Hand Injuries in Bicycle Accidents: Your Legal Rights to Compensation

A bicycle accident can damage more than just your bike – it often causes severe injury to your hands and wrists as you brace for impact. From abrasions to fractures and nerve damage, hand trauma can be devastating.

Now, you face a tough recovery – multiple doctors, painful therapy, and lost wages.

But if a negligent driver caused your wreck, know that you have legal rights. At Miley Legal, our personal injury attorneys have represented numerous bicyclists injured through no fault of their own.

We are here to advise you on how to document your injuries, establish liability, file an insurance claim, and pursue fair compensation so you can focus on healing.

Common Hand and Wrist Injuries From Bike Accidents

When a bicyclist is struck by a vehicle, the first instinct is often to brace for impact by extending the hands. This can lead to a variety of hand and wrist fractures, dislocations, sprains, and nerve damage.

Some of the most common wrist and hand injuries we see after cycling accidents include:

Broken Bones

Fractures are one of the most common injuries experienced by cyclists in collisions. Bones like the distal radius, scaphoid, metacarpals, and phalanges are vulnerable when you try to break a fall. These fractures often require casting, surgery, and extensive physical therapy to regain strength and range of motion.

Nerve Injuries

Nerve damage is another risk when wrists are jammed or compressed. Symptoms like numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain can signify median nerve compression, ulnar nerve compression, or even carpal tunnel syndrome. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are crucial to avoiding permanent nerve dysfunction.

Sprains and Strains

The wrists contain a complex network of ligaments and tendons that can become overstretched or torn in accidents. Sprains and strains vary in severity but typically cause pain, swelling, and instability around the wrist. Immobilization, anti-inflammatory medication, and rehabilitation are often needed.

Seeking Medical Care After a Bike Accident

After any bicycle accident, getting prompt medical treatment is crucial, even if you believe your injuries are minor. Adrenaline can mask serious trauma directly after a collision.

The doctor may order X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs to evaluate wrist and hand injuries properly. This allows them to pinpoint any fractures or soft tissue damage that requires treatment.

Some common interventions include:

• Casting or splinting broken bones
• Surgery to realign fractures or repair ligaments
• Medications to control pain and inflammation
• Physical therapy to improve recovery

Do not take chances with your health – seek medical attention without delay if you are injured in a bicycle collision. Delaying medical care can lead to long-term consequences like improper healing and deformities, permanent loss of function, disabilities, or chronic pain. Follow your doctor’s recommendations closely to give yourself the best chance of healing.

Documenting Your Injuries

In addition to medical care, make sure to document your accident and injuries for your legal claim fully:

• Obtain a copy of the police report so your attorney can show how the crash occurred.
• Save all medical records, test results, therapy notes, and invoices to prove your damages.
• Take dated photos of any cuts, bruises, or swelling to establish the extent of trauma.
• Keep a journal detailing your symptoms, treatment, and progress.

Comprehensively documenting every aspect of your injuries provides your attorney with evidence to secure fair compensation for your losses.

Understanding Your Legal Options

Navigating the legal process after a bicycle injury can leave many accident victims confused and overwhelmed. You may be unsure if you have a valid claim or how to go about getting compensation for your injuries and damages. Our attorneys can guide you step-by-step through the process.

Determining Liability

The priority is establishing liability by proving the negligence of the motor vehicle driver who struck and injured you. Using police reports, eyewitness statements, and working with accident reconstruction experts, we build a strong case attributing fault predominantly to the driver by showing they violated traffic laws, were impaired or distracted, or that environmental factors like poor lighting contributed.

Personal Injury Claims

Next, we take action to recover full and fair compensation for all of your losses stemming from the accident. This includes compensation for extensive medical expenses from hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation, and therapy.

It also includes lost income from missing work during recovery, costs of assistance you now require for household tasks and daily living activities, and compensation for the pain, suffering, mental distress, and reduced quality of life resulting from the injury.

We handle the entire personal injury claims process from start to finish, aggressively pursuing maximum compensation from insurance companies on your behalf. We aim to relieve your financial burden so you can focus your energy on healing.

When to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer

After a bicycle collision, you may consider handling the insurance claims process on your own. But bike accident cases involve complex legal procedures and insurers who aim to minimize payouts. Having an experienced bicycle accident lawyer levels the playing field.

At our law firm, we reduce the burden on injury victims so they can devote their energy to healing and recovery. We handle every aspect of the legal process on your behalf. Our attorneys are well-versed in personal injury law and work aggressively to obtain fair compensation in and out of court.

Specific benefits we provide clients include:

• Maximizing your settlement or court award through negotiation and litigation skills. Statistically, victims represented by lawyers receive higher payouts.
• Navigating time limits and legal complexities. We ensure your claim isn’t dismissed due to technicalities.
• Minimizing hassles dealing with evasive insurance companies. We communicate on your behalf and press for fair settlements.

Additionally, we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only get paid if we win your case.

Let our legal team shoulder this fight so you can focus your efforts on getting your life back on track after a bicycle injury.

Ensuring Your Safety on the Road

While understanding your legal remedies is important, the best approach is preventing accidents and injuries in the first place:

• Wear a properly fitted helmet and use reflectors or lights to stay visible.
• Maintain your bicycle with working brakes, tires, and gears.
• Learn and follow all bicycling laws and rules of the road.
• Avoid distractions and stay alert to vehicles and hazards around you.
• Ride defensively and anticipate motorists’ actions.

Staying vigilant and riding responsibly reduces the likelihood of collisions. But if an accident happens, reach out to our team to fight for the compensation you deserve. We’re ready to help you move forward.

Get a Free Case Review if You’ve Been in a Bike Accident

After a bicycle accident, the legal process of seeking fair compensation for your injuries can feel daunting and overwhelming. Car insurance companies have armies of attorneys working against your interests.

But you don’t have to shoulder this burden alone. Our dedicated legal team will handle every aspect of your injury claim so you can focus on healing. We know how to build an ironclad case proving negligence, calculate and maximize damages, and relentlessly pursue fair compensation for you.

Don’t leave money on the table or let insurance companies take advantage of you during this difficult time. Contact our knowledgeable bicycle accident attorneys today for a free consultation. Let us level the playing field and take the weight off your shoulders so you can emerge from this ordeal with security and peace of mind intact. Miley Legal is in your corner.