Residents of Washington State are famously active and fond of the outdoors, just like residents of Gig Harbor. Even while Puget Sound beckons many with its appealing waters, a great number of locals prefer to spend much of their time outdoors aboard bicycles. Bicycling can certainly be an extremely rewarding sport to partake of, but it also exposes participants to some real dangers. Chief among these are the possibility of being struck by a car or truck piloted by inattentive drivers, and many of these incidents result in significant injuries.
When that happen, speaking to a personal injury attorney in Gig Harbor like Anthony Otto will generally be a good idea. Some riders who are struck by cars end up disoriented and unaware of the extent of their injuries until quite a bit later. While it can be tempting to tell the other party that everything is fine and there will be no need for further contact, it is probably a big mistake.
The single most common reason for a bicyclist needing to contact a personal injury attorney in Gig Harbor is a style of accident sometimes called a “right hook.” As a bicyclist moves down the right side of a road, whether in a dedicated bike lane or simply near the shoulder, cars will often pass by at higher speed. When one of these drivers then makes a right turn without accounting for a bicycle that was recently passed, a collision will often result.
When that happens, the driver will normally be legally responsible, but this is not always clear to those involved. Because a right-hook collision will involve a bicyclist striking the side of a car that has just turned across its path of travel, some bicyclists and drivers alike will assume that blame belongs to the rider.
In some cases, even bicyclists who have been badly injured by the negligence of drivers acting this way end up paying for their own medical costs as a result. In situations like this and others, it typically makes sense to contact an attorney before agreeing to such outcomes.
