Naperville Bicycle Accident Attorneys
Riding your bicycle can be an affordable way to travel while getting the exercise that you need. Sometimes, however, a simple bicycle ride can turn into a tragic event. If you are here reading this page, you have likely suffered a severe injury after a bicycle accident. We are sorry that you’ve had to suffer through such a traumatic event. Our Naperville bicycle accident attorneys are here to help you get the justice that you deserve and are entitled to. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office and set up a free, first consultation to learn more about what you should be getting in compensation. Call us today.
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- 50+ Years of Combined Experience
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Your First Step after the Accident
Immediately after you are involved in a bicycle accident, you need to get urgent medical care. You should not delay seeking this medical attention for any reason. We know that you might have things that you need to take care of with your home life or your career but if you wait to get medical attention, your injuries can worsen and cause permanent damage. We also don’t want you to wait to get medical care because the insurance company will find this suspicious and claim that you lied about how you were hurt or how badly you were hurt, which can hurt your ability to get justice in the end. Additionally, our Naperville bicycle accident attorneys need to understand what your maximum medical recovery will be and you getting urgent care is essential for us to better understand what the damages are so we can accurately value your claim.
Client Testimonials
I found the law practice of what was at the time, Turcy and Chute, to be very efficient, knowledgeable and committed in the specialty of Personal Injury Law. As a recipient of their guidance and perseverance, I was very pleased with their communication, explanations and the ultimate positive verdict. For over three years, Tom Chute and staff shared their professionalism, belief and expertise in my case. I would not hesitate to recommend them to others.
Mike took care of my case and I’m thankful for all of the help, time, and effort he put forth for me. Any time I had questions, Mike was always there to answer and then answer them again if I needed further clarification. Nobody really wants to be put in this position and dealing with a process like mine, but if you absolutely have to, go with him.
I had the pleasure of working with attorney Tom Grace on my deceased father’s personal injury case. Tom was very prompt in all of his communications, he never left us guessing what was going on or where we were in the process, he offered up his honest opinion when it was decision making time and lastly he ensured this case wasn’t dragged out. I would highly appreciate his customer service and would absolutely recommend Tom Grace and the Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch & Turcy team.
AMAZING! I highly recommend this group. We had quite an unusual case, this group was our only glimmer of hope when our options were limited and no one would accept a complicated case. We worked closely with Colin O’Malley and his team. Words cannot do justice to how wonderful they are; highly competent, professional, very responsive, thorough and friendly. Colin went above and beyond to make himself available and to answer all our questions and concerns. If you need an excellent proficient injury lawyer that would fight for you, look no further!
Tom Grace is an amazing attorney. I highly recommend him, he was very professional, caring, and very detailed when explaining the status of my case. I was very pleased with my settlement especially during a time like this with this cover-19 going on. He managed to get things done in a timely manner and always kept me in the wraps with my case. Thank You so very much! I really appreciated it. If anyone needs a lawyer, Tom Grace is the guy to go to. Very good job!
Parties Involved in a Bicycle Accident Case
In the claims process for a bicycle accident, as there would be for any other personal injury case, there are going to be four parties involved. Here is a rundown of who is involved in a bicycle accident claim:
Number one is going to be you, the plaintiff. You are the one bringing the claim to get the compensation for your damages and injuries. You will be bringing the claim because you were harmed due to negligence or carelessness. That is what identifies you as the plaintiff.
The next party involved in a bicycle accident case is going to be the person who harmed you. They are known as the liable party. That person might be a motorcyclist, a car driver, or a truck driver, etc. They will be the ones who we deem responsible for causing you harm because of the choices and actions that they made.
Finally, you will be represented by your Naperville bicycle accident attorneys and the liable party will be represented by their insurance company.
Here are a few reasons and examples of how and why bicycle accidents occur that would leave someone eligible for filing a claim against a liable party:
- A bicyclist was hit by a driver who is texting and driving
- A bicyclist was hit by someone who couldn’t slow down in time to avoid a collision
- A bicyclist was hit by someone who did not yield or stop for a traffic light or sign and didn’t notice the bicyclist
While you are bringing a claim against the liable party, the insurance company who represents them is going to be financially responsible for giving you your compensation award. They will present challenges to you and your attorney in hopes of getting your case thrown out or your compensation award reduced.
It is the job of our Naperville bicycle accident attorneys to fight against the insurance company to ensure that you get the justice that you deserve in the fullest and fairest amount.
Bicycle Accident Claim Value
When we try to figure out what the value of a claim is, we have to look at a lot of different factors. We are essentially trying to figure out how your life has been affected by this bicycle accident. If you used to bike everywhere and you’re no longer able to because a) you are too hurt to do it and b) your bicycle has been ruined and you can’t afford another one because you’re too busy paying for medical care, then those are very significant damages that we have to consider. There are also a dozen different ways that your life might be affected by this bicycle accident that we need to take into account when we are trying to figure out what a fair and full compensation award should look like for you.
When valuing a claim, we look at two types of damages; economic damages and non-economic damages. These are the main factors of what your compensation award should look like.
Economic damages include all of the ways you have lost money due to the accident. Whether you lost money because you missed work or you spent money on medical bills, these are money losses and economic damages for which we will try to seek compensation. Ambulance rides are also an economic damage. A lot of the time, injured bicyclists will need an ambulance to take them to the ER and that can be very expensive. Your medical care needed after the accident, as well as any medical care you will need in the future can add up to be quite overwhelming, which is why we don’t back down until you get the fairest compensation award possible.
Non-economic damages have to do with all the ways your life has been affected. You may be experiencing pain and suffering, mental anguish and a loss of quality of life, for example. If you suffer PTSD after a bicycle accident or are no longer physically able to ride a bicycle, we will work hard to ensure that your compensation award reflects these non-economic damages. Noneconomic damages can also involve being unable to take care of your family or enjoy hobbies and activities. Even if these are temporary damages, they should still be reflected in your compensation.
Tips for a Strong Case
You might be feeling helpless after a bicycle accident, which is completely normal, but please know that there are things that you can do to strengthen your case to ensure a better chance of getting justice. Our Naperville bicycle accident attorneys are a good place to get the tips needed to have a successful case during a free consultation.
You should make a call to us right away even if you were calling from the emergency room. We can get started as soon as possible. Please understand that in Illinois you are held to a deadline that allows no wiggle room. It is a hard and fast legal deadline called the statute of limitations. Illinois allows two years from the date of your accident to bring a claim. Any claims brought after the two-year deadline will be barred from receiving justice. You should allow your attorneys as much time as you can give them to set up a strong case for you so that you have no problem getting the claim filed in a timely manner. A lawyer might not be able to help you if you reach out a few weeks before your statute of limitations runs out.
If you don’t want to weaken your case, then you should absolutely never give the insurance company a recorded statement regarding the accident. The insurance company will reach out to you in the hopes of getting you to say something on the record that allows them to devalue or throw away your claim all together. They are trained to get answers from you that you might find innocuous but they can twist your words and you can ruin your claim if you give them the statement. You should instead allow your attorneys to handle communications between you and the insurance company.
Both the insurance company and our Naperville bicycle accident attorneys know that if you are pinned for enough fault in Illinois you will no longer be able to receive a compensation award. For example, if you were on your bicycle and you had headphones on, which didn’t allow you to hear a horn blaring, the insurance company might blame you for a portion of the accident. If you are blamed for 50% or more of the accident, then you are no longer allowed to receive compensation. Our goal is to avoid having your compensation reduced because of faults that you might be blamed for.
Call Our Naperville Bicycle Accident Attorneys Today
If you have been seriously injured in a bicycle accident and are seeking justice, our Naperville bicycle accident attorneys want to hear from you as soon as you can possibly reach out. We understand how these cases work and we know how to successfully bring justice. We hope you reach out as soon as you possibly can to set up your free first consultation with us. We will fight tirelessly to ensure that you get the justice that you deserve. Give us a call right away.
