek financial recovery from your own insurance provider
The other party should pay for your injuries and your vehicle damage if your policy does not include uninsured or underinsured motorist protection. If we cannot help you locate the at-fault driver, we can help you recoup your expenses.
Insurance Information Institute (III) affirms that Floridians are not required to carry uninsured motorist insurance. III’s research goes on to show that as of 2015, 26.7% of Florida drivers did not carry even the minimum required insurance. If you were injured and your property was damaged by an uninsured motorist, we can help you pursue your own insurance provider for compensation.
Damages You Can Recover After a Hit-And-Run Bicycle Accident in Boca Raton
If you included uninsured or underinsured motorist protection in your insurance policy, you are entitled to use that coverage if a hit-and-run (or otherwise uninsured) driver hits your car. You can seek the same economic and non-economic recoverable damages, including:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Current and future loss of income
- Damaged or destroyed vehicle
- Physical disability or disfigurement
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental and emotional distress
The accident you were involved in will come with its own set of financial expenses and losses. If someone you love was involved in a hit-and-run accident that cost them their life, you could also be entitled to a wrongful death claim to recover the cost of their funeral and burial expenses. Your lawyer will help you assess your total financial damages and ensure your claim is accurately valued.
If you were injured by a hit-and-run driver, a Boca Raton hit-and-run accident lawyer can help you recover your medical costs and injury-related expenses from your own insurance provider, if needed.
Avoid Waiting Too Long to File a Bicycle Accident Lawsuit
Time limits exist that can affect your ability to file a lawsuit. Florida Statutes § 95.11(3)(a) permits you to submit a personal injury lawsuit within four years of your injury date.
Do not wait too long to start the process, or you may miss your opportunity to pursue a claim or lawsuit that awards you compensation for your injuries.
Let Our Team Support Your Fight for Compensation After a Bicycle Accident in Boca Raton
If you were injured in a hit-and-run bicycle accident, do not give up on your right to financial compensation just because the at-fault driver left the scene. Find out how a Boca Raton bicycle accident lawyer can help you recoup your financial expenses and losses by contacting the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine.