Irvine Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Irvine Bicycle Accident Attorney
Bicycling is a healthy and enjoyable activity for many people living in the Irvine area, and some even use their bikes as local transportation, saving money on fuel costs while reducing emissions from commuting. Whatever your reasons for bicycling may be, it is vital to acknowledge the risks you face when riding near traffic, and you must know what to do if you experience an accident. An Irvine bicycle accident lawyer will be invaluable in this situation.
Irvine Bicycle Accident Lawyer – Bike Injury Attorney CA
A bike injury attorney in Irvine, CA, can help their client determine fault for a recent accident and hold the appropriate party or parties accountable for their damages. If you or a loved one recently experienced a bicycle accident in Irvine, the attorneys at Easton & Easton are ready to assist you with your recovery efforts. The right attorney can help their client prove fault, examine the full extent of their claimable damages, and guide them through the recovery process.
Our firm has decades of professional experience with all types of complex personal injury cases, including those pertaining to bicycle accidents. We know how damaging these accidents can be and that the victim is likely to have a host of complicated legal questions they will not be able to resolve on their own. With our help, you can approach your legal proceedings with confidence and have the greatest chance of successfully recovering full compensation for your losses.
An Irvine bicycle accident lawyer can not only help build your case but also shorten the time it takes for you to recover your losses by streamlining your recovery process in various ways. The sooner you connect with the team at Easton & Easton, the sooner you can start working toward your recovery with confidence and peace of mind.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents and Proving Fault
If you believe another party is directly responsible for causing your recent bicycle accident in Irvine, proving fault is an essential first step in your recovery efforts. However, the actual process of legally establishing liability for any personal injury in Irvine may be more complex than you initially expected. You must identify the party responsible for causing the accident and prove exactly how they caused it. Then, you must prove the full scope of the resulting damages.
Most bicycle accidents reported throughout Irvine happen because of negligence, which is the failure to exercise reasonable care in specific situations. Commonly cited forms of negligence responsible for bicycle accidents throughout the area include:
- Distracted driving. Whenever a driver isn’t paying full attention to operating their vehicle and their surroundings, they put themselves and all others nearby at risk. Distracted driving is a leading cause of all motor vehicle accidents in the United States each year, and bicyclists are especially vulnerable to inattentive drivers.
- When a driver exceeds the speed limit, they reduce the time they have to react to unexpected changes in traffic patterns or road conditions. Accidents that happen at higher speeds have the greatest chance of resulting in catastrophic or fatal injuries, especially if a speeding driver hits a bicyclist.
- Moving violations. Drivers have a duty of care to follow traffic signals and signs and to obey the rules of the road at all times. Moving violations are particularly hazardous for bicyclists, who are easier for other drivers to overlook in certain situations. Running red lights or stop signs, performing illegal turns, failing to yield the right-of-way, and illegal passing are just a few examples of how moving violations can cause bicycle accidents.
While most bicycle accidents reported throughout Irvine each year are the result of negligence, these accidents may also occur from illegal and intentional misconduct. The most common example of this is reckless driving, meaning a driver is intentionally violating traffic laws and driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs.
Whenever a driver causes an accident because of illegal misconduct, they face liability not only for all resulting damages but also criminal prosecution from the state. Penalties for breaking the law typically increase when a defendant has injured or killed someone with their illegal actions. For example, the penalties for DUI conviction escalate dramatically if the DUI driver caused great bodily harm or fatal injury in an accident.
Claiming Compensation for Your Damages After a Bicycle Accident in Irvine
Proving liability for your recent bicycle accident is just the first challenge you face in your recovery efforts. Next, you will need to prove the full extent of the damages you are claiming from the defendant, and you must prove that those damages directly resulted from the defendant’s actions and not any other cause. In other words, you must establish causation before you can claim any compensation from the defendant.
Your recovery process may begin with an auto insurance claim. California law requires every driver to have auto insurance that includes liability coverage for bodily injury to a single person, bodily injury to more than one person in a single accident, and property damage. However, there is no guarantee that a minimum coverage policy will fully compensate your losses or that the at-fault driver will have insurance at all.
California has one of the highest statewide rates of uninsured drivers, and it’s prudent for drivers to consider adding uninsured motorist coverage to their own policies. If you have purchased this coverage, you may be able to claim against your own policy if an at-fault driver does not have insurance. Otherwise, you will need to file a personal injury suit against the at-fault driver.
Economic Damages in Your Personal Injury Case
The plaintiff in a personal injury suit has the right to claim repayment of any direct financial losses the defendant inflicted. In a bicycle accident claim, these economic damages are likely to include:
- Property damage. You can seek compensation for the cost of repairing or replacing your bicycle as well as any other personal effects lost in the accident.
- Medical expenses. A bicycle accident can easily result in tremendous physical injuries, and the defendant will be liable for the full extent of your immediate and future medical treatment costs resulting from the accident. Your Irvine bicycle accident lawyer can ensure the defendant is held appropriately accountable for the full scope of medical care you require to recover as fully as possible.
- Lost wages. When you are unable to work because of a personal injury, California law allows you to hold the defendant accountable for the income you are unable to earn during your recovery. This also applies to future income you are no longer able to earn if you were left permanently disabled by the accident. Your attorney can help calculate how much you would have been able to earn in the future and add this to your claim.
Once you have an experienced attorney handling your case and calculating the full range of economic damages you can seek from the defendant, you may discover your claim is worth much more than you initially expected. However, you also have the right to seek pain and suffering compensation from the defendant.
This may seem difficult to put into financial terms, but you have the right to seek monetary compensation for the physical pain and psychological distress the defendant caused with their actions. California law does not place a limit on how much you can seek with your claim, but the amount sought should be a reasonable reflection of the severity of the harm you suffered.
Your Irvine bicycle accident lawyer can help determine an appropriate figure based on various details of your case, namely the time it will take for you to fully recover from your injuries, the severity of your injuries, and the manner in which the defendant caused the accident. For example, a plaintiff who has suffered a permanently disabling spinal injury is likely to recover more pain and suffering compensation than a plaintiff expected to make a full recovery.
What to Expect From Your Irvine Bicycle Accident Lawyer
When you choose Easton & Easton to represent your personal injury case in Irvine, you have a responsive legal advocate ready to help you with every aspect of your recovery efforts. The right attorney can be invaluable for every stage of your case, from gathering the evidence needed to prove fault to uncovering all the various damages you can seek from the defendant who injured you.
The statute of limitations or time limit for filing a personal injury claim in Irvine, CA, is usually two years from the date the injury occurred. This may appear to be more than enough time to file your case, but the reality is that you need to start building your case as soon as possible. It can take much longer than you expect to build your case, so the sooner you connect with an attorney, the more likely you are to meet this important deadline.
The team at Easton & Easton approaches every civil claim we accept with the goal of helping our client recover as much compensation as possible in the shortest timeframe possible. We generally seek to settle our clients’ claims outside of court if we can, but we have the experience and skills needed to represent you in court if litigation is unavoidable.
FAQs
Q: What Are Common Injuries From Bicycle Accidents in Irvine?
A: The victim of a bicycle accident could potentially sustain multiple serious injuries. A few of the most commonly reported injuries from these incidents include bone fractures, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and internal organ damage. It’s important to remember that traumatic brain injuries are especially serious, and even the highest-quality helmet can only mitigate head injuries, not prevent them entirely.
Q: How Can I Prove Fault for a Bicycle Accident in Irvine?
A: Proving liability for your recent bicycle accident in Irvine could require a combination of several types of evidence, including physical evidence from the scene of the crash, traffic camera video recordings, testimony from witnesses who saw the accident happen firsthand, and various forms of digital evidence. Your bike injury attorney in CA will be invaluable for the help they can provide in building your case.
Q: What Happens if I am Partially Responsible for Causing My Bicycle Accident?
A: California enforces the pure comparative negligence law for any civil claim in which the plaintiff shares fault with the defendant for causing the damages cited in the claim. A plaintiff found partially liable will have a fault percentage assigned, and then they lose this percentage of their case award as a penalty. For example, if you are found 25% at fault, you should expect to lose 25% of your final compensation to reflect this shared liability.
Q: Do I Need to Hire a Bike Injury Attorney in CA for My Case?
A: You are not compelled by law to hire an Irvine bicycle accident lawyer to represent your case, but doing so will significantly improve your chance of success with the claim and the likelihood of maximizing your recovery as fully as state law allows. The right bike injury attorney in CA can make handling every aspect of your case much easier and shorten the time it takes for you to recover your damages.
Q: How Much Does an Irvine Bicycle Accident Lawyer Charge for Legal Counsel?
A: The attorneys at Easton & Easton take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means our client is not required to pay upfront or ongoing attorneys’ fees; instead, we take only a percentage of the final case award we secure on their behalf as our fee. However, we only collect this contingency fee if we win the case. This billing arrangement allows you to approach your case without fear of paying more for legal counsel than you win in compensation.
The attorneys at Easton & Easton have years of professional experience helping our clients in Irvine through all types of complex personal injury cases, including bicycle accident claims. An experienced bike injury attorney in CA is an invaluable asset for your impending case, and the sooner you secure legal representation, the more likely you are to succeed with the claim. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with an experienced Irvine bicycle accident lawyer.
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The superior client service Easton & Easton provides has earned the firm an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen anew each year since 2014 by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers as one of the "Best Law Firms" for the Southern California Metro Area.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen by the LA Times Reader's Choice Poll as "The Best Personal Injury Law Firm in Orange County" for 2018.
Doug and Brian Easton have been selected as Top 100 Trial Lawyers for California each year since 2014 — honors given to less than 1% of attorneys.
Doug and Matt Easton have each been chosen as one of The Best Lawyers in America for Plaintiff's Personal Injury Litigation. Best Lawyers lists attorneys who have earned selection through exemplary legal work that attracts the notice of their colleagues. Lawyers cannot buy their way onto this list.
Brian and Matt Easton were recently honored for their efforts in securing a $1,850,000 verdict for a client in 2016, which was selected as one of the Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in California by TopVerdict.com.
Doug and Brian have each been selected by Super Lawyers, an honor given to less than 5% of attorneys. Matt Easton has been selected among Super Lawyers' Up-and-Coming Top 25 in Orange County and Top 100 in Southern Califonia, an honor given to less than 1% of attorneys under 40 years old.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen as one of the "10 Best Personal Injury Law Firms” in all of Southern California" each year Since 2015 based on client satisfaction — one of the highest honors we could ever hope to achieve.
Easton & Easton received the “People Love Us On Yelp” award in 2016 due to the exceptional client satisfaction reviews given by our clients over the years.
Doug and Matt Easton have each been featured as Premier 100 Trial Attorneys for California since 2015 — honors given to less than 1% of attorneys.
Brian and Matt Easton have each earned lifetime appointment to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum — The Top Trial Lawyers in AmericaTM through the results achieved for their clients. This is an honor given to less than 1% of attorneys in the United States.
Doug Easton has held the “AV Preeminent” Rating for over 30 years and Matt Easton received this prestigious distinction in 2015. The "AV Preeminent" rating is the highest possible rating for both legal ability and ethical standards, and is based on the legal profession’s oldest peer review rating system, dating back to 1887.
Doug, Brian, and Matt Easton have all been chosen as one of the "10 Best" Personal Injury Attorneys in Southern California each year since 2015 based on client satisfaction, an honor given to less than 1% of personal injury attorneys - and Easton & Easton houses three of them.
Brian Easton was selected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 2015. ABOTA is one of the most premier associations of trial attorneys and judges, requiring a certain number of jury trials as lead counsel and approval by a majority vote of the ABOTA board.
Matt Easton has been selected each year since 2014 as one of the Top 40 Trial Lawyers Under 40 for California by The National Trial Lawyers — an honor given to less than 1% of attorneys.
Doug and Matt Easton have each been chosen as one of The Best Lawyers in America for Plaintiff's Personal Injury Litigation. Best Lawyers lists attorneys who have earned selection through exemplary legal work that attracts the notice of their colleagues. Lawyers cannot buy their way onto this list.
Both Doug and Matt Easton have been selected as Top Personal Injury Attorneys by Avvo with scores of 10 out of 10 based on their skill, experience, results, peer evaluations, and client reviews.
Matt Easton has been selected as one of the Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys Under 40 in California for 2015 by the National Association of Personal Injury Attorneys — an honor given to less than 1% of personal injury attorneys under the age of 40.
Doug, Brian, and Matt Easton have all been selected by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel among the Nation's Top One Percent of Attorneys each year since 2017.
“We look for the human story behind every injury or wrongful death. We prepare our cases for trial; reaching out to the jury with the most compelling evidence possible for the best verdict possible. Insurance companies know this and come to the table prepared to negotiate in good faith. Call us to see how we can turn your story into fair compensation.”
Partner W. Douglas Easton
What Our Clients Say
Coming out of my first auto accident as an adult, a very difficult and scary time to navigate and understand, I was so incredibly thankful to have been put in contact with Easton & Easton. I honestly was lost with how to handle paperwork, doctors, medical costs and what next steps were, and from the moment I spoke with Travis Easton and my case manager Katie, my mind was put at ease. They have made the entire process stress free for me as I recovered, and I am so grateful for them and their genuine care for my case. Communication from the start has been fantastic, especially making clear what my expectations for the entire process would look like, and I truly believe they have my best interest at heart. 100% I would recommend their firm for anyone that is needing representation! Read more…
My experience with Easton & Easton has been amazing! Gabriel Mendoza and my case manager Katie have been so helpful and taken so much stress off my plate. They’ve been super informative and honest and given me very clear expectations. They’ve taken such a terrible experience (my accident) and eased my mind about the outcome. I can’t thank them enough!! Read more…
Ive used them twice and never been disappointed. Read more…
The Easton & Easton Law Firm is amazing! The entire team is very helpful and caring. They were always there to answer all my questions. They directed me through the entire process and stayed with me every step of the way. This team is outstanding and were wonderful to work with. Because of the tremendous effort they put on my case they were able to win my difficult personal injury case. I couldn’t have asked for a better law firm to handle my case. They are the Best! Thank you for your patience, professionalism, & guidance! I definitely recommend this firm to handle your case. They go out of their way to fight for your rights. THANK YOU… Read more…
I could not be more pleased with the services provided by the Law Offices of W. Douglas Easton. The senior partner Mr. Easton took the time to meet with me and my wife while I was still in the hospital, where he gave my family hope that there was light at the end of a very long, and very dark tunnel. Matt Easton then worked my case, and because of his dedication, experience and expertise I received a settlement that was larger than I EVER thought possible. It was truly astounding! Matt and the entire team at Easton & Easton looked out for me throughout my recovery, and in the end they gave me my life back. Five stars is not enough. Thanks Matt! Thanks Easton & Easton! Read more…
Brian and everyone at Easton and Easton are simply the BEST at what they do. Brian is thorough, easy to talk to, and truly cares about his clients. If you want a family of attorneys with perseverance and determination to fight for you, give Easton and Easton a call. I am glad I did. Read more…
What an amazing law firm, talk about going above and beyond to make such a painful experience go so well. I have referred a co-worker and a family member to them as well and everyone had such a great experience as I had. Read more…
I can’t say enough amazing things about my experience with Travis Easton at Easton & Easton. Travis and his entire team (Katie, Amy, Dee, Michelle, & Araceli) are phenomenal. It provided me a lot of comfort to know I was being so well taken care of. I was especially impressed that every document for the case was perfectly written and specific to me. Nothing was generic, which shows the level of care and attention they put into each individual case. I had such a great experience and would highly recommend Travis Easton and his firm to anyone going through a personal injury. Travis took a bad situation and made the best of it for me. Thank you again, I’m forever grateful!!
-Allee
Retaining Easton and Easton was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! From the initial consultation to our final meeting, they were nothing short of exceptional. I was forced to retain their services after firing my previous attorney for not handling the case properly. I dealt with Gabriel and Brian (partner) exclusively throughout the case. They did as promised and were great communicators throughout the entire process. I will recommend them to anyone I know going through a personal injury case. They were ultimately able to untangle the mess caused by my previous lawyer and get a result that I was extremely happy with. Their staff is exceptional as well and provided top notch customer service. Amera was also extremely helpful and easy to deal with as well.
I was in a pretty bad car accident and decided to have Easton & Easton represent me, Travis Easton to be specific. Travis Easton and his paralegal made the whole process effortless. They were so understanding and helpful! The entire thing was a gigantic mess, yet Travis managed to make it run like clockwork. I would HIGHLY recommend Easton & Easton! If you are ever in need of a personal defense attorney Easton & Easton is the firm to represent you!
They are the best law firm in Orange County period. Choosing them to represent me was the best decision of my life.
My life changed in a matter of seconds after a catastrophic spinal cord injury that left me disabled. Brian Easton and his team worked on my case non stop for 3 years and provided me the justice I deserved. I couldn’t have been more content.
I was treated with utmost respect and I felt like I was being represented by a close family member. The responses to my questions were quick and clear. What E & E has done for me is phenomenal.
My sincere thanks to Brian, Matt, Travis, Doug, Gabriel and Amera. They are what they are because of their dedication to provide high quality and professional service to their clients.
Brian Easton and his team, Gabe Mendoza and Amera Hajali, helped me during a very difficult time in my life. I had a significant injury from a car accident, and wound up seeking out Easton & Easton when I was having difficulties getting help from my doctors. The Easton team took a lot of stress off of me while acting as my advocates to help me get the care I needed, and saw my case all the way through to a healthy settlement.
They are the BEST!
I have nothing but good things to say about Easton and Easton. Brian handled my case professionally and communicated with me effectively throughout the process. He made sure that the process was effortless and as hands free as possible. This was super important for my busy schedule. I highly recommend Easton and Easton if you are ever found in a situation that you need an attorney.
I would highly recommend Easton & Easton.
I was rear ended on my home and pushed into a semi-truck. I was not sure how to go about even using an attorney.
Brian, Gab and Amera were so good about helping me thru the process and representing me.
I was able to concentrate on getting myself better knowing they had my back, taking care of the details and keeping me informed along the way
The best Law firm by far. I would highly recommend Easton & Easton, LLP and ask for Gabriel Mendoza and staff. He and his colleagues did and exceptional service. Thank you for everything. Job well done!
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