Why hire a bike attorney?
Fair treatment and a just outcome. First, ensure that you are treated fairly by a system that tends to take advantage of those without an attorney.
Second, eliminate the stress and hassle of being exposed to the legal side of your case. Insurance adjusters calling to check in on you, billing aggravations, and filling out forms.
Third, take opportunity to focus on being a patient. Your job is to take care of your health. You don’t need the legal side of a claim getting in the way of that.
Maybe the better question is, “why not hire an attorney?” If I don’t exceed your expectations, you can always change your mind.
Personal attention, efficient advocacy
All bicycle injury lawyers are not the same. In representing my clients, I am attentive, strategic, informative, and effective. I take pride in the personal attention I give clients and the results I achieve by looking at each case strategically based on its strengths and weaknesses.
Hire the Chair of a group of bicycle attorneys
I started and serve as the current Chair of a national group of bicycle attorneys who exchange information and strategy about representing injured cyclists.
The American Association for Justice (AAJ) promotes justice and fairness for injured persons. The Bicycle Litigation Group is a subsection of AAJ. The Group focuses on issues that directly relate to injured cyclists, including product liability, motor vehicle collisions, and roadway design.
Focus on your health
Bike accidents are a big source of stress. You are hurt and trying to keep up with your life. You don’t have the time or energy to deal with paperwork, phone calls, billing hassles, and negotiations.
Hiring me means that your focus can be where it should be – on your life and getting back out there.
No recovery = no fee
You have heard it a million times on cheesy late-night TV commercials, but what does it mean?
I work on a contingency fee, meaning that compensation for my professional time (the “fee”) is contingent on a recovery in your case. In most cases, the fee is 1/3 of the gross recovery. If you recover nothing, then I don’t get paid for my time ($0 recovery x 1/3 = $0 fee).
I cover the costs (ex. medical record fees, court filing fees, etc) of your case and I am reimbursed for those at the conclusion of the case. I don’t spend money on a bicycle injury case unless it will increase the recovery for you. I work to keep costs low. Also, I will help you with the property damage portion of your claim for no fee.
Get your medical bills paid
The insurance maze is one of the most confusing parts of the injury claim process. I will make sure that your bills are processed correctly and paid so that your credit score is not affected. In most cases, there is auto insurance coverage available for your medical bills. Part of the service I provide for my clients is communicating with the various adjusters to make sure all coverage that applies is available to pay for treatment costs.
Free advice
If you are on the fence about hiring a lawyer, call me. Make an informed decision rather than hem and haw based on what you’ve heard or read online about the claim process. I’m happy to spend some time answering questions. I promise you a no pressure conversation.
Just compensation
The fact is that insurance adjusters do not have your best interests in mind. Maybe that sounds cynical, but it’s true. They work for a company whose purpose is to give you something to get the claim off their books, but that’s not necessarily what you deserve for your bike injury claim.
Injured cyclists who are unrepresented are treated differently than those with an attorney. The adjuster knows you are new to the system and don’t know what your claim is worth. Hiring a bicycle injury attorney means that you can be informed about the process and confident of the amount you resolve your bicycle injury claim for.
Hire an attorney who is a cyclist
I know the joy of riding a bike, but I also know what it is like to deal with careless drivers and bad roadway conditions. Motorists blame cyclists just because they are on a bike. Roadways do not always take into account the unique vulnerabilities of bicycles. Representing cyclists is the majority of my practice and I’m passionate about what I do.
I am a former road racer – stage races, crits, time trials, and even the STP (1 day). I raced with the Velo Girls down in San Francisco and then with Team Group Health in Seattle until 2009. Right now, I’m focusing on mountain biking and commuting.
I am a member of the COGnatives, an awesome Seattle-based team that supports bicycles as “simple, elegant machines meant for function, fashion and competition.” I am a proud sponsor of the team.
Don’t navigate the bicycle insurance maze alone
The best case scenario is that there are three different coverages available to pay your bicycle accident medical bills – the at-fault driver’s personal injury protection (PIP), your PIP, and then your health insurance. Between these three coverages, I work hard so that you pay nothing out-of-pocket. At the end of the case, we hope that there is adequate liability coverage on the driver’s policy to fairly compensate you for your bicycle injury claim, but if not, hopefully you have under/uninsured (UM/UIM) coverage on your auto policy to cover any inadequacy with the driver’s policy.
Many cyclists don’t realize that auto insurance coverage matters when you’re on a bike. Auto insurance kicks in because you were injured in an incident involving a car, even though it wasn’t your car. To the extent you can afford it, pay for maximum coverage for PIP and UM/UIM. Read my insurance page to learn more.
