Steven A. Bagen | April 9, 2024 | Personal Injury
Have you suffered an injury in a bicycle accident that wasn’t your fault? You may be wondering how much your bicycle accident case is worth.
The amount of compensation you can receive depends on several factors. This includes the severity of your injuries, who was at fault, and other damages you suffered.
Every bicycle accident case is unique. The value can range from a few thousand dollars to millions, depending on the circumstances.
However, these general guidelines from a bicycle accident lawyer can give you a rough idea of what to expect for different bicycle accident claims.
Factors That Determine a Bicycle Accident’s Value
The main factors that influence how much a bicycle accident is worth include:
The Severity and Extent of Your Injuries
The more severe and extensive the injuries from a bicycle accident, the higher the potential settlement value. Injuries that tend to significantly increase case values include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis
- Internal organ damage
- Compound fractures or multiple broken bones
- Injuries requiring extensive hospitalization or surgery
- Permanent scarring, disfigurement, or loss of limbs
Severe injury cases often involve:
- Long-term or permanent disabilities.
- Ongoing medical treatment needs.
- Inability to work.
- Substantial pain and suffering.
These are all factors demanding higher compensation.
The Amount of Your Medical Bills From the Accident
Bicycle accident victims can recover compensation for all medical expenses related to their injuries, even if bills remain incurred during treatment.
This includes:
- Emergency ambulance/transport costs
- Emergency room fees
- Hospitalization and surgical costs
- Doctor/physician bills
- Costs of diagnostic testing like MRIs
- Prescription medication expenses
- Physical and occupational therapy bills
- Medical equipment and mobility device costs
Documentation of all accident-related medical bills and invoices from healthcare providers is key to recovering the full amount during a settlement.
Any Future Anticipated Medical Costs Related to Your Injuries
In addition to covering current outstanding medical expenses, bicycle accident settlements must account for your future anticipated treatment needs and costs.
This includes:
- Future hospitalization or surgery costs
- Ongoing rehabilitation or physical therapy
- Home health care, nursing care, or residential facility costs
- Costs of medical equipment like wheelchairs or prosthetics
- Future prescription medication expenses
- Anticipated costs of home modifications for disabilities
Insurance companies often hire medical professionals to assess future care needs and project these lifetime cost estimates for serious permanent injury cases.
How Much Time You Missed From Work Due to Your Injuries
When bicycle accident injuries force you to miss work time, you deserve compensation for lost income and income during recovery.
This can include:
- Lost income from time out of work
- Lost earnings from self-employment if running a business
- Value of used vacation/sick time
- Lost income from missing bonus/commission opportunities
The severity of injuries and time out of work determine the lost income amount. Documentation like doctor’s notes and employer records verifying time missed is required.
The Amount of Your Lost Earnings and Future Lost Earning Capacity
In addition to income already lost from missed work time, bicycle accident settlements must consider a victim’s lost future earning capacity if injuries prevent them from:
- Returning to their previous job or line of work
- Working the same hours or schedule as before
- Earning promotions raises, or employment benefits
Economists analyze factors like the victim’s age, work history, education, injuries, and projected career path to calculate an appropriate lump sum for diminished earning ability over their lifetime.
Any Permanent Impact on Your Quality of Life and Ability to Perform Daily Activities
Beyond just economic damages, bicycle accident victims also deserve compensation for non-economic damages like loss of quality and enjoyment of life when permanent disabilities impair their ability to:
- Participate in hobbies, recreational activities, or exercise
- Maintain household and perform daily tasks independently
- Have a normal family life and personal relationships
- Live without severe chronic pain, emotional distress, or mental anguish
The more profound and lasting the impact on your daily lifestyle and Independence, the higher the valuation of non-economic damages should be.
The Degree to Which the Other Party Was At-Fault or Negligent
The value of a bicycle accident case depends on how well evidence can prove liability and negligence by the other party (such as a driver or entity responsible for road maintenance).
- Videos of the accident occurring
- Eyewitness testimony corroborating events
- Documentation that the driver violated traffic laws
- Analysts concluding the other party was negligent
Cases with strong, indisputable evidence of liability by the other party generally have higher settlement values than those with weaker evidence.
Whether Punitive Damages May Be Available Due to Egregious Misconduct
While relatively rare in bicycle accident cases, punitive damages may sometimes be available in addition to compensatory damages when the at-fault party’s conduct was particularly egregious, such as:
- Driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs
- Excessive speeding or road rage
- Intentionally hitting the bicycle rider
- Knowingly driving with mechanical issues like faulty brakes
Punitive damages aim to punish and deter such outrageously reckless behavior. Awards can sometimes reach into the millions depending on the egregiousness of the conduct.’
Minor Injury Bicycle Accident Cases
The settlement amounts tend to be lower for relatively minor injuries from bicycle accidents, such as road rash, bruises, or minor fractures that fully heal. These cases may be worth less if you just need to cover medical bills and a limited time off work. However, you still deserve full reimbursement for your losses, even if you believe your injuries are less severe than they might have been.
Moderate to Severe Injury Bicycle Accident Cases
Cases involving more significant injuries that require hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, or cause temporary disabilities are typically worth more.
Extensive settlements are common when accidents cause:
- Broken bones
- Head or neck injuries
- Back or spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
These higher values account for your more extensive medical treatment, extended time off work, potential future medical needs, loss of earning capacity if you cannot return to the same job, and reduced quality of life.
Catastrophic Injury or Wrongful Death Cases
The most severe bicycle accident cases that cause catastrophic injuries, permanent disabilities, or wrongful death have the highest settlement values.
These can easily reach millions of dollars. The massive medical costs needed for lifelong care, complete loss of earnings, and non-economic damages like pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life drive up these claims.
How Attorneys Calculate Settlement Values
To determine a fair settlement amount for your bicycle accident case, attorneys will closely analyze the following:
The Full Extent and Severity of Your Injuries
One of the biggest factors in determining a bicycle accident settlement amount is the full extent and severity of the injuries. More severe injuries generally lead to higher settlements and verdicts.
An attorney will thoroughly review all medical records and evidence to understand your injuries, which can include:
- Fractures and broken bones
- Head and traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries causing paralysis
- Internal organ damage
- Severe lacerations requiring stitches
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery
The type of injury, extent of the injury, future prognosis, and whether permanent disabilities resulted all heavily impact the case value.
Your Current and Anticipated Future Medical Costs
Bicycle accident victims are entitled to compensation for all related medical expenses and current and future anticipated costs.
Compensable medical costs may include:
- Emergency transport and hospital stays
- Physician and surgeon fees
- Diagnostic testing like MRIs and CT scans
- Medications and medical equipment/supplies
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Home health care costs
- Anticipated future surgeries or medical treatments
- Costs of medical devices like wheelchairs or prosthetics
An attorney will work with medical professionals to accurately calculate future life care costs for permanent disabilities and lifelong needs.
All Income You’ve Lost Because You Cannot Work
When bicycle accident injuries prevent you from working, you deserve compensation for all lost income and income.
This includes:
- Income lost from time off while recovering
- Lost earnings if you had to take a lower-paying job
- Bonuses, commissions, raises you may have earned
- The value of lost paid time off used
- Lost income from self-employment if you run a business
Thorough documentation of your income sources before and after the accident is key to recovering this lost income.
Your Prospects for Earning the Same Income Going Forward
In addition to compensating for lost income, bicycle accident settlements must account for any diminished future earning capacity.
This comes into play if:
- You cannot return to the same line of work
- You must take a lower-paying job due to disabilities
- Your injuries prevent you from working at all
- Your long-term career prospects are impaired
Economists analyze your age, education, work history, and disabilities to calculate an appropriate lump sum for reduced future earnings.
The Impact on Your Overall Quality of Life
Bicycle accident injuries can profoundly impact your overall quality and enjoyment of life.
Depending on the severity, injuries can result in:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma and mental anguish
- Inability to participate in hobbies and activities
- Strains on personal relationships and family life
- Permanent disfigurements or disabilities
These non-economic damages are difficult to quantify but substantially increase a case’s settlement value. The more an injury impacts daily life, the higher the amount.
Whether Any Permanent Disabilities Resulted
Cases resulting in permanent disabilities that limit a victim’s abilities or require lifelong care tend to have higher settlement values.
Common permanent disabilities include:
- Paralysis from spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries causing cognitive impairments
- Loss of limbs, senses like vision/hearing, or organs
- Permanent need for mobility devices or assistive equipment
- Inability to care for oneself and need for nursing care
Calculating future life care costs associated with these disabilities, as well as non-economic damages, leads to multi-million dollar settlements.
The Strength of Liability Evidence Against the At-Fault Party
How strongly the liability evidence shows the other party was negligent and at fault impacts case value.
Cases with indisputable evidence like:
- Videos of the accident happening
- Eyewitnesses corroborating events
- The other party is violating traffic laws
- Analysts proving the other party’s negligence
Have higher settlement values as there is less risk of losing at trial. Cases with liability disputes often settle for less to avoid trial.
What Damages Similar Cases in the Area Have Settled For
Experienced bicycle accident lawyers review settlement data from similar cases involving comparable injuries and facts.
This allows them to appreciate the reasonable settlement range based on:
- What juries in the jurisdiction have awarded for those injuries
- What insurance companies tend to pay for those injury claims
- Overall trends in settlement values for those specific scenarios
This provides an accurate benchmark for valuing a current bicycle accident case during settlement negotiations. This thorough evaluation allows them to calculate a fair settlement range and determine your case’s worth.
Insurance companies have the formulas they use, which often lowball the true value. This is why it’s best to have an experienced bicycle accident attorney on your side fighting for maximum compensation.
Speak to a Bicycle Accident Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury in a bicycle accident, it’s extremely important to understand what your case can potentially be worth. An initial consultation with an experienced accident lawyer is free, and there are no upfront costs to hire them.
Many bicycle accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid a percentage of your settlement if they win your case. You pay nothing until you receive compensation.
Speaking to a local personal injury attorney costs nothing and allows you to:
- Understand your legal rights and options
- Get an accurate estimate of what your case may be worth
- Learn how to protect your ability to recover full compensation
- Decide if it’s worthwhile to file a bicycle accident lawsuit
With statutes of limitations in place, it’s best to act quickly before your window closes. Don’t try to settle your bicycle accident claim alone and get shortchanged by insurance companies. Let an experienced lawyer handle the negotiations and fight for the maximum compensation you deserve. Remember, they understand the law and can handle the legal process on your behalf, protecting your rights every step of the way.