Bicycle accidents can lead to significant short- and long-term consequences for victims. When these incidents are caused by the negligent actions of another driver or another entity, Arizona bicycle accident victims are often able to recover compensation for their losses. This compensation may come in the form of an insurance settlement, but a bicycle accident victim may have to file a civil personal injury lawsuit in order to receive a fair payout.
Economic Damages for an Arizona Bicycle Accident Case
Economic damages associated with a bicycle accident claim revolve around the types of losses that are relatively calculable. These are the types of damages most people associate with injury claims, designed to provide compensation for things like:
- Any initial emergency medical expenses
- All ongoing and long-term medical costs
- Prescription medications or medical devices
- Lost income and loss of future earning potential
- Property damage expenses
- Various household out-of-pocket expenses
There is no limit to how much compensation is available for economic damages through a bicycle accident claim. Typically, a demand gets made for total verifiable monetary losses. Verifying these types of losses involves obtaining receipts, bills, estimates, and invoices related to every possible financial expense resulting from the incident.
Non-Economic Damages for an Arizona Bicycle Accident Case
The non-economic damages associated with Arizona bicycle accident claims are less measurable types of losses, but they are equally as important to calculate.
These types of losses, often referred to as general damages, are directly related to a bicycle accident victim’s physical and emotional pain and suffering, any loss of quality of life caused by the incident, scarring and disfigurement, and disability damages.
Calculating noneconomic damages for an Arizona bicycle accident claim could involve a few different methods but most likely will rely on the “multiplier method.” Using this method, an attorney will get the total of all economic damages associated with the case and then multiply that figure by a set number, usually a number ranging from two to five.
For an example of how this may look, we can imagine a bicycle accident victim sustaining $100,000 worth of economic damages. An attorney could use a multiplier of “three” to reach a non-economic damage total of $300,000. In this circumstance, an attorney would ask for a total of $400,000 on behalf of their client.
In Arizona, there is no limitation to how much compensation a person can receive for non-economic damages.
The Importance of Speaking to an Attorney
After a bicycle accident, victims can struggle to recover compensation. Unfortunately, insurance carriers can make it hard for an injured bicyclist to proceed with their claim, particularly when it comes to determining fault. We encourage any bicycle crash victim to contact a skilled bicycle accident attorney in Phoenix who has experience handling complex bike accident claims.
When you have an attorney by your side, you will have an advocate with the resources needed to fully investigate the bicycle crash. Your attorney will communicate not only with your insurance carrier, but also with any other insurance carriers involved or even legal teams if needed.