Yes.
Victims of all accidents can benefit from having a lawyer, for several reasons—and bicyclists are no exception to this rule.
First, a lawyer can apprise you of your rights. Because Florida is a no-fault state, many seriously injured victims may not even know of the ability to pursue damage compensation in another way. No-fault insurance minimums are very low, considering that a seriously injured individual can incur medical bills that cost millions of dollars.
Second, a lawyer can negotiate with the insurance company of the at-fault party or the at-fault party themselves for the highest possible settlement.
Insurance companies may try to minimize victim claims. It is common for insurance companies to employ a sophisticated set of strategies for this exact purpose, including blaming the victim for the accident, averring that a lesser set of medical treatments are the only ones needed, and lowballing a claim. Lowballing is paying a claim quickly, but for much less than the injuries and harm are truly worth, in the hopes that the victim’s gratitude and relief will cause them not to question the amount.
Insurance companies also use deferral and even denial of claims as a strategy. You might find that your calls and emails go unanswered. That may be an intentional effort to try to get you to go away. While the bureaucracy of denials may sound daunting, an attorney can help counter their arguments.
Lawyers know about these tactics and can effectively counter them. Taking a Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident suit to court is one effective strategy, because insurance companies generally try to avoid going to court. Why? Courts are often far more sympathetic to victims than insurance companies are, and thus may be more prone to granting them higher compensation amounts.
Third, lawyers can help compile evidence about the accident. Victims need to know who or what bore responsibility for the accident, because that knowledge can lead to a negligence case.
But victims may not know how the accident actually occurred. Lawyers can work with investigators to determine what happened and can also search out law enforcement crash reports and eyewitnesses to determine what happened.
Fourth, lawyers can help victims assess the impact of the injuries on their lives. Why does this matter? Because damage compensation often depends on it. For example, if you are likely to need medical treatment in the future, lawyers can solicit expert testimony on what, how much, what it will cost, and how it is likely to affect your life. All of that can affect (and heighten) the damage compensation you seek.