Clearwater Bicycle Accident Lawyer Near Me

Were you or a loved one injured in a bicycle accident in Clearwater, FL? If so, you might have the ability to hold the at-fault party responsible and receive compensation for your lost wages, pain and suffering, medical bills, out-of-pocket expenses, and more. Winters and Yonker, P.A., is ready to aggressively fight for your rights and interests.

We’re confident in our ability to achieve a favorable outcome for your case, and with good reason. Our Clearwater bicycle accident attorneys have 119 years of collective experience. And since our personal injury law firm was founded in 2001, we have collected tens of millions of dollars in compensation for our deserving clients.

Contact our law office in Clearwater today to set up a free case review with a trusted attorney. You can reach us by phone at (727) 493-4418 or via an online message. We’re available 24/7 to take your call.

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How Winters and Yonker, P.A., Can Help You After a Bicycle Accident in Clearwater, FL

Bicycle accidents in Clearwater, Florida, can be devastating. Depending on the nature of the accident, you could be experiencing significant pain and suffering from your injuries.

You might also have mounting medical bills, which could be difficult to handle if you’ve had to miss work due to the accident.

You shouldn’t – and don’t – have to worry about how you will be compensated for all of your harm and losses. Hire Winters and Yonker, P.A., and you’ll have a highly-experienced legal team fighting for compensation on your behalf while you rest and recover.

Some of the ways our Clearwater personal injury attorneys can help with your case include, but are not limited to:

Internally investigating your case to analyze the full extent of your damages and to collect evidence
Handling all communications, paperwork, and negotiations with the other party
Protecting you from allegations that you’re mostly to blame for the accident
Apprising you of your legal options as your case unfolds
Taking your case before a Pinellas County jury if that’s your best course of action

Reach out today to begin forming an attorney-client relationship. Your initial case review is free, and there’s no obligation.

How Common Are Bicycle Accidents in Pinellas County?

Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) publishes statistics on vehicle accidents throughout the state, broken down by county.

In 2021, there were 546 bicycle crashes in Pinellas County. Those crashes resulted in 504 injuries and 16 fatalities. That means that approximately 95% of bicycle accidents in Clearwater and the rest of Pinellas County resulted in at least one injury.

The number of crashes and injury or fatality crashes is relatively consistent from year to year based on the available data from FLHSMV.

How Much Is My Clearwater Bicycle Accident Case Worth?

Each Clearwater bicycle accident case has a unique value based on its facts and circumstances. However, certain factors generally influence how much most personal injury cases are worth. These include:

Your age at the time of the accident
The type of injuries you have sustained and their seriousness
Whether you will make a full medical recovery
How much of the blame you share for the accident
The extent to which you have missed work due to the accident

This list is not exhaustive. Generally speaking, the bicycle accident cases that are worth the most involve serious injuries that heavily impact the victim’s day-to-day life going forward.

Contact our Clearwater bicycle accident attorneys today to learn more about how much your case could be worth.

What Damages Are Available to Clearwater Bicycle Accident Victims?

Victims of bicycle accidents in Clearwater can collect economic damages as well as non-economic damages. Punitive damages may also be available in rare cases.

Examples of economic damages include:

Lost wages
Decreased earning capacity
Repair costs
Medical expenses
Out-of-pocket expenses

Examples of non-economic damages include:

Pain and suffering
Depression
Disfigurement
Loss of consortium
Emotional distress

Punitive damages could be available in rare cases where the defendant acted especially recklessly. Instead of meaning to compensate you (even though they do in effect), these damages are meant to “punish” the at-fault party for what they’ve done.

Can I Still Obtain Compensation Even if I Contributed to My Bicycle Accident?

Yes. Florida has adopted a pure comparative negligence standard, which means you can still receive compensation even if you’re partially to blame for the accident.

However, your monetary award may be reduced in proportion to your assigned percentage of fault. Let’s say, for instance, that you’ve been awarded $400,000, but you’re found to be 25% at fault for the accident. Your award could then be reduced to $300,000, or the full amount less your percentage of fault.

Because your compensation award can be reduced so significantly by this standard, the issue of comparative fault is often at the core of a personal injury case. Fortunately, our Clearwater bicycle accident lawyers know how to fight back against accusations that you’re to blame for the crash.

We’ll Fight for Compensation for Each of Your Clearwater Bicycle Accident Injuries

Some common injuries that result from bicycle accidents in Clearwater include:

Traumatic brain injuries
Burn injuries, such as serious road rash
Broken bones
Lacerations
Internal bleeding
Back injuries
Neck injuries
Amputations
Paralysis
Spinal cord injuries
Wrongful death

When you hire Winters and Yonker, P.A., to represent you in your Clearwater bicycle accident case, we’ll leave no stone unturned when it comes to fighting for your compensation.

What Causes Most Bicycle Accidents in Clearwater, FL?

The majority of bicycle accidents in Clearwater are caused by human error, but not all of them. Some of the more common causes are the following:

Distracted driving or bicycling
Drunk driving or bicycling
Speeding
Poor weather
Poor road or bikeway conditions
Defective parts

Most bicycle accidents are not caused by the bicycle rider themselves, although some are. A primary consideration is that bicycles can be difficult to spot on the road relative to other vehicles, so they are especially prone to distracted driving accidents.

How Do I Prove Negligence After a Bicycle Accident in Clearwater?

Most bicycle accidents in Clearwater entail proving that the other party was negligent in order to receive compensation. In order to prove negligence, you as the personal injury victim will have to assert the following four legal elements:

Duty of Care
Breach of Duty
Causation (both factual and proximate)
Damages

Each of these elements must be proven by a preponderance of the evidence, as the burden of proof in personal injury cases lies with the injured victim. That means you’ll need to show that each element is more likely true than not.

With 119 years of combined experience, our Clearwater bicycle accident attorneys are more than familiar with how to prove negligence cases.

When you hire us, we’ll also be sure to launch an internal investigation into your case to uncover any evidence that might help to assert your claim.

How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit After a Bicycle Accident in Florida?

Florida has a statute of limitations that spells out deadlines for when lawsuits must be filed in the state. You’ll forfeit your ability to obtain compensation and a court of law will not hear your case if you file your lawsuit once the deadline has passed.

You’ll have four years from the date of the bicycle accident to file your lawsuit in most cases. There are exceptions to this deadline, but they are limited in scope.

For instance, wrongful death lawsuits have a two-year statute of limitations. You may also have additional time to file your lawsuit if the person you intend to sue leaves the State of Florida.

We recommend reaching out to our legal team if you aren’t sure whether the statute of limitations has passed in your case. This is something we can take a look at during your free initial consultation.

Contact a Clearwater Bicycle Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation

The aftermath of a bicycle accident in Clearwater, Florida, can put you and your family in a difficult position going forward. If you’ve been harmed in a crash and it was caused by someone else, you deserve to be compensated for the losses you’ve suffered.

Hiring the Clearwater bicycle accident attorneys with Winters and Yonker, P.A. is a decision you can make with confidence. Our track record of success and the experience our lawyers possess is unparalleled in the area. We’ll aggressively fight for your rights beginning the moment you agree to let us represent you.

In addition, we work on a contingency fee basis. Under this basis, you do not have to pay us anything upfront. Instead, we will take our payment for our legal services as a percentage of the financial award we ultimately collect for you.

The higher your financial award, the more money we will receive as well. That incentivizes us to maximize your claim. Call today at (727) 493-4418 to schedule your free consultation. Our skilled lawyers are standing by and are ready to get started.

Our personal injury law firm in Clearwater, FL, also provides: