Columbus Bike-Share Accident Attorneys

If you or someone you love has been injured in a bike-share accident, then consider contacting the Rinehardt Injury Attorneys. One of our experienced personal injury attorneys will evaluate your claim for free and discuss your options with you.

UH Bikes can be found around Columbus. Bike-share companies allow cyclists to use an app to pay a rental fee using a credit card. After paying the fee, riders unlock the bikes and ride them for an allotted time. Riders must trust that the bikes are mechanically up to par. They must also navigate the same dangers that others on the road face.

Cycling is popular all over the Columbus area, and it should be. It’s great exercise, it’s fun, and it’s environmentally friendly. Our city encourages community members to ride bikes. Bike sharing must be distinguished from cycling in general, however. When you own a bike, you have the opportunity to check your own tires, make sure the gears are right, and address any issue you might find. When you rent a bike from a company like UH Bikes, then you are taking a chance. You don’t know whether your rental bike has been properly maintained. What if they missed something? What if a tire goes flat, the brakes don’t work, or the bike locks up?

If you are involved in an accident while operating a rental bike, you may be able to pursue a lawsuit to recover financial compensation for your injuries and lost wages. At the Rinehardt Injury Attorneys, our experienced attorneys will evaluate your case at no cost. Contact our office at (419) 529-2020.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer?

A personal injury attorney’s primary focus is getting their client the compensation they deserve for injuries someone else caused. Injured people want to recover the most money they can, enabling them to pay their medical bills and get fair compensation for the ordeal they’ve suffered. Insurance companies, on the other hand, want to pay out the minimum they can to injured people. And these companies will use every devious tactic available to prevent you from getting compensation.

A bike-share personal injury attorney can navigate the legal system effectively and efficiently. They have the experience and know-how to stop insurance companies from manipulating injured people into settling for less money than they should. They can also prevent a victim from receiving no compensation at all, a terrible prospect during such a painful time.

Why Choose Us?

At Rinehardt Injury Attorneys, we are particular about the cases we take on, and we really listen to our clients. We find that being attentive and strategic is the most effective way to get real compensation for our clients’ injuries. Some of our clients have had multimillion-dollar jury verdicts. Many others have received hundreds of thousands of dollars. Every case is different, but after evaluating your case, we can better decide the best direction to go. We treat every case with importance and concern. We are passionate and hard-working people, and we take your claims seriously.

Types of Bike-Share Cases We Handle

Bike-share accidents can occur for a variety of reasons, including:

• Failure to obey road signs
• Business door entry hazards
• Speeding
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Texting or other distracted driving
• Improper bike maintenance
• Dooring accidents
• Improper signaling
• Aggressive motorists
• Hazardous roads or sidewalk obstacles

When you hire an attorney from Rinehardt Injury Attorneys, we will investigate your accident to determine the cause and identify the liable party, which could be a negligent motorist, bike-share company, or even a government entity.

Columbus Bike-Share Risks

As UH Bikes clutter Columbus’s streets and sidewalks, our residents must remain vigilant about their dangers. Certainly, we want our communities to be a greener, happier place to live. We want tourists to flock to our city and take part in all the fun activities and events we have. But we want people to be safe. Unfortunately, bike-share programs are not always safe for many reasons, including:

• Cycling without a helmet — UH Bikes does not provide helmets to its customers. After paying the rental fee via the app, you simply unlock it and cycle away. Ohio does not require adults to wear bicycle helmets. How many people do you know that typically carry a bike helmet with them on the off chance that they will use a rental bike that day? Even if a person planned to use a rental bike, what is the likelihood they will have their own helmet and a way to store it throughout the day? If you get into an accident when you are not wearing a bike helmet, you could suffer a head injury that could change the trajectory of your life.
• Motor Vehicle Accidents — If you collide with a motor vehicle, then there is a strong possibility that you could be thrown from the bike and be critically injured or worse. Speeding, failure to signal, and distracted driving are all contributing factors to serious auto accidents.
• Tripping Hazard — People do not always partake in courteous behavior when it comes to docking their bike. Businesses, sidewalks, and street corners are sometimes improperly used as bike storage facilities. Pedestrians might trip and get hurt.
• Improper Maintenance — If tires are not properly inflated or if brakes are not sound, then an accident can easily occur. Rental bike riders are rarely serious cyclists who know how to check a bike for issues prior to riding, and it’s not their responsibility anyway.
• Uneven Pavement and Road Dangers – Like any other vibrant city, Columbus is constantly growing and improving, meaning our roads are often under construction or in need of maintenance. Our cyclists and motorists may encounter dangerous potholes, sharp, uneven curves, and debris.

It is important to keep these risks in mind before riding a bike-share bicycle.

Head and Body Injuries

The Cleveland Clinic reports that 500,000 bicyclists are hospitalized each year, with 800 dying from their injuries. Head injuries are the primary cause of these deaths and injuries, causing two-thirds of the deaths and one-third of the injuries. That is why wearing a helmet is such a crucial safety precaution that all cyclists should take because protecting the head can reduce the risk of injury as much as 85%.

Cycling is a very dangerous activity. The risk of head injuries to a person involved in a bicycle accident is astronomical. It is important to take proper precautions to protect your head while riding. However, the law says you don’t have to wear one, and it is not the responsibility of the cyclist to make sure other people who occupy the road to drive safely and follow the traffic laws. It is up to those drivers to do so.

A traumatic brain injury will not only change the victim’s life but also impact the people who care for and love the victim. Brain bleeds can affect cognitive functioning. Bike-share accidents can result in loss of limb function, broken bones, and injured vertebrae.

Bike Mechanics

The Ohio Department of Transportation’s Cycling Smarter Guide encourages riders to check a bicycle’s mechanics prior to riding, including the amount of air in the tires, the bike chain, and the brakes. As a rental bike customer, you must trust that the bike-share company has taken all those necessary safety steps. If an accident occurs due to a failure to properly maintain the bike, then the company should be held accountable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are your fees?

We work on a contingency basis, which means that we only get paid if you win your case and win a monetary award. We collect nothing up front from you, and our initial consultation is free. If you do not win your case, then we will never charge you for our services.

How much compensation might I be owed?

Each case is unique, and the potential compensation amount differs widely from case to case. An accident that involved a death, for example, might result in a higher amount. A terrible accident that resulted in the in loss of limbs or impaired brain function could vary significantly from accidents that resulted in more minor injuries. The nature of the injuries factor into compensation. Also, the reason for and circumstances surrounding the bike-share accident contribute to the monetary outcome.

While there is no guarantee that your case will culminate with a monetary award, we will use our experience and legal skills to help get you the best outcome we can so that you can focus on getting well.

How long will my case take?

Many factors contribute to how long your case will take from the time we take you on as a client to the time your case resolves. If your case is relatively simple and does not require a lot of research and legwork, then it could be over within weeks. More intricate and complex cases are usually associated with a much longer length of time.

Contact Us

The Rinehardt Injury Attorneys is ready to take on negligent parties in a Columbus area bike-share accident in order to help you and your loved ones. You can take the first step by contacting our law office at (419) 529-2020 or contact us online to set up your free case consultation.