Outdoor cycling can be a great activity and form of exercise. Tampa Bay’s famously mild climate makes it an ideal place for cyclists to ride year-round. The Cass Street bike corridor toward Ybor City and Jackson Street Corridor south provide downtown riders with sheltered lanes that separate them from traffic. In addition, the Tampa Riverwalk provides cyclists with an easy way to get to Tampa’s best attractions.
Unfortunately, accidents between bicyclists and motorists continue to occur despite the bike-friendly features of our city. Each year, thousands of cyclists within the state of Florida become injured. Often, drivers not exercising cautious driving causes temporary or permanent injuries.
Common injuries from bicycle accidents include:
Distracted drivers are a common cause of the numerous bicycle accidents occurring in Florida, and bicyclists observing all the laws and proposed safety precautions become sudden victims.
If you or your loved one suffered injuries while cycling by the fault of another driver, you might qualify for compensation. The personal injury attorneys at LMD Injury Lawyers always offer free consultations and are here to discuss your Florida bicycle injury. Speak with a Tampa Bay bicycle accident lawyer today.
Our skilled personal injury team can navigate the injury process and seek compensation for your pain and suffering. We can also resolve your medical expenses. Our experienced Tampa Bay bicycle accident attorneys will communicate with the insurance companies and your medical providers. We’ll take care of the paperwork and legal filings for your case while carefully adhering to legal statutes and deadlines.
At the LMD Injury Lawyers, we have a full trial team of experienced litigators. Although your case may not go to trial, we prepare each case as if it might. We prepare evidence you may need should your case go before a jury. Our skilled settlement team will negotiate your settlement, saving your time, money, and effort better applied to your physical recovery.
In any legal matter, the at-fault party is the negligent party that caused the injured claimant’s pain and injuries. The plaintiff must establish proof of negligence or carelessness when filing a claim. Our skilled Tampa Bay bike accident attorneys are always mindful of Florida laws, including Florida bicycle laws for injury matters.
In many bicycle accident cases, motorists are at fault and therefore liable for any injuries victims suffer.
There are many forms of motorist negligence that can result in bicycle accidents, including:
Two accidents of particular concern for bicycles are dooring accidents and right-hook accidents. Dooring accidents occur when a parked driver opens a door into a bike lane without checking to see if a bike is coming, resulting in a collision between a bicyclist and the vehicle’s door.
Right-hook accidents occur when a driver passes a bicyclist approaching an intersection and then takes a right turn into the bicyclist’s path, causing a crash. In both of these situations, motorists are typically liable for any injuries cyclists suffer.
Find an attorney as soon as you can after a bicycle accident. The insurance company you are dealing with will do everything to settle your case for as little as possible. Working with an attorney will ensure that your rights are protected and that you obtain the full value of your claim.
Most bicycle accident lawyers in Tampa work on a contingency fee basis. This fact means that your lawyer will only collect legal fees if they successfully negotiate a settlement or obtain a court award on your behalf. If you do not obtain compensation, you will not owe any legal fees.
School bus accidents in the Tampa region are an unfortunately all-too-common occurrence. Each year, over 33 percent of all traffic fatalities are school transportation-related.
Some recent news reports have shared some disturbing findings of recent school bus accidents—including that some school bus drivers continue to transport students despite having numerous prior driving offenses on their record. Some of these drivers have even caused prior crashes, yet school districts still let them get behind the wheel of a bus with young children as passengers.
Several individuals and entities might be responsible for a bus accident. First, the bus driver may be liable for the crash. Bus driver negligence is one of the most common causes of school bus accidents, and negligence can take several forms. Often, negligence involves a driver who violated a traffic law or regulation (Florida Statutes § 316), engaged in distracted driving, or operated the bus while they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs (Florida Statutes § 316.193).
School bus drivers owe their passengers a higher duty of care than other motor vehicle drivers because they transport young school children to and from school daily. They must maintain a special driver’s license, and as such, they must abide by a higher standard of care than the driver of a non-commercial vehicle. A bus driver should handle each situation as a “reasonable bus driver” would, and if they depart from this standard and cause harm, they are negligent.
School bus drivers often violate this reasonable duty of care when they violate various traffic laws. For example, they might operate their buses far over the posted speed limit, fail to use a turn signal when necessary, fail to maintain the bus, or fail to yield the right-of-way at a stop sign or traffic light. When school bus drivers violate these standard traffic laws, they significantly increase the chances of an accident that leads to passenger injuries.
School bus accidents also happen when drivers engage in distracted driving. This occurs when a driver pays attention to something other than driving. A school bus driver can become distracted when they text and drive or use another electronic device.
Even having their head turned to discipline a student on the bus can divert their attention away from the road, leading to a severe collision. Even when the driver looks away for a second or two, it can be long enough for them to miss an oncoming motor vehicle or another road obstacle.
Finally, school bus accidents happen when bus drivers operate their vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Since bus drivers are professional drivers, they have stricter rules about impaired driving than the drivers of passenger vehicles. When a driver operates a bus while intoxicated or impaired, they significantly increase the chances that they will cause a collision.
Alcohol, in particular, can significantly impair a bus driver’s physical abilities and prevent them from seeing clearly. In addition, alcohol can delay a driver’s reaction time. As a result, the driver might not stop their bus in time to avoid a severe impact with another vehicle.
School districts are responsible for making sure they employ capable drivers who have good driving records without a history of prior driving infractions, accidents, or crimes. When school districts do not do their due diligence when hiring drivers or when they retain a problem driver, they increase the chances of an accident.
Depending on the circumstances of an accident, a school district can be on the line for negligent hiring, negligent retention, or negligent supervision over a school bus driver who later causes an accident.
School districts also might have vicarious liability if they employed the bus driver. If a separate bus company employed the driver and contracted with a school, that business might be on the hook for vicarious liability.
Entities that perform repair work on a bus must complete their job properly. When they fail to do so and a bus malfunctions in the middle of the road, a serious accident with another vehicle can occur. In many instances, it takes expert testimony at trial to prove that negligent repair work caused or contributed to a school bus accident.
Bus part manufacturers must ensure that they manufacture their products safely and that they properly test their products before selling them. Steering devices, transmission systems, and braking components are especially susceptible to malfunction if manufacturers and designers do not do the necessary work beforehand.
If a bus accident victim can demonstrate—usually through expert testimony—that a collision occurred because of a defective part, the accident victim might file a claim against the responsible product manufacturer or distributor.
If your child has suffered injuries in a school bus accident that resulted from someone else’s negligence, you have legal rights and options. The skilled team of bus accident lawyers at Lucas, Macyszyn & Dyer Injury Firm can help you explore these options and can file a claim against all potentially responsible parties in your child’s case. We can then work to get your child the compensation they deserve to recover for their injuries.
Bus passengers have very little protection at the time of an accident. Many buses do not have seat belts, so a collision can severely jar a passenger around – especially a young child. Passengers commonly strike the inside of the bus, including windows, walls, and floors, which can lead to several traumatic injuries. Some passengers might fall through windows or on top of one another if a bus rolls over.
Passengers are not the only ones who might suffer injuries, as a bus might collide with another car, injuring the occupants. Buses are much larger than passenger cars, so they often cause serious injuries and damage in a collision.
Common injuries that victims sustain in bus crashes include:
Following an accident, the injured victim may require significant medical care. Some injuries might heal after a few weeks or months, but they still leave behind costly medical bills. A child might miss school and fall behind if they have severe injuries. An injured adult might miss work and lose income.
Other injuries have lasting effects, and a victim might have their entire life changed by the bus crash. In tragic scenarios, bus accident victims do not survive their injuries.
If you or your child has sustained any of these injuries in a bus accident, the Tampa bus accident attorneys at Lucas, Macyszyn & Dyer Injury Firm are here to help. Our team can handle all of the legal aspects of the case while your child focuses on getting better and fully recovering from their accident-related injuries.
If you have suffered injuries in a bicycle accident that someone else’s negligence caused, you should speak to a Tampa Bay bicycle accident lawyer as soon as you can. At LMD Injury Lawyers, we will review your case at no cost to you and determine whether you have a claim.
To schedule your free case evaluation, call our office today at
(727) 591-3933 or
contact us online.
I absolutely recommend Lucas Magazine to everyone looking to find an attorney that’s all for you!!
I love how they took their time to please me with what outcome I wanted for my case! After watching
my friend go through attorney after attorney with another firm, I did not go through that here!
They are amazing, and honest about everything! Yvette hands down is the best paralegal!
What a kind, beautiful woman!! Martin is an amazing attorney who will fight for YOU!! If you want
to win your case this is the attorney for you!! They always answer your questions and value your opinion!
You guys are amazing!! Your customer service is like no other! Thank you! If I ever need an attorney again,
you’ve got my business!
(727) 849-5353