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You were just slammed by a car while riding your bike. You’re injured, and you aren’t sure how seriously. Your bike is damaged, possibly destroyed. You have been taken to the hospital. You’re in shock and in pain. And after worrying about a million more important things, the thought pops into your head: do I need a lawyer for this?
The truth is that sometimes you don’t. If you were involved in a crash in which your bike or other personal property was damaged but you didn’t suffer any injuries, the accident wasn’t your fault, and you obtain a police report reflecting this, you should be able to deal with the insurance company on your own.
However, when injuries come into play, even seemingly minor ones, or when it isn’t completely clear who was at fault in the crash, it’s a good idea to hire a bike accident injury lawyer.
Here’s why:
It won’t cost you anything upfront, and most of the time it makes economic sense.
Illinois bike accident injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, meaning that we get paid by taking a percentage of the total amount of money we recover for you from the other driver’s insurance company. This means that we do not charge hourly fees or service fees of any kind.
If you end up losing your case, you won’t owe your attorney anything. If your recovery ends up being smaller than expected, most personal injury attorneys will work with you on reducing their fees so that you can cover all of your medical bills. The vast majority of the time you won’t have to worry about this. because the settlement or verdict you receive will typically cover all your medical expenses and then some. It’s pretty rare not to come out ahead financially when you hire a bike accident injury lawyer.
Hiring a lawyer is kind of like hiring a bodyguard.
When you walk around with a bodyguard, people are less prone to mess with you. When you hire an attorney to file your claim with the other driver’s insurance company, the insurance company will be less prone to mess with you, too. But instead of toting around a gun or flexing our muscles, we carry something that the insurance companies are much more afraid of: the threat of a lawsuit.
Without a lawyer, you don’t possess the threat of a lawsuit, so many insurance companies think they can take advantage of you. You don’t have the experience or knowledge to get the most out of your claim, and they’ll do whatever they can to give you as little as possible, including misrepresenting the facts of the case and bullying you into doing things that will eventually harm your case. After all, that’s their job. A bike accident injury lawyer’s job is to get you as much money as possible, and our pay depends on it. The insurance companies know this, and they tend to be more flexible when it comes to settling a case if you are working with an attorney. Doesn’t it sound like a personal injury attorney is someone you might want on your side?
Hiring a lawyer is also kind of like hiring a personal assistant.
I’m not going to go fetch you a bowl of 300 green M&Ms or schedule your next haircut, but I will do something you’ll appreciate: I’ll deal with the car insurance companies, your health insurance company, and every other entity involved in the process of a bike crash so that you don’t have to.
When you’re recovering from your injuries, you’ll want to concentrate on getting better, not jumping through insurance company hoops. A bike injury attorney will deal with all the annoying aspects of filing your claim, keeping track of your bills, and and making sure you get what you deserve. Meanwhile, you can focus on healing, resting, returning to work, or spending time with friends and family. We’ll handle the details so you can get your life back together.
We’ll make sure you get the proper medical care (and we’ll make sure the insurance company pays for it).
I’ve seen it happen before. If you file a claim with the other driver’s insurance on your own, the insurance company might decide to pay some of your hospital bill. But this doesn’t mean that they intend to pay for all of your medical expenses related to the accident, and they will often refuse to pay for anything at all. They might tell you that they have a limit on what they can pay for a hospital bill, physical therapy, time missed at work, or whatever else you might need compensation for. They might tell you that your medical treatment is not necessary, that you don’t need therapy, or that you don’t need to follow up with your doctor.
A personal injury lawyer knows how to demand whatever amount of money is necessary in order for you to recover from your injuries. We also know how to demand compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, disfigurement, and more. And most importantly, we know how to get them to pay for all of it so you aren’t left with daunting unpaid medical bills. We are familiar with all sorts of injuries and can make sure that you receive the proper medical care with the right medical professionals so that you can make a full recovery from your injuries.
A small firm specializing in bike injury cases is your best bet.
There are plenty of great personal injury lawyers in Chicago who can help you recover losses from any sort of accident. But if you’ve been injured in a bike accident, you should hire an attorney who specializes in bike accidents.
Chicago Bike Law Firm focuses on the specific regulations and traffic laws affecting cyclists in the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. This means that we can quickly and accurately assess your bike accident injury case, and we are armed with bike-specific experience and resources to help support your claim when negotiating with insurance companies.
In addition, Chicago Bike Law Firm is a small law firm, which means we have time and are dedicated to providing you with as much individual attention as necessary. Some law firms might want to just grind your case through the system, leaving you with a less than satisfying recovery and absolutely no personal attention. CBLF wants to work with you to make you feel comfortable and get you the best results each and every time. At a larger firm, you might be hard pressed to get in touch with your lawyer after you’ve signed your contract. We’re available to chat whenever it is convenient for you, in whatever form you’d like. If you prefer text messages, we’re onboard. Rather do email? Works for us. Old school phone conversations? Bring it on. We’re here for you.
We love what we do.
I can’t speak for every personal injury attorney out there, but I love my work. I get a kick out of arguing with the insurance companies on your behalf. (If you ask my parents, they’ll tell you I’ve always loved arguing.)
I get satisfaction in taking care of the details for you, and I love winning cases. Sure, I like making money, but even more than that, I like the excitement my clients feel when we win their case. My clients have all been wonderful people from all walks of life, and I genuinely enjoy getting to know, and helping, each and every one of them.
Even though personal injury attorneys have a bad rep, I know that a lot of them feel the exact same way I do.
If you’ve been injured and want to find out for yourself, give me a call or shoot me an email, and let me tell you how I can help you out specifically.
