Jonesboro, Georgia Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Our Experience with Local Georgia and Atlanta Bike Accident Cases

Over the past 29 years attorney Bruce Millar and our law firm have handled many serious bicycle injury claims and cases including wrongful death, broken bones, traumatic head injuries, road rash and internal injuries.

We are familiar with all State and local laws that may help win your bicycle accident case. If you are looking to explore and learn your legal rights and options after a bike accident, or if the other driver or rider will not offer a fair settlement, contact us for a free consultation.

Before hiring any injury law firm, we suggest doing some homework. Has the law firm handled bicycle injury cases? How often and how many? Are you dealing with an “actual” law firm or a referral network? Experience and personal attention to your case matters, especially if you have catastrophic or life-changing injuries.

Why Should You Consider Hiring Our Jonesboro Bicycle Injury Attorneys?

Bicyclists are often found at fault for accidents, even when they were operating legally. This is unfair! The truth of how these crashes happen should also be considered – many times it will depend on whether or not there was adequate visibility due to traffic conditions and other factors outside our control as riders which makes us just as responsible if not more so than a motorist.

Best First Steps to Take After Jonesboro or South Atlanta Bike Accident

We suggest calling 911, to get medical help and have a police incident report made. You or a companion should take photographs of the area and scene of the accident. Get the names of any witnesses to the crash. Get the insurance information from any involved cars or trucks. If another bicycle rider caused the collision, get the name of their homeowner’s insurance company.

Receiving Medical Care After a Bicycle Injury

Some injuries are obvious: broken bones, severe road rash, dislocated joints. You know that you should go to the emergency room right away. However, if you are suffering from disorientation, difficulty breathing, internal pain, or worsening neck, back or large joint (knee, shoulder) pain, going to the hospital or your primary care doctor is essential. Not only can it save your life in the case of internal bleeding, but it will make your case easier to prove later.

When Should You Call Our Law Firm?

After a bike accident, you or a family member should call an experienced bicycle accident lawyer as soon as possible. It is important to investigate as quickly as possible. We will also want to discuss your rights, options and your medical care and needs, to guide you through the settlement process.

How are Bike Accident Cases Investigated and Proven?

Our process includes gathering police, ambulance and medical reports. We will use reports, recordings, photographs, witness statements, measurements and data to investigate how the crash happened.

Some common reasons that cars and trucks, and sometimes other cyclists, hit bikers include:

• Failure to yield to bicycles with the right of way
• Distracted driving, such as cell phone or internet use
• Speeding and not paying attention to riders in the road
• Failure to move-over while safely passing riders
• Not respecting or understanding bicycle hand-signals

Bicycle Accidents We Handle

We have experience handling the leading-types of bike accident cases:

• Getting struck by car doors
• Right turning accidents, where the motorist runs over a rider stopped to his or her right at an intersection
• Blind-spot accidents
• Driving too close to the fog line

Paying For Our Bicycle Accident Legal Services

The Millar Law Firm handles bike accidents on a contingent fee. This means that our legal fees are not paid unless we recover money for you. We do not charge any legal or retainer fees up-front.

Does Automobile or Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Georgia Bicycle Accidents and Injuries?

Yes. If you are hit by a car, truck, motorcycle or even another bike rider, the at-fault driver or rider’s insurance can cover your bodily injuries.

What Damages Can Be Recovered in a Bike Injury Case?

The same kinds of compensation can be recovered in bicycle crash cases as in motor vehicle collisions. This means your settlement or verdict can include damage to your bike, medical expenses, lost pay, and pain and suffering.

Dangerous Roads for Bicyclists

Bicyclists have the same rights to use the roads as drivers of trucks, cars and motorbikes. Not all drivers understand this, and often are not watching for bicycle riders.

Unfortunately, the Clayton County, Georgia area is not very bike-friendly. Few of our roads and highways have dedicated bicycle lanes. This makes the town-area fairly unsafe for bike riders. To make matters worse, drivers of cars and trucks often do not understand bicycle laws, and drivers are the cause of many of these collisions.

In addition, injuries from accidents involving a car, or truck, and a bicycle are often more serious than other motor vehicle accidents because bikers are not as physically protected when a collision happens. This results in higher medical bills, longer time out of work, and in some cases, catastrophic permanent injuries.

Atlanta Area Bicycle Laws

By law, in the State of Georgia, bicycles are considered “vehicles” and must follow the rules of the road. This means obeying traffic lights and signs, riding in the same direction as traffic, and using arm-turn signals.

We have also have provided, below, a summary of some of the laws that help define the rules of the road for both drivers and bicycle riders.

Jonesboro City Ordinances for Bicycles

City Bike Helmet Law. Jonesboro requires all children and child passengers on bikes under the age of 12 to wear a certified bicycle helmet. Jonesboro City Code, Sec. 74-177.

Riding bicycle on sidewalks on Main Street. Did you know that in the City of Jonesboro, Georgia it is unlawful to ride a bike on the sidewalk between the Methodist Church and Smith Street? Jonesboro City Code, Sec. 74-5.

Clayton County Bicycle Laws and Legal Definitions.

Use of Recreational Paths. Clayton County authorizes people to ride bicycles on paved recreation paths and sidewalks. Sec. 94-156. Use of motorized street and trail bikes is not allowed on recreation paths. Sec. 94-157(a)(1).

Use of Helmets on Bicycle Paths. County Ordinance Sec. 94-158(a) requires all users of electric bikes to wear properly fitting and fastened helmets on recreational paths.

Bicycle. Clayton County local ordinances define “bicycle” as any device a person may ride powered by a human, having two tandem wheels when either wheel is more than 13 inches in diameter. Sec. 94-152.

Electric Bicycle. The County defines an “electric bicycle” (bike) as a device with either two or three wheels that has a saddle and pedals, but also has an electric motor. Sec. 94-152(a).

Moped. A Moped is defined in Clayton County as a motorized cycle with either two or three wheels (with or without pedals) and a motor with a maximum of two horsepower. Sec. 94-152(a).

Holding onto motor vehicles. Sec. 94-33 of the Clayton County ordinances prohibit any person from holding onto or catching a moving car or truck while riding inside of the County.

Georgia Bicycle Laws

Helmet Law. The State of Georgia requires all persons under the age of 16 to wear a helmet when riding a bike on a road, bike path, bike lane or sidewalk. O.C.G.A. 40-6-296(d)(2). This means that any person under 16 riding a bicycle on a road or bike lane of the City of Jonesboro, Georgia must wear a helmet.

Notably, the City of Jonesboro, Clayton County, and the State of Georgia, each, do not require persons over the age of 16 to wear a bicycle helmet.

Bike Paths – Drivers must yield. By law, drivers of cars and trucks are to yield the right of way to bicycle riders when the bike rider is in a bicycle lane. O.C.G.A. 40-6-55.

“Vehicle.” The State of Georgia considers a bicycle to be a legal vehicle. O.C.G.A. 40-1-1(6).

Bike Lane and Bike Path. A bike lane is defined as an area of a road that has been marked by stripes, pavement marking or signs for the use of bicycles. A bike path means a right of way set aside for the use of bicycles by the state or a local city or county. O.C.G.A. 40-1-1(6.2).

Safe Distance from Bicycles. The legal term “safe distance” means that when passing a bicycle rider going in the same direction on a road, a driver must leave at least three feet of distance to the bike and rider. O.C.G.A. 40-6-56(a) and (b).

Our Advice to You:

Bicycle accidents are not car accidents. When interviewing personal injury lawyers and law firms near you, ask lots of questions. Make sure your law firm has experience in handling Georgia bike accident cases and is familiar with local laws controlling the rules of the road for cars, trucks and bicycles. Hiring the wrong lawyer can be as devastating as the crash that injured you or your family member.