In Florida, serious bike accidents usually involve a vehicle, like a car, van, or pickup truck. In the most severe bike accidents, a bicyclist gets hit by a semi truck or a delivery truck. Unfortunately, bicycle accidents are very common in Florida. In fact, Florida has some of the highest numbers of fatal bicycle accidents in the country.
When our bicycle accident clients come to us, they often want to know a fair or average settlement for bicycle accident claims in Florida. It’s an important question because these people have often racked up thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost wages.
Although many of our bicycle accident clients are in Orlando, we represent people injured in bike accidents all over the state of Florida. Thus, the information in this article will be most relevant to bike accident victims in Florida. However, if you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident, it’s likely that this article will be at least somewhat relevant to, regardless of where you live or where you were injured. Now, let’s talk more about the average settlements for bicycle accidents in Florida.
Is There a Bicycle Accident Compensation Calculator?
Unfortunately, no. It’s just not that simple to value a personal injury lawsuit. Calculating and estimating the value of a bicycle accident case in Florida involves weighing a number of factors. In other words, there is no secret formula, algorithm, or calculator for determining the proper value of a bicycle accident case. The facts of every bicycle accident case in Florida are unique, and thus each bicycle accident case will require a fact-based determination to come up with fair or just value.
Important Factors to Consider When Determining the Value of a Bicycle Accident Claim in Florida
As we talked about above, there is no secret bicycle accident calculator or formula for determining the value of a bike accident injury claim. Instead, there are usually a number of factors at play that can make a case more or less valuable, depending on the facts of a particular case. Thus, bicycle accident settlement amounts will vary from case to case.
Some of the most important factors in determining the value of a bicycle accident case in Florida include the following:
- Type of injury;
- Severity of injury;
- Whether there is a permanent injury;
- The amount of medical bills;
- Insurance coverage available;
- The degree of the at fault driver’s negligence or recklessness;
- Whether the bicyclist is partially at fault for the accident; and
- Where the bicycle accident occurred.
Although it’s possible to roughly estimate the value of a bicycle accident without analyzing the relevant factors, the best way to get an accurate value is by performing a thorough investigation into the facts of the case. However, even with a thorough analysis and an accurate estimate, the ultimate recovery in a bicycle accident case, how much the other side will pay, will depend upon what the insurance adjusters and defense attorneys believe the case could bring at trial in front of a jury.
The last variable we will talk about in this article is the plaintiff. More specifically, the value of a case in front of a jury at trial could depend upon how the jury feels about the plaintiff and whether the jury trusts the plaintiff. In other words, would the jury see the plaintiff as trustworthy and charming? Do they believe the plaintiff’s story? If so, the case could be worth more money than if the jury doesn’t like the plaintiff or believe the plaintiff’s story.
Accordingly, the way a plaintiff presents himself or herself to the other side could influence whether the other side wants to settle the case or take it to trial. In other words, the defense knows when they’re dealing with someone that can win the hearts of the jurors.
Overall, the value of a bike accident settlement can depend upon a number of factors that are unique to each case. Additionally, the value can depend upon the plaintiff. The best way to get an accurate valuation is to speak with a bike accident attorney about your case.
