Bikers are pedestrians too — know your rights

In the summertime bikers are out enjoying the city of Seattle. Seattle is an extremely biker friendly city. With bike lanes, parks and other recreational activities, it is no surprise that so many people enjoy biking in our city. As an added bonus, biking is often a faster and cheaper way to commute to work and to get some exercise. This popular choice has many benefits for people of all ages.

However, biking also has a downside. Bikes do not offer significant protection in the case of an accident. While people may be wearing a helmet, they are exposed to a variety of serious injuries should an accident occur. While drivers have steel frames, seat belts, air bags and safety glass protecting them, bikers — and other pedestrians — have none of these protections. Therefore, they often suffer from the blunt force of the accident. Their injuries can include broken bones, spinal cord injuries, head injuries and more.

In many cases, a negligent driver is responsible for the accident. A driver may not be paying attention to the roadway, sidewalks and crosswalks. Bikers and pedestrians are easy to miss since they are much smaller than cars. However, drivers are still responsible for noticing them. Additionally, a driver may have been speeding and unable to stop in time. Or, a driver may have been impaired and unable to control the vehicle at all.

In any of these cases, an attorney can help injured pedestrians and bikers understand their legal rights following an accident. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Matthew D. Dubin have years of experience fighting these cases. We know the type of evidence that is required for these cases to have a favorable outcome. We can fight aggressively to ensure that bikers are fairly compensated for the devastating losses they have suffered at the hands of a negligent driver.

Our bicycle accidents webpage has more information about how our firm can help with these and other auto-pedestrian accidents.

Matthew D. Dubin

Matthew D. Dubin has represented injured people throughout Washington since 1995. He is the founding attorney of Dubin Law Group and focuses his practice on personal injury claims involving motor vehicle accidents, dangerous products, premises liability, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death.

Education

• License Number: 25378
• University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington – J.D.
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut – B.A.

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