Edmonton Bicycle Accident Lawyer

A bicycle accident lawyer is a personal injury lawyer experienced in representing people injured in bicycle accidents. The injury lawyer will know how to establish fault for the bicycle accident and what types of damages or losses the insurance company should pay. Damages may include not just your immediate injuries but also medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, and more.

Hiring a qualified local personal injury lawyer makes sense. If you have been injured in a bicycle accident in Alberta, look for a qualified Alberta bicycle accident lawyer. Local traffic bylaws for bicycle use can vary by municipality and by the type of path or roadway in the municipality. A qualified Alberta injury lawyer will know:

• relevant provincial and local laws and regulations
• case law decisions for bicycle accidents that may affect your compensation
• the insurance companies and their tendencies when they handle claims
• how to prove all damages and maximizethe fair compensation you receive from the insurance company.

Bicycle injury claims can be complex, with questions about who was liable for the accident, what legal precedents apply, and what damages can rightfully be claimed. Personal injury lawyers that regularly deal with bicycle injury claims will know what to do if:

• the vehicle driver claims your bicycle wasn’t visible or you, the cyclist, did not follow traffic rules
• proving fault requires expert analysis of police reports and eyewitness accounts or even the involvement of an accident reconstructionist
• insurance companies offer less compensation for your damages than you deserve
• proving damages requires expert personal injury reports from medical specialists, occupational therapists, economic loss experts and so on.

Learn how I use personal injury experts to build winning injury cases for my clients.

In Alberta, the Alberta Traffic Safety Act and municipal bylaws govern the operation of bicycles on our roadways. The laws are very specific but can vary depending on the municipality.

The Alberta Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulation has specific rules which apply to the operation of a bicycle or “cycle”.

• A person who is operating a bicycle on a highway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties of a person driving a motor vehicle.
• Cyclists must operate the bicycle as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway unless that person is in the process of making a left turn with the bicycle or crossing from one curb or edge of the roadway to the opposite curb or edge of the roadway.
• Cyclists must travel single file except when overtaking and passing another bicycle.

Of course, the drivers of cars and trucks also have specific rules they must follow when operating their vehicles.

If you have been injured in a bicycle versus motor vehicle accident, look for a qualified injury lawyers who knows the local laws and knows how to investigate and prove liability for the accident.

I am very familiar with Alberta and municipal laws. If needed, I use my team of personal injury experts to investigate and prove liability in bicycle accidents. Each of these experts has been qualified by the Alberta Court of King’s Bench to testify in their area of expertise. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle vs. bicycle accident, I can help prove fault for the collision. Call (780) 760-4878 (HURT) or contact me, Joseph A. Nagy, Edmonton personal injury lawyer.

Alberta Transportation reports that more than 80% of bicycle accidents are the result of human error on the part of the cyclist or the vehicle operator. Poor road conditions are also a major cause of bicycle accidents.

Common types of human error in bicycle versus motor vehicle accidents include:

• Motorist not yielding to a cyclist
• Cyclist not obeying traffic laws
• Cyclist riding on the wrong side of the road
• Motorist not signalling before turning
• Cyclist riding on the sidewalk.

In Canada, motor vehicles are involved in more than 50% of all bicycle accident fatalities.

For more information, see Alberta Traffic Collision Statistics 2020 – Open Goverment.

In Alberta, the most common types of injuries from bicycle accidents are:

• Head injuries, which can include traumatic brain injuries and skull fractures
• Orthopedic injuries, such as broken arms or legs
• Soft tissue injuries, which can range from scrapes and bruises to more serious sprains and lacerations.

Other serious injuries may include:

• Neck and spinal injuries
• Internal injuries
• Wrongful death.

• In 2018, Edmonton had 130 cyclist collisions resulting in 92 minor injuries, 20 serious injuries, and 0 fatalities. Vehicle operators were at fault in almost 61% of Edmonton’s cyclist injury collisions, including 29 instances of not yielding to the cyclist. These are the statistics. For those injured and their families, however, it’s never about statistics.

Chart, Edmonton Cyclist Collisions 2018

Source: Motor Vehicle Collisions 2018