Philadelphia Bicyclists Beware - Most Motorists Who Share the Highway with You Either Have No Insurance or Minimal Insurance
Most of time when a bicyclist collides with a motor vehicle the injuries are severe and often catastrophic. Unfortunately with the uninsured and underinsured motorist pandemic in Philadelphia, many times bicycle accident victims and clients come to our office with extensive and permanent injuries without adequate coverage available from the striking vehicle.
Recently a bicycle rider who had been in an accident with a minimally insured car contacted my office with multiple broken bones and permanent nerve damage with a minimal $15,000 policy from the other side. Her first attorney suggested that there was nothing more that he could do for her and she should take the $15,000. What this other attorney did not do, in fact, was perform a complete asset search of the defendant nor consider the ramifications of this client’s own underinsured motorist coverage through her automobile policy.
This lawyer would state that the client’s first lawyer was looking for the “easy” answer to a problem and committing legal malpractice by failing to understand the specifics of bicycle and automobile law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If the client had signed the Release for the minimal $15,000, she would neither have been able to cover her medical bills nor make a proper compensatory damage recovery for pain and suffering.
Unfortunately all too many times I see the results of these cases when it is too late. Many times people choose to go to an attorney who is a general jack-of-all-trades attorney who writes wills, does divorces, as well as corporate affairs with minimal understanding of personal injury who does not have complete knowledge and background with regard to the handling of automobile and bicycle accidents. Remember it is your case and you only get one bite at the apple. So make sure that you are properly represented.
If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a bicycle accident or car accident, please contact one of the experienced Philadelphia personal injury lawyers of Reiff and Bily for a free consultation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
