A lawyer who does not specialize in bicycle injury cases may have no clue regarding the special issues carbon frames present after they have been involved in a collision. A lawyer who mostly deals with car crash victims wouldn’t necessarily understand about the safety concerns with a carbon frame hitting the pavement at 15 or 18 mph, leaving no apparent frame damage. The majority of bicycle shops, however, understand such a carbon frame probably needs to be replaced even if they show no obvious evidence of damage after a collision. An experienced bicycle injury lawyer knows how to ask the right questions of the bike shop in order to give you the best chance of having your carbon frame replaced after a collision, leaving no obvious damage.
An Experienced Bicycle Injury Lawyer Should Know How to Get Your Bike Replaced
In Florida, insurance companies do have the right to depreciate a bicycle that has been totaled or substantially damaged. Working with an experienced bicycle injury lawyer gives you the best opportunity of getting full replacement without depreciation in many cases.
You should talk to your lawyer before repairing or replacing your frame, components, or equipment after being hit by a vehicle. The wrecked bike, equipment, and your helmet are part of the crash evidence. Do your best to help police at the scene of the incident. Note the details about where all the pieces were located and include them in their crash report. It’s the official record of what happened and is therefore vitally important. Taking photographs is probably the best evidence because the debris field may be scattered on the road or highway and is key to proving how the collision occurred.
Florida Bicycle Insurance Companies
It is also possible to insure your bike frame against its damage or destruction. There may be other reputable bicycle insurance carriers in Florida, but we are most familiar with Velosurance. This company writes bicycle policies that allow you, as the bicycle owner, to choose the deductible of $150 or $250 or whatever amount you can afford and are comfortable with. If there’s an accident claim and they pay, all you have to come up with is that deductible figure. And they are not going to depreciate your bike like other insurance companies will. Overall, it’s easier to pay for the annual premium than it is to ante up the full bicycle replacement cost of anywhere from $1500 to $10,000 or more.
We get a surprising number of calls from riders who hit posts, parked cars, or simply have their bikes fall off their car racks. Velosurance is an all-risk coverage type of insurance, meaning it protects against theft, and it protects your bike if it’s hit by a car with no insurance. Or if you back over it in the driveway or countless other unpredictable ways a bike can be damaged. The company does have policy requirements about situations they’ll cover, so you need to ask specifically about them.
Experienced Florida Bicycle Injury Lawyer
Attorney Jim Dodson, The Florida Bike Guy, has helped hundreds and hundreds of Florida bike crash victims receive fair and just compensation for their damaged or destroyed bicycles. If you have been injured in a bike crash and he represents you in your bike injury claim, there is no attorney fee for settling your bicycle property damage claim if it can be done without the need for a lawsuit.
