Salt Lake City Bicycle Accident Lawyer
With Personal Injury Law Offices in Sandy, Utah
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Brad DeBry is not associated or affiliated with Robert J. DeBry & Associates, P.C.
Client Testimonials
Brad is fantastic! So pleased with all the help he has been giving me in such a stressful hard time with my accident. He definitely treats his clients like family and wants what is best for them. Would recommend him to anyone.
Ashley Richey
I contacted Brad a couple of times with some questions regarding our accident and what our rights were. He gave us valuable and helpful suggestions and was so friendly and knowledgeable.
Aimee Ballif
Went above and beyond to not only help me with my case but to reassure me as I was struggling with my anxiety. He was very kind and supportive and wasn't afraid to offer as much help as possible. One of the best you'll meet here and I highly recommend!
Linzie Builds
ABOUT BRAD DEBRY
7 Mistakes That Ruin Personal Injury Cases
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Bicycle accidents are a common occurrence in Utah. Such accidents can lead to minor or extensive injuries, cases with insurance companies, and even substantial financial implications. If you are involved in a bicycle accident, you need a law firm that has been tried, tested, and proven. With Brad DeBry’s decades of experience representing bicycle accident clients, the Brad DeBry Law Firm is your best choice.
With Personal Injury Law Offices in Sandy, Utah
When motor vehicles collide with bicycles, it’s easy to predict who will come out on the losing end. As with pedestrian accidents, the unfair odds involved almost always result in devastating injury to the cyclist. When such accidents are due to careless driving, the accident victim deserves compensation for damages.
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely been injured by an automobile while riding your bike. You may be in a lot of pain. You’re probably unable to work while you recover, adding paying the bills to your list of worries. You’re very likely feeling the strain of not knowing whom to turn to for help with a bicycle accident claim.
Our firm is here to help with free legal advice. Call our Salt Lake City bicycle accident lawyer today.
Don’t let concerns over having money up-front keep you from seeking answers. Call us as soon as possible to schedule your free legal consultation.
The information on this page will give you a good overview of many aspects of your bicycle accident claim. We’ll show you the common mistakes we see people make in their bicycle accident claims in Salt Lake City. Then, we’ll use a story to provide additional information about your bicycle accident claim. Make sure you read to the end to get the most from the information.
Common Bicycle Accident Claim Mistakes
There are numerous ways to damage your bicycle accident claim without realizing it. Please read through each of the mistakes listed below to keep you from making the same errors.
Not Going to the Doctor
It’s hard to imagine not going to the hospital when you’re injured in a bicycle accident. But what if you don’t know you’re injured? The body’s natural protective mechanism in traumatic situations can actually make this possible.
After a bicycle accident, you can expect your body to be flooded with stress hormones that will make it more difficult to feel pain. At the same time, you may experience a significant surge of energy. Combined, these two effects sometimes lead an accident victim to believe they are ‘fine,’ when they are not.
No matter how you feel after a serious bicycle accident, it’s best to get a medical professional to examine you. It could save your life.
Seeing a doctor will also protect your bicycle accident claim. If you fail to seek medical attention, you will not have the official record of your injuries. This can give the insurance company an opening to challenge your injuries and/or the date they occurred.
The sooner you get to a doctor after a bicycle accident, the more closely your documentation’s date and time will correlate to the accident. Having this as part of your evidence can greatly strengthen your claim.
Don’t give the insurance company the wiggle room to accuse you of exaggerating your injuries. Get a medical exam as quickly as you can after a bicycle accident.
Not Following Through with Your Doctor’s Orders
Many people make the mistake of damaging their claim by failing to adhere to their doctor’s treatment plan after they’re released from the hospital.
Your treatment plan may involve any number of things, from medications to physical or occupational therapy. It may involve a stretching regimen or chiropractic appointments. There are all kinds of ways your doctor may ask you to play your part in your recovery. The important thing is that you do so.
If you don’t, once again the insurance company can challenge you. Think of each prescription you fill and each therapy appointment you complete as another brick in building a strong claim.
This goes for getting enough rest, too.
Many of us have heard about insurance adjusters hiding in the bushes with a camera to catch someone lifting weights in their garage when they’re recovering from an injury.
These days, the insurance company doesn’t have to send an investigator to check up on you. All they need to help them is one photo tagging you on social media doing something that is clearly beyond your recommended activity level during your recovery.
Don’t help the insurance company devalue your claim. Get the rest you need and be diligent about sticking to your treatment plan.
Don’t Give a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company
This is a common mistake. People get a phone call from the insurance company after their bicycle accident and think they must provide a recorded statement. The insurance company will lead you to believe that this is “standard procedure.” You may even get the impression your claim will get bogged down or thrown out without this statement.
These things are not true. You don’t have to speak with the insurance company at all, and failing to provide a recorded statement is not going to damage your claim. In fact, the opposite is true.
When the insurance company asks to record your statement, they’re not trying to help your claim; they’re looking for ways to devalue it. That is standard procedure. They’re looking for anything that can be used to deflect blame for the accident onto you.
Don’t give them the chance. You are well within your rights to refer calls from the insurance company to your Salt Lake City bicycle accident lawyer.
Not Calling an Attorney Soon Enough
It’s understandable that it may take a few days or more to address the issue of filing a bicycle accident claim. Your first concern must be getting the medical attention you need. As soon as you’re able to do so, however, it is crucial to reach out to a qualified personal injury attorney to get a claim started.
We see many people make the mistake of using Utah’s statute of limitations as their deadline for filing a claim and finding an attorney. It’s important to know that your deadline may be shorter than you think, depending upon the nature of your claim. In addition, while statutes do provide a deadline, they don’t address the availability of evidence.
The longer you wait to find an attorney, the less evidence that attorney is going to be able to gather on your behalf. The accident scene will be cleared up fairly quickly, and evidence can be misplaced over time.
Consider, for example, that your bicycle helmet “disappears” from the scene of the accident in the confusion when the ambulance arrives. Everyone may assume it was collected by the police and documented, but later no one knows anything about it.
Without being able to produce your damaged bicycle helmet, you may find yourself in the infuriating position of being accused by the insurance company of not wearing a helmet the day of the accident.
Don’t leave yourself open to these types of outrageous challenges. And remember that witnesses can forget important details as time passes. They may also leave the area and become impossible to locate. Give your attorney the best chance to build you a strong claim by getting started as soon as you are able.
Choosing the Wrong Lawyer
Some people make the mistake of believing that any attorney will get them equal results in their claim. This mistake can lead to treating lawyers like commodities, just looking for the least expensive one you can find. It can also lead to calling the attorney your brother recommended, even though she’s a divorce attorney who dabbles in injury claims every once in a while.
It’s helpful to think of choosing a lawyer the way you’d choose a doctor. You’d look for a doctor whose training is in the area of your medical needs. Similarly, it’s important to look for an attorney whose expertise is in the area of the law you need help in.
Looking at it this way really clarifies the importance of seeking a personal injury attorney. It also helps to explain why it’s not a good idea to try and handle your own claim.
To benefit from handling your own claim, you’d need to be not just an attorney, but a personal injury attorney. On top of that, you’d need to be a personal injury trial attorney.
And on top of all of that, you’d need to be unencumbered by physical, emotional, or mental pain so that you could be as objective as possible to argue for full and fair compensation.
Statistically, people who hire qualified trial attorneys to handle their claims receive many times the compensation of those who got it alone. When you take all of these factors into consideration, the benefit of hiring a personal injury trial attorney is clear.
Salt Lake City Bicycle Accident Client Story
The story that follows is intended to show you many facets of the bicycle accident claims process. The names and specifics have been edited to protect client privacy, but you can still learn a lot from the information. Be sure to read it through. When you’re finished, please give us a call to schedule a free consultation to talk about your specific case.
On a warm July morning not so long ago, Thea Cirillo left home on her Trek and rode down to the dance studio. She loved her job teaching all different styles of dance, but salsa was her favorite. She also loved that Salt Lake City’s weather allowed her to bike to work often, even in winter.
She’d been with the dance studio for over five years, having started while in college. In addition to becoming a pro in teaching several styles of dance, Thea was quickly learning how to run a dance business. Her five-year plan going forward: opening a studio of her own. Thea smiled as she headed south, thinking about it.
On this particular morning, traffic was heavy but moving quickly. As Thea came down State Street, a car swung around the corner at Sunset, coming up behind her fast. Thea tried to get out of the way, but the car hit her bike from behind and she went flying.
Thea spent a week in the hospital. She’d suffered a concussion and fractures to her vertebrae that required spinal fusion. When she awoke from surgery, she found her big sister Chloe beside her. Chloe announced that she’d be Thea’s “new roommate” until her baby sister recovered.
Chloe had hoped Thea would come back to her old self a little when she returned home. She was disappointed to find Thea barely tuned in to what was going on around her.
Thea had been devastated to learn that her dancing career was likely over. She’d barely spoken since finding out about the spinal fusion, as if she was still in shock. Chloe suspected her baby sister would need counseling at some point to accept the turn of events.
A week after Thea had come home, she was no more responsive and was barely eating.
By the end of the first week back home, Chloe helped her sister with her daily shower and could no longer deny how much weight her sister had lost since the accident. Something had to give.
That evening, Chloe sat her sister down and told her matter-of-factly it was time to do something. At first Chloe thought Thea would ignore her. But then her face reddened and she began trembling.
“How can I do anything?” Thea suddenly shouted. “Look at me! I can’t do anything! What am I going to do, Chloe, WHAT?”
Thea was sobbing now. Chloe put her arms around her sister and let her cry. She knew it was a small breakthrough.
As Thea finally wound down, she began to talk. She talked about her dream to own a studio. She talked about missing her bike rides. She talked about the abyss of sorrow she felt that she didn’t know how to climb out of. She said it was like watching herself from a distance.
As hard as it was for Chloe to hear, she was grateful that her sister was speaking. She felt certain that on some level it meant she was ready to fight to get her life back, even if it would be different from the one Thea had planned.
As Thea talked, Chloe seared swordfish steaks; Thea’s favorite. When Chloe set the plate of fish with a side of mango salsa and sautéed arugula in front of her sister, she saw a spark.
They ate in silence. Then Chloe cleared the dishes and made them chamomile tea. As they sipped, Chloe took a deep breath. Now or never, she thought.
She told Thea she had two suggestions: counseling and calling a bicycle accident lawyer to represent a personal injury claim. She was convinced that on some level, both would help Thea to move on and reclaim her future.
Thea watched her sister over the top of her mug as Chloe slid our business card across the table and waited.
“Okay,” Thea said. Now it was Chloe’s turn to cry as she smiled and nodded.
When Thea called our office the next day, she said she had three main concerns. They were how much it would cost to hire us, how much her bicycle accident claim was worth, and how long it would take.
How much does it cost to hire a Salt Lake City bicycle accident lawyer?
When Thea and Chloe arrived at our offices the next day, Thea made it clear that she didn’t want to waste our time if she wouldn’t be able to afford us.
“I understand the consultation is free,” she said, “but I really don’t want to take up your time with my questions if I won’t be able to afford you.”
Our lawyer explained that there would be no up-front cost. “We work on a contingency model. This means that we don’t get paid unless we’re able to bring your claim to a successful resolution.”
“Really?” Thea asked.
“Really,” our lawyer answered.
How much is my bicycle accident claim worth?
“Wow, so, I guess I can go ahead with my next question,” Thea said with a smile. “How much do you think my case is worth?”
“That’s a common question, Thea. And the answer is, it’s just about impossible to tell you the value of your claim before we’ve done a thorough accident investigation. We’ll also need a solid idea of your damages, both economic and non-economic, to give you an accurate answer.
“The investigation is something we can get to work on right away. We’ll gather evidence and speak to witnesses, building out your case as though it’s going all the way to trial.
“To figure out your damages we’ll need you to help us, Thea. We’re going to need you to recover to a point called ‘maximum medical improvement.’ This means healing to the point that would be considered ‘back to normal’ by your doctors.
“Now, we understand that you’re recovering from a back injury, and those are tricky. But you may be surprised at how many of your former activities you may be able to resume, given enough care and healing. And if you aren’t able to return entirely to your ‘old normal,’ your doctors will help you define a ‘new normal.’
“We’re asking you to do everything your doctor has instructed you to do to help your body heal. This includes getting all the rest you can. We appreciate how frustrating this is, Thea, but rest is one of the most important ways you can help your body heal.
“When you reach maximum medical improvement, we’ll understand your damages, and then we’ll know what your claim is worth.”
Thea looked at the bookshelf behind the lawyer without really seeing it. After a few moments, her eyes focused on him and she nodded. “I understand. You have my total commitment to working toward my recovery.”
How long will my bicycle accident case take?
Chloe, who’d been sitting silently and taking notes, looked up at the determination in her sister’s eyes and thought she’d cry.
Resolving not to lose the momentum of the conversation, Chloe quickly cleared her throat and asked, “How long do cases like this usually take?”
The lawyer said, “That’s a great question, Chloe. Unfortunately, there is no ‘usual,’ because every case is different. But I can tell you the two factors that will determine the timeline of this claim.
“The first will be how long it takes you to reach maximum medical improvement, Thea. Once you’re there, we’ll have a clear picture of your damages. That’s when we’ll send the insurance company a demand letter.
“The second factor that will determine how long your claim takes is how the insurance company responds to our request for compensation. If they are willing to negotiate a fair settlement, your claim will move along to a swift resolution.
“If they refuse to settle, however, we’re going to need to take them to court.
“If a trial should be necessary, please don’t worry. Our firm has an established record of success in the courtroom in personal injury claims similar to yours.
“In fact, our reputation sometimes serves to keep a case out of court. The insurance companies have faced us in front of juries before. I don’t think they’ll be in a hurry to come up against us in the courtroom again any time soon.
“No matter which way your claim goes, Thea, we’re up to the task. That’s why we recommend you hire a personal injury trial lawyer with experience winning bicycle accident claims, no matter which firm you hire.”
Thea was content with the information she received in her free consultation. She retained our firm, and we can happily say that we got her eight times what the insurance company initially offered.
Call Salt Lake City Bicycle Accident Lawyer Brad Debry Today
We hope the information on this page has given you a better picture of what to expect in your bicycle accident claim. Please remember that each case is unique, and we invite you to call us as soon as you’re able for answers about your specific claim. Don’t take on the burden of your bicycle accident claim by yourself. Give us a call and let us help you.
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