Potholes represent a massive threat to the safe travel of Madera cyclists. A deep hole in the road surface can send a rider down to the pavement or knock them into the vehicles beside them. Injuries can be devastating. Fortunately, victimized riders can seek compensation for their hardships and the time they are forced to give up bike rides.
A Madera bicycle accident lawyer represents victims and can often win full compensation from a city, county, or California department that is negligent in road repairs. Our skilled lawyers offer a free, no-obligation case consultation to all bicyclists. If you do need our help to earn more, we also make sure there are no upfront fees. If you hire us, we don’t get paid unless we win your case. Then our fee comes out of the settlement you win.
Who Is Responsible for My Bicycle Crash Caused by a Pothole?
On city streets, the City of Madera would be liable for accidents caused by excessive potholes and inexcusable delays in fixing them. On county roads, the Madera County Public Works would be liable for repairs and accident prevention.
They can be liable for a rider’s medical bills, both current and those expected in the future. Riders should receive help in supporting themselves while they can’t go to work and earn a paycheck. Families who lose a loved one due to a bicycle accident involving a bad pothole should also receive support for funeral costs, and the financial and emotional support they’ll be forced to deal with.
Unfortunately, filing an injury claim or a wrongful death claim can be especially difficult when a government entity is involved. The City of Madera enjoys special protection against litigation. First, they can reject a claim that has missed a very short statute of limitations. With government cases, victims usually have just six months to file a claim or lose their chance forever.
Madera will also have government lawyers to protect itself. These lawyers will be looking for reasons to blame your accident on you. They might claim you were clumsy or weren’t watching where you were going.
They’ll also look for mistakes on the complex paperwork that must be filed. Any error could be used as an excuse to reject your claim.
It’s best to have a lawyer on your side, ready to stack up the evidence and put pressure on government agencies to accept responsibility for their carelessness. Your Maison attorney would file all paperwork for you, correctly and on time, and then get to work earning you the maximum in support possible.
Bicycle Pothole Hazards in Madera
Bicyclists already deal with plenty of threats to their safety as they ride on busy streets, like Cleveland Avenue. Riders have to stay in complete, precise control of their bicycles to avoid speeding drivers and motorists drifting between lanes.
Even with bike lanes available, cyclists must often jump out of lanes when delivery trucks are parked on them. They also have to watch for turning cars veering into a bike lane at intersections.
These obstacles become nearly impossible to avoid when broken pavement suddenly makes riders have to focus on staying upright and straight. Riders taking a sudden dip into a deep pothole can be sent off course and into the rush of traffic or into a stationary object like a tree.
They can also be sent over their handlebars to land on the road surface, perhaps in the path of cars, SUVs, trucks, vans, and motorcycles. They can suffer broken arms and legs, skin damage, and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs).
Getting help from the city crew that ignored the pothole or only put a temporary patch on it may be difficult, but Maison Law has decades of experience standing up to government agencies to win victims full support for their recoveries.
How To Win Your Injury Claim If You Are Hurt By a Pothole While Riding a Bike
One way to build a strong case against the City of Madera or the California DOT is to trust your injury claim to an experienced lawyer. Your lawyer would fully investigate your accident and those at fault for creating or ignoring a pothole issue.
If a pothole had been reported as a danger before or had caused an accident before, that would be evidence against the City of Madera’s Street Division and Street Maintenance crew. Potholes on Madera streets can be reported here.
Your lawyer sets out to prove the city knew about the pothole issue, or should have known, and didn’t take action in a reasonable amount of time.
A lawyer can help you build evidence to show the city’s negligence. You can also help with gathering proof by taking it upon yourself to gather details right there on the scene. Contact 911 and request an ambulance if you are hurt, and then, once the scene is secure, try to capture a few pieces of evidence:
- Take photos of the pothole with your phone. Try to show a sense of scale of how wide and deep it is. Make sure you can find the pothole again, even if the City of Madera quickly fills it in. Show any visible injuries you have and any damage to your clothing and bike.
- Get contact information from witnesses.
- Get driver information from anyone who struck you or that you ran into. Even though a pothole caused you to crash, a driver who was going too fast to be able to stop to avoid hitting you could still be liable for a portion of the accident.
- Keep all evidence. Don’t throw out any bloody or ripped clothing. Preserve them in a plastic bag and don’t wash them. Keep your damaged bike until your attorney gives you instructions on what to do with it.
- See your doctor. Make an appointment with your personal physician, even if you’ve already been to the emergency room. Let your doctor know what happened and have every injury documented, especially the previously hidden ones that started hurting the day after the accident. Sometimes the shock of a crash can hide the severity of an injury in the first 24 hours. Follow your doctor’s instructions.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Bicycle Accident in Madera?
If you are struck by a careless driver or taken down by a pothole and your injuries are serious, you may win much more for your injury claim with a skilled lawyer’s help. A local bicycle accident lawyer can help prevent a car insurance company from trying to shift the blame in the accident. A skilled lawyer can also help an injured rider earn more to cover current medical costs and the costs for care in the future.
A lawyer can also help you file an injury claim against the City of Madera if you are seriously hurt after going over a pothole or a crack in a sidewalk.
If you are unsure if you need a lawyer’s help, there’s an easy way to find out. You can contact Maison Law for a free, confidential case consultation. There’s no obligation, but if you need our help, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay a lawyer. Maison Law doesn’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company must send you.
