Skip To Content Call Now - No Win, No Fee 970.221.2800

Bicycle Accident Attorneys in Fort Collins, CO

We are experienced attorneys serving bicycle accident victims in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado and we produce the results to back it up.

Learn More

Injured Bicyclist

$900k

We recovered over $900,000 for a Fort Collins cyclist injured after a driver failed to stop at a red light.

Watch Bicycle Accident Overview cyclists
Bicycle Accidents We're Here to Help our Cycling Community

About Us We are a collaborative team with the ability to deliver for you.

All of our lead attorneys have extensive litigation experience against insurance companies. Our attorneys have secured multi million-dollar judgments and settlements. Many of our attorneys previously worked defending insurance companies. Now we use their experience and insight to advocate for our clients against those same insurance companies.

Learn More About Us

FAQs

We know how confusing it can be after an accident. Who will pay for your medical treatment? Should you talk with the insurance company? Here’s some common questions and answers as a starting point.

More Questions?

  • Clients are often hesitant to submit medical expenses under their Med-Pay policy. Some fear that if they submit the medical bills then the insurance company will increase their rates or decline to renew their insurance policy. Thankfully, the Colorado Division of Insurance forbids insurance companies from penalizing injured people who use Med-Pay. This includes raising their insurance rates or refusing to renew a policy because an injured person submitted medical bills to Med-Pay.

  • Some people try to settle their personal injury case without a lawyer. They think that lawyers are too expensive or that they can do it on their own and get the same result. This approach rarely works. The insurance companies’ lawyers and adjusters are skilled at lowballing people who do not have a lawyer. Injured people are not aware of what damages they can recover and fail to ask to be compensated appropriately.

    We frequently see insurance companies offer injured people a small amount of money to settle their claim, even though their damages are ten times that amount. Some clients come to us after they have battled the insurance company for years and gotten nowhere.

    Hiring a personal injury attorney will result in a better recovery for you. At HSD Law, we pride ourselves on making sure we add value to every client’s case. Hiring an attorney provides numerous benefits:

    • Insurance companies more fairly evaluate claims once an injured person is represented by a lawyer. If an insurance company lowballs our client, then it faces litigation.
    • We read the fine print in all available insurance policies—this includes both the at-fault party’s insurance policy and our client’s insurance policy. We check to see if the at-fault party has an umbrella policy or if there is additional coverage provided by an employer’s policy. We review our client’s policies for Med-Pay Coverage and Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Coverage to ensure that no money is left on the table. We also help negotiate any subrogation claims that are asserted by the client’s health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare.
    • We maximize clients’ financial recovery because we know which categories of damages an injured person can recover. We work with our clients to articulate their economic and non-economic damages and gather the evidence to support the claim. When a client’s injuries result in permanent impairment, we are experienced at attributing a monetary value to the claim.
    • We make the insurance company pay the full amount billed for the client’s medical services—not the amount actually paid for the services by the client’s health insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare.
    • We are skilled at valuing a client’s non-economic damages—this includes pain and suffering, inconvenience, and loss of enjoyment. The more severe the injuries, the greater the non-economic damages. Knowing how to evaluate, articulate, and demand payment of non-economic damages can only be gained through years of experience handling these types of claims.
    • We pay close attention to how the injuries will affect our clients in the future. We speak with doctors regarding future medical treatment our client needs and then calculate the client’s future medical expenses. When appropriate, we also consult with economists regarding what income a client will lose in the future and to calculate a client’s diminished earning capacity.

    Don’t go it alone. Together we can achieve excellent results.

  • Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage, also called UM/UIM Coverage, is insurance coverage that you purchase to protect yourself from being in an accident with someone who has no insurance, or only very little insurance. UM / UIM Coverage is especially important in Colorado, where some liability policies only total $25,000 and there are many uninsured motorists. UM / UIM coverage must be offered to purchasers of liability insurance. The amount of UM / UIM coverage can range from $25,000 to over $300,000.

    UM / UIM typically works as follows. If a motorist with only $25,000 in insurance coverage causes you $50,000 in medical expenses, then you would first collect the $25,000 from the at-fault motorist. Once those funds were collected, you would then submit a claim under your UM / UIM coverage for the rest of your damages.

Overview Your Northern Colorado Bicycle Accident Injury Lawyer

Colorado is a beautiful place to enjoy bicycling. While many people in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado enjoy bicycling for transportation and recreation, the activity puts you at risk of a personal injury. The bicycle accident attorneys at Hadfield Stieben Doutt are here for you if you’ve been involved in a bicycle crash. Bicycling has many benefits, allowing you to exercise and do your part for the environment. More Colorado communities have been integrating bike lanes and bicycle awareness programs, but the interactions between motor vehicles and bicycles are still a concern. Accidents between bicycles and cars happen every day. Bicycle accidents can also occur as a result of dangerous conditions, issues with streets and parking lots, signage, debris, and more. Cyclists can also be injured by at-large animals, including vicious dogs.

Bicycle Accidents Caused by Negligent Motorists

Motor vehicle accidents between bicyclists and motor vehicles often occur because the driver of the car does not see the cyclist. This tends to happen even if the cyclist is riding legally on the street, sidewalk, or in the bike lane. Some examples of negligent vehicle operation leading to bicycle injuries include:

  • The negligent crossing of the vehicle through a bike lane
  • Distracted driving
  • Failure to see a cyclist crossing the intersection
  • Failure to see a cyclist riding on the sidewalk
  • Failure to see a cyclist in the bike lane while opening a car door

Cycling Accidents Caused by Dangerous Conditions

If you are injured on your bicycle on someone else’s property, you may have a claim against a landowner. Landowners often fail to maintain roadways and parking lots. Common types of surface hazards include:

  • Potholes
  • Poor signage
  • Failure to remove ice or snow
  • Blind corners
  • Unmarked hazards or drop-offs
  • Poor design of a road or parking lot

What Types of Injuries Result from Bicycle Accidents?

Bicycle accidents can cause serious injuries, even if riders are wearing a helmet. Some common types of injuries resulting from bicycle accidents include:

  • Traumatic Brain Injuries – A serious bicycle accident can result in traumatic brain injuries, with symptoms that may include headaches, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, disrupted sleep patterns, depression, and more. Seek medical attention right away if you experience any of these symptoms after a bike accident.
  • Spinal Cord Injuries – Spinal cord injuries occur as a result of trauma to the vertebrae. Spinal cord injury symptoms may include extreme back pain, pressure in the back, neck, or head, weakness, incoordination or paralysis, numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or more.
  • Broken Bones – Broken bones commonly occur from a bicycle accident. These injuries may require medical hardware to be installed to heal the bone.
  • Rotator Cuff Injuries – It’s not uncommon for cyclists to experience a torn rotator cuff after an accident due to flying over the handlebars and landing on their arm or shoulder.

What Is the Colorado Bicycle Safety Act?

The Colorado Bicycle Safety Act took effect in August 2009. The Act was constructed to help clarify the relationship between cyclists and motorists on Colorado roadways. The Act includes the responsibilities of both parties, which are:

  • Motorists must allow at least three feet of space when they pass a bicyclist
  • Bicyclists who are riding side by side should move into a single file formation when motorists approach
  • Bicyclists are permitted to ride as far right in the right-hand lane as possible
  • Motorists shall not threaten, crowd, swerve, or throw things at bicyclists

Who Is Liable in a Bike Accident in Colorado?

Colorado bicycle accidents can be just as complicated as motor vehicle accidents. Determining liability often requires an attorney by your side. The Colorado tort system states that an injured bicyclist may file a claim for damages against an at-fault driver’s insurance company if a variety of conditions were met. As an injured bicyclist, you may file if the driver owed you a duty of care, violated their duty of care, and committed negligence, their negligence proximally caused your injuries, and you suffered harm as a result. Our bicycle accident lawyers can help you navigate through these complex matters.

Why Do I Need a Bicycle Accident Lawyer?

As a cyclist, you may think you have an open and shut case if you’ve been the victim of an auto accident. However, an experienced bicycle injury attorney can dramatically increase your chances of obtaining the compensation you deserve. All motor vehicles owe a duty of care to other vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians sharing the road. Accidents involving bicyclists can involve high claim amounts because bikers are more likely to have higher medical bills and longer periods of recovery and time off work to recuperate. Even so, insurance companies often employ tactics to avoid paying out claims. When they do pay, they try to settle for as little as possible. Having a personal injury lawyer represent you helps you obtain full and fair compensation for your injuries, pain, and suffering.

Fighting for Bicyclists’ Rights

If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident, you may have several ways to obtain compensation. If you were injured due to the negligence of a motor vehicle driver, you might have claims against their insurance as well as your own uninsured or underinsured motor vehicle insurance. In some cases, homeowner’s policies or general liability policies can apply to your claim as well. The accomplished injury attorneys at Hadfield Stieben Doutt serve injured bicyclists and their loved ones in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado. We produce results, and you don’t owe us any legal fees unless we recover money for you. Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.

What’s my plan?

The insurance company or corporation has a plan. You need one too. We know the actions to take and the choices to make.

You got hurt.
Don’t stress, we’ve got you covered.

More Questions?

Consultation

Each case begins with a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney. We will answer your questions. We will learn how you or a loved one was harmed. We will explain what you can expect from us, what needs to be done to obtain justice, and the timeline of the case. We can meet at our office, talk over the phone, or meet at your location if you are unable to travel. After the consultation, you choose whether to hire us as your attorneys.

Step 01

Representation

We will notify all involved insurance companies, claims adjusters, and lawyers that they must communicate with us about your case. You won’t be bothered by their phone calls, emails or letters from this point forward. If you must give a statement to anyone regarding the incident, we will advise you what to expect. We will be there with you when you give your statement. You do not pay us while your case is pending. Our fees are paid from any money we recover. If we don’t recover anything, we don’t get paid fees.

Step 02

Investigation

We will gather evidence to support your case. We will obtain incident reports, interview witnesses and investigators, and notify anyone in possession of evidence that they must preserve it for your case. We will inspect and photograph the scene of the incident and evidence involved in the incident. We will obtain your medical records and bills to support your case. We will also determine all parties who may be liable for your injuries and damages.

Step 03

Expert Involvement

When necessary, we will work with experts to obtain opinions in support of your claim. We will consult with your doctors to get their opinions about your future medical needs or permanent impairment. Sometimes, other types of experts are necessary. There are many types of experts. We know how to find the right expert for your case. For example, we may ask a crash reconstructionist to explain how a disputed collision occurred or an engineer to evaluate the danger of a property condition. We pay all experts’ fees up front.

Step 04

Settlement

In most cases, we can resolve your claim without court involvement. We compile the information described above and present it to the at-fault party or their insurance company. We request a specific monetary amount as compensation for you. If we reach a settlement, then your claim is resolved and we turn to resolving reimbursement obligations.

Step 05

Litigation

In some cases, you must file a lawsuit to obtain a fair recovery. We will give you our opinion about whether any offer on the table is fair, but it’s your choice whether or not to file a lawsuit. The vast majority of court cases are still settled without a trial. A trial is rarely necessary.

Step 06

Reimbursement Obligations

If any form of health insurance paid for your medical bills, then it probably has the right to be repaid from any money you recover. For more detail on this topic, see our FAQ on subrogation. Throughout your case, we will remain in contact with these insurers. We will negotiate with them to get them to reduce or waive their claims so that you keep more of the recovered money.

Step 07

Disbursement

You receive your net settlement check, free and clear of all obligations. We have resolved all of the issues related to your claim. Your case is officially closed.

Step 08
970.221.2800