You can ride a bike pretty much anywhere in McAllen, whether you do it for exercise, fun, or just to get around. Road cyclists in the Lower Rio Grande Valley have plenty of options for rides on the area’s relatively flat terrain. McAllen residents looking for an easy way to commute or run an errand can take advantage of the city’s designated bike lanes and the BCycle bike share program. And, of course, take a stroll through a McAllen neighborhood any evening and you are sure to see kids out riding bikes, as they always have.
Living and working in a bike-friendly city has lots of advantages, but also comes with a downside. Hidalgo County consistently ranks among the top ten counties in the Lone Star State for bicycle crashes and fatalities, a grim toll that serves as a reminder of the potential dangers of taking to the road on two wheels.
Many bicycle accidents in McAllen and the greater-RGV happen because of the careless and dangerous decisions and actions of someone other than the cyclist. The bicycle rider victims of those accidents deserve compensation for their injuries and losses. Our McAllen personal injury lawyers can help them get it.
If a bicycle accident in the McAllen area has left you or a loved one badly injured, contact our McAllen bike accident lawyers today for a free consultation to learn about your legal and financial rights.
Clients who walk into the Patino Law Firm at 1802 N. 10th Street in McAllen for the first time sometimes do a double-take when they see “Dr.” in front of the name of the lawyer they’ve come to meet. Sometimes, we even have to assure them they’re in the right place! Yes, we tell them, it’s Dr. Louis Patino. He’s the lawyer you’re here to meet.
We’ve gotten used to the confusion, and to be honest, we consider it a badge of honor. Our founder is a rare find in the legal world. Not only is he a licensed attorney, he is also a proud U.S. Army veteran who served as a Combat Medic with the 10th Mountain Division, and he holds advanced degrees in chiropractic medicine and anatomy.
Dr. Patino’s background in field trauma medicine, chiropractics, and anatomy gives him a unique and valuable perspective in his representation of McAllen-area bicycle accident victims. How many lawyers do you know who can read a medical chart and understand everything it says? How many lawyers have not just represented people with injuries like yours, but have treated many of them?
We’d bet you could count the number of lawyers who fit that description on one hand. Dr. Patino is one of them, and he puts his medical knowledge to work every day in fighting to secure compensation for clients who have suffered severe injuries because of someone else’s careless or reckless actions.
The types of injuries cyclists can suffer in a McAllen bicycle accident range far and wide. In virtually any kind of accident, the bicycle rider runs a high risk of sustaining serious, life-threatening injuries. After all, except for a helmet, most bicyclists wear virtually no protective gear to cushion the impact of a crash. Instead, their bodies take the brunt of the collision.
As a former Combat Medic and trained chiropractic doctor, Dr. Louis Patino has in-depth knowledge of the ways that violent trauma can harm the human body.He puts that knowledge to use for his clients who sustain injuries in McAllen bicycle accidents, including for clients who suffer:
No matter what kind of injury you or a loved one suffered in a McAllen bicycle accident, Dr. Louis Patino has the training and know-how to both understand the medical science of your injury, and to build a case on your behalf for the maximum compensation available under Texas law.
A bicycle accident can happen in McAllen because of any number of factors cyclists can’t control. Many, for example, result from the careless or reckless actions of motorists, some of whom do not share the road well with bicyclists. Others have more complicated root causes. Let’s take a look at a few of the more common ways that clients of Patino Law Firm could get injured in a bicycle crash.
Texas law says that McAllen bicyclists have every bit the same right to use the roads as drivers of cars and trucks. Unfortunately, motorists do not always see things that way. For whatever reason, some drivers do not take well to sharing the roads with cyclists, and their attitude shows in the way they drive.
Aggressive driving behaviors that can lead to a deadly bicycle accident in McAllen include:
Friendly as McAllen is for bicycling, ride a bike long enough and you are sure to have a scary experience with one of these types of dangerous driving behaviors. Any of them can throw a cyclist off balance and cause a crash.
Traffic laws in Texas also require motor vehicles to yield the right of way to bicyclists in many instances, just as they would to any other vehicle. Unfortunately, drivers often fail to consider cyclists as they would other vehicles, either because of the aggressive attitudes described above, or out of carelessness. Sometimes, drivers do not even see cyclists right in front of them, a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness.
Whatever the reason, failing to yield the right of way can cause a dangerous bicycle crash. Often, these accidents happen when drivers turn left across an oncoming lane right in front of a cyclist. The cyclist collides with the side of the car, with potentially catastrophic results. Other right-of-way accidents include cutting off a bicyclist by turning right or changing lanes.
Bicyclists who ride on the side streets in downtown McAllen where cars and trucks can parallel park must stay alert to avoid getting doored. A dooring happens when the occupant of a vehicle opens a door into the path of a bicyclist approaching from behind. The cyclist does not have enough time to avoid the door and instead slams into it. The collision can send the cyclist flying over the door and onto the pavement ahead.
Other areas in downtown McAllen allow vehicles to park at an angle to the sidewalk. On these streets, bicyclists face the hazard of a vehicle backing into the path of the bicycle, resulting in a collision between the bike and the rear end of the car. As with dooring, these collisions can send cyclists over their handlebars and onto the street beyond.
As we said, some bicycle accidents in McAllen have causes that do not necessarily reflect the unsafe practices of motorists. Many of these other accidents instead occur when a bicycle rider in McAllen encounters a dangerous, preventable road condition that someone should have fixed or at least warned the cyclist about. These conditions might include debris or spills in the streets, broken pavement, or a sudden transition from pavement to gravel. Road hazards like these that would not have much, if any, effect on a car or truck can throw a bicycle out of control, resulting in a serious wreck.
No matter how a bicycle accident happened in McAllen, Dr. Louis Patino has the experience and know-how to get injured cyclists the compensation they need for their injuries.
Victims of McAllen bicycle accidents have rights. Under Texas law, they can seek compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial burden of their injuries by taking legal action against anyone whose unreasonably dangerous decisions or actions caused their crash. Patino Law Firm can help.
Experienced lawyers like Dr. Patino know that to obtain maximum compensation for their clients injured in a McAllen bicycle accident, they must first identify all parties who owe their client money damages under Texas law.
Every case is different, of course, but Dr. Patino will often explore whether the following parties have potential legal liability for his clients’ bicycle accident injuries:
These are just a few examples of the parties who could face legal liability for a McAllen bicycle accident. Speak with Dr. Patino at Patino Law Firm today to learn about who may owe you money for your bicycle crash.
Dr. Patino also works closely with his clients to evaluate the full impact of a McAllen bicycle crash on their lives.
His clients are often surprised to learn that taking legal action can secure compensation to pay for a wide range of damages, including:
Dr. Patino cannot promise that every client will obtain compensation. He can, however, put his considerable medical and legal knowledge to work in making sure that any legal action he takes for a client seeks the maximum compensation Texas law allows.
Cyclists in McAllen, whether they ride for exercise, recreation, or to get around, benefit from bicycle-friendly roads and a climate that makes it possible to ride all year round. Unfortunately, the popularity of cycling in McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley region also means our streets and highways see their fair share of serious bicycle accidents.
Victims of cycling accidents in and around McAllen often have numerous, pressing questions about their legal and financial rights. Below, we answer some of the questions we hear most frequently. For answers to your specific questions about a bicycle accident in McAllen that left you or a loved one injured (or worse), contact our experienced bicycle accident injury attorneys today.
It all depends on what happened, but there is a good chance you can.
In Texas, anyone whose dangerous or reckless actions cause someone else injury is legally liable to that person for money damages. In our experience, most McAllen bicycle accidents occur because of the wrongful conduct of someone other than the bicycle rider. That’s why we say there’s a good chance you have a case.
Speak with an experienced McAllen bicycle accident injury lawyer as soon as you can to explore whether you have a claim.
The particular circumstances of your bicycle accident will determine who may be legally liable for your damages.
Commonly, at least one of the parties below may are liable to a McAllen bicycle crash victim:
These are just examples, of course. To know for sure whom you may have the right to sue for damages after getting hurt in a McAllen bicycle crash, contact an experienced lawyer today.
Every case is different.
The value of a McAllen bicycle accident injury claim usually depends on factors such as:
Experienced lawyers work with their clients to understand the full impact an injury has had on their lives, investigate claims to build a strong case, and identify as many parties as possible who may be legally liable for a client’s injuries, to give the client the best possible chance of securing maximum compensation for their bicycle accident injuries.
Texas law entitles McAllen bicycle accident victims to seek compensation for the full range of harm—physical, emotional, and financial—they suffer as the result of a crash.
Typically, the categories of damages a lawyer can seek to secure for a victim include:
No lawyer can guarantee that a McAllen bike accident victim will recover compensation in each (or even any) of these categories. However, the most reliable way to give yourself the best possible chance of securing full compensation is to retain the services of a skilled, knowledgeable bicycle accident injury lawyer right away.
Yes, although it might affect the amount of money you have the right to receive.
Currently, Texas does not have a bicycle helmet law, and neither does McAllen. Your decision not to wear a helmet should not affect your basic rights to seek compensation for injuries caused by someone else’s dangerous actions.
That said, bicycle helmets save lives and reduce the risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury in a crash. A court or insurance company may take your decision not to wear a helmet into account in deciding the amount of compensation you receive, especially if you suffered injuries that wearing a helmet may have prevented. Hiring an experienced McAllen bicycle accident injury attorney gives you the best shot at overcoming these objections and securing maximum compensation for your injuries and losses.
Bicycle accident cases in McAllen do not have a fixed timeline.
You and your lawyer usually cannot control many of the factors that affect the timeline of a case, which typically include:
You can, however, control one critical aspect of the timeline of your case: When you contact an experienced McAllen bicycle accident injury lawyer for a free case consultation. The sooner you take that step, the sooner the rest of the process can begin. Because we work on contingency, we have incentives to conclude your case as efficiently as possible while securing you as much compensation as the law will allow. (See the next question for more information about contingency fees.)
It costs nothing, unless and until our lawyer gets you results.
An initial consultation with an experienced lawyer to discuss your McAllen bicycle accident case is always free of charge. In the consultation, which can happen in person wherever is most convenient for you or via a video or phone call, you can get a feel for the lawyer’s experience and working style, and the lawyer can ask you questions about your crash. At the end of the meeting, the lawyer can give you an initial impression about whether you have a case the lawyer can help you pursue. All of this happens without you spending a dime.
If the lawyer tells you that you have a case, and you want to hire the lawyer to represent you, then in virtually every circumstance the lawyer will agree to represent you on contingency. This means the lawyer will receive a percentage of whatever money the lawyer succeeds in securing on your behalf. In other words, the lawyer only gets paid if you get paid. You pay nothing upfront and nothing as the case moves along.
McAllen bicycle accident injury lawyers generally agree to work on contingency to make their services available to anyone who needs them. They know their clients frequently face financial strain after an accident. By working on contingency, clients can get top-notch legal representation and access to justice no matter how financially strapped a bicycle accident has left them.
No. Do not sign anything, and do not agree to any settlement, without first consulting one of our experienced McAllen bicycle accident injury lawyers.
Insurance companies sometimes offer a quick cash payment to bike accident victims in the hope that you will jump at what seems like easy money before you talk to a lawyer. The problem is, the amount of money the insurance company offers virtually always falls far short of the amount you have a right to receive and that you will need to support you financially while you recover your health and rebuild your life.
The insurance company knows this. That’s the point of making the quick offer—they want you to take the money and to sign papers to give up your legal rights on-the-cheap.
Do not fall for these underhanded tactics. Instead, say “no, thanks” to an offer from the at-fault driver’s insurance company and tell them to contact your lawyer.
We’re glad you asked!
Here are three easy steps you can take to protect your legal rights and financial interests after getting hurt in a McAllen bicycle accident:
A bicyclist can suffer catastrophic injuries in a bicycle accident. In the aftermath of that trauma, the cyclist needs a lawyer who truly understands exactly how the injuries happened and the impact they have on the cyclist’s life.
In McAllen, injured cyclists and their families can find that kind of skilled, knowledgeable legal representation at the Patino Law Firm. If a bicycle accident in McAllen has caused devastation in your life or the life of a loved one, contact Dr. Louis Patino, attorney-at-law, today online or at 855-LAW-NINJA for a free legal consultation.
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