Bicycle Accident Lawyer Toronto: What happens when a Cyclist hits a Car or Causes an Accident?

 Riding on the road every day puts you at risk of road accidents. At some point, everyone has had a fair share of misses or collisions with other road users. While in most  car accidents that involve a bicycle or motorbike, the car owner ends up in trouble; in some accidents, the cyclists are the ones to blame and might even be sued for damages. When this happens, contact a bicycle accident lawyer Toronto immediately. Here are some of these scenarios.

Negligence

Most accidents and property damage occur due to negligence. It can be due to negligence of the cyclist, the driver, the road maintenance office, the local council, or the manufacturer of the vehicle, bike, or motorbike. The main focus of this blog is cyclists.

Cyclists must ensure they are not riding in a way that can be considered negligent. Negligent riding involves acts such as:

Skipping the red lights

Not giving way

Driving against traffic

Riding without appropriate gear

And riding in the dark with no lights

Ensure to familiarize yourself with highway codes of cycling to avoid negligence cases.

What should a cyclist do in case of an accident?

If you experience an accident while riding, here is a checklist of things you should do before contacting a bicycle accident lawyer Toronto.

•    Stop – stop riding, dismantle your bike and pull over to a safe area.

•    Seek emergency services – if you or anyone else in the accident scene has been injured, call 911 and an ambulance for help.

•    Exchange Details – get the details of the parties involved in the accident, including their vehicle registration numbers, names, address, insurance details, and other relevant information.

Any accident must be reported to the police as soon as possible. Also, getting the details of the people involved will help your bicycle accident lawyer Toronto sort your case much faster.

Types of Fee Structures Charged By Personal Injury Law Firms Toronto

 The average payout for personal injury cases is $53,000. This means that when you are injured because of someone else’s negligence, you can get a reason to smile on a huge payday. Nonetheless, when pursuing your case and envisioning the payout, you should factor in the fees personal injury law firms Toronto charge for their services. Attorneys will charge you depending on how long your case will take and the type of case. Here are these types of fees.

Hourly rates

Like most professionals, lawyers can charge for their services by the hour for the time they spend working on your case. The rate is almost the same for estate, labor, and business lawyers. However, most personal injury law firms Toronto will not charge by the hour.

Flat fee

Flat fees are common in estate planning, criminal cases, and the drafting of wills. This option can be great for clients since they know exactly how much they will pay their lawyers. It also keeps dishonest attorneys from dragging their feet when handling your case so that they can bill you more because they take more time. However, clients with personal injury lawsuits are rarely charged a flat fee.

Contingency fee

This is the leading option for personal injury law firms Toronto. Here, you will pay your attorney a percentage of the money you get as compensation for your claim. This means you will not pay upfront for a lawyer’s services. The agreement will prove beneficial when you have no money to pay an attorney to represent you.

Some personal injury lawyers charge a modified contingency fee, often for cases with low odds of recovery. In this structure, you will pay an hourly rate plus a specified flat contingency fee. The flat contingency fee here is lower than the non-modified contingency fee, and the hourly rates are also often lower than the typical rates.