Steamboat Springs Bicycle Accident Lawyer

The Brown Law Firm can help you through the claims process if you’ve been hurt in a bicycle accident in Steamboat Springs. Although it’s more closely associated with skiing and snowboarding, Steamboat Springs is also a great place to ride your bike, particularly in the summer months. But an accident can happen anytime, and when it does, we can help you. Set up a free consultation today.

Do I Need a Lawyer?

No matter how experienced or careful you are on your bike, an accident can turn an ordinary ride upside down in seconds. One minute you’re cruising along the Yampa River Core Trail or heading home from downtown, and the next you’re on the ground, hurt, and trying to figure out what just happened. That can be incredibly difficult after a bicycle accident, and that’s usually the point where talking to a lawyer starts to make sense. When you do, our team can help by:

• Explaining your rights in plain language so you know what to expect.
• Looking into what caused the accident and who might be responsible.
• Handling the back-and-forth with the insurance company so you don’t have to.
• Pulling together photos, witness statements, police reports, medical records, and other evidence to support your claim.

After a bicycle accident, the last thing you need is more stress. That’s why we try to simplify the process as much as possible, giving you the space you need to focus on getting better. And while you don’t need a lawyer to file a claim, one of the main ways we help you is with information gathering.

Information Gathering After a Bicycle Accident

Right after a bicycle accident, you’re probably not thinking about gathering information. Instead, your focus is on trying to figure out what happened and getting help. That’s exactly where it should be.

But there’s also a few steps to take initially to get the lay of the land. Start by calling 911 and reporting the accident. Police and EMTs can help treat injuries and document what happened. From there, it’s also a good time to get a few basic pieces of information, like:

• Pictures and videos of your bike, the vehicle involved, road conditions, traffic signs, skid marks, and anything else that shows how the accident happened.
• Contact information for anyone who saw the accident. It’s also worth noting nearby businesses or traffic cameras that may have actually recorded the accident.
• The driver’s license, insurance, registration, and contact information. If they don’t stick around (which can be common with bicycle accidents), make sure to tell the police and give them as much detail as you can about the car.

This is about as much information as you can get at the scene. Even just a few pictures and contact information can go a long way in getting things started. But remember, your health comes first. If paramedics say you need to go to the hospital, listen to them.

After that, things usually settle down in the days/weeks after. But as they do, more information is going to come in. And it’s a good idea to keep track of:

• Medical records connecting your injuries to the accident
• The police report
• Notes about your pain, recovery, and how your injuries are healing and progressing
• Pay stubs or work records if you’ve missed time on the job
• Any available camera footage before it’s deleted
  
  

This sounds like a lot, but it’s okay if you can only get a few pictures and medical records to start out with. Our team can step in to fill in any gaps and put it all together so you can focus on what’s ahead.

How to Figure Out Who’s Responsible For Your Bicycle Accident Injuries

A bicycle accident seems simple enough. A driver hits you, their insurance pays, and you move on. Sometimes that’s exactly how it works, but not always. Most of the time, things are much more complicated. And a lot of that comes down to figuring out who’s actually responsible.

Legally, responsibility still comes down to negligence. This means somebody did something that was careless or reckless, and that’s what caused the accident. So it’s easy to see where a driver would carry a lot of the responsibility in a bicycle accidents, particularly if they:

• Were distracted, speeding or otherwise being aggressive
• Failed to yield, turned in front of you, or simply weren’t paying attention
  
  

Something that’s unique to bicycle accidents, though, is that it’s not always on a driver. There’s other factors that can lead to bicycle accidents, and that potentially brings in other people, like:

• The city, county or state government. With a bicycle accident, the actual road conditions matter a lot. Poorly maintained roads, missing signs, unsafe intersections, or hazards in a bike lane can bring in the government agency that’s in charge of these things.
  
  
• Another cyclist or pedestrian. Not every bicycle accident involves a car. Sometimes another cyclist or a pedestrian might have done something carelessly. That means they could be responsible, too.
  
  

As you can see, the details matter a lot when it comes to narrowing down who’s responsible for your injuries in your bike accident. But one way or the other, this is a big step in the claims process. And once you’ve figured out who might be responsible, the next step is actually filing your claim.

What Are My Options for Filing a Bicycle Accident Claim?

There’s a lot of different ways bicycle accidents happen in Steamboat Springs, but the actual claims process that you go through when it happens to you almost always comes down to two main options: going through insurance or filing a lawsuit. Here’s a look at how both usually work:

• Filing an insurance claim. Most bicycle accident cases begin here. It’s usually the quickest path toward financial help, but the insurance company also controls much of the process and decides what it’s willing to offer as a settlement.
  
  
• Filing a lawsuit. If the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement—or there simply isn’t enough insurance coverage—you may decide to file a lawsuit. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll end up in court. Most lawsuits settle before trial, but filing one often gives you access to more evidence and takes much of the decision-making out of the insurance company’s hands.

Either way, the goal is the same: recovering financial support for your:

• Medical bills
• Future medical care
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity
• Bicycle repair or replacement
• Damaged riding gear
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Wrongful death damages if you lost a loved one

Like other injury claims, Colorado has a statute of limitations for filing a claim after a bicycle accident. Currently, it’s three years from the date of the accident. Miss it, and you typically can’t file a claim or get financial help for your injuries. And with a bicycle accident, that’s going to be important to your recovery.

Where Bicycle Accidents Usually Happen in Steamboat Springs

Steamboat Springs is a great place to ride a bike, but like anything else, there’s always the chance that an accident will happen. That only increases with negligence, and as a result, there’s patterns of where and how these things happen here:

• Downtown Steamboat Springs, especially around Lincoln Avenue, Oak Street, and local businesses.
• Intersections and crosswalks, mostly because these are spots where drivers are turning, pulling through an intersection, and trying to move quickly through lights or signs.
• Yampa River Core Trail and other bike lanes throughout the city can become dangerous even though they’re designed specifically for you and other bike riders.
• Parking lots of grocery stores, hotels, and restaurants see a lot of accidents when drivers are backing out, opening doors, or aren’t paying attention.
• Mountain roads and recreational areas outside of town can create their own challenges with narrow lanes, changing weather, and drivers who aren’t used to sharing the road with bike riders.

There’s a lot of different places where bike accidents happen, but it hits differently when it happens to you or someone you care about. It’s something nobody wants to face, but when it does, our team can help you understand your options and guide you through the claims process.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to file a bicycle accident claim in Colorado?

Currently, you have to file within three years of the date of your accident. However, information and evidence can change quickly, so it’s usually better to move forward sooner rather than later.

What if a driver says the accident was my fault?

That actually happens a lot with bicycle accidents, but no matter what they say happened, things like pictures, medical records, police reports, and camera footage will actually tell the whole story.

Can I still file a claim if I wasn’t wearing a helmet?

Yes, although an insurance company might try to argue that your injuries were made worse because of you not wearing a helmet. Still, not wearing a helmet doesn’t mean you can’t file a claim if somebody else caused your accident.

Talk With Our Steamboat Springs Bicycle Accident Lawyers During a Free Consultation

A bicycle accident can change a normal ride into a situation you never expected. Suddenly you’re dealing with injuries, medical appointments, bike repairs, insurance calls, and questions about what happens next. At The Brown Law Firm, our Steamboat Springs bicycle accident lawyers can help you through everything. Set up a free consultation today to talk over your options.