Why do I Need an Attorney Who is Also an Expert Cyclist?

If a negligent motorist runs into you while you’re riding your bicycle, it can be a big help to your case if you have an attorney who is also an experienced cyclist.

Here is an example: I’m Atlanta injury attorney Neil Kopitsky, and I’ve been a racing cyclist for 25 years. One of my clients had a badly cut elbow and other injuries when her bicycle and a car collided. The insurance company for the driver claimed my client, the bicyclist, ran into the back of the car and broke the car’s tail light. The bicyclist said the car sideswiped her.

It’s been my experience as a cyclist that cyclists tend to not run into the backs of cars. As a cyclist and a fan of bicycle racing, I knew that if your handle bars are forced back and to the left, you will fall to the left. As many of us saw on TV, this happened to Lance Armstrong in the 2003 Tour de France. I realized that the car’s right-side mirror had hit the bicyclist’s left-side handlebars, causing her to fall to her left and hit the side of the car. She broke the tail light, which wrapped around the side of the car, with her elbow.

We measured the height of the handlebar, and a witness told us the car’s right mirror had been forced back in the collision.

Using this evidence, we were able to convince the driver’s insurance company that the driver, not the bicyclist, was at fault, and we recovered a settlement for the bicyclist.

If you have been injured in a bicycling accident and would like to talk to an experienced attorney about your situation, please contact us at Stokes & Kopitsky. We answer our phones 24/7. Your first consultation is free, and you can hire us without paying any money. Our fees and the costs are paid from the settlement or court award we obtain for you, and there are no fees unless we get you a settlement or court award. Please call us today, Stokes & Kopitsky, at 404-892-0011, for outstanding legal help if you have been injured in a bicycling accident, or any other accident.