There are more than 1,000 bicycle accidents in the United States each year, and it can happen in an instant. When it happens, it is important that you have the right lawyer on your side in the courtroom — and Arckey & Steele may be the right law firm for you. We are a boutique law firm in Denver, CO that is focused on helping you see a positive outcome in your bicycle accident case and to help you recover lost wages, get compensation for medical bills, and other reparations. Arckey & Steele prioritizes you and your case, to ensure that you do not feel like just another number to your legal team.
Get Results for Denver Bicycle Accident Injury Victims
Many law firms prioritize quantity over quality, and work to churn through cases as quickly as possible. Arckey & Steele is not one of those law firms. We take a boutique approach to your case and are dedicated to providing you with the legal support and resources you need to receive the compensation you deserve. We have more than 30 years of legal experience that highlights the value of personalized legal representation that gets results for victims of bicycle accidents in the Denver area.
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When you are involved in a bicycle accident in Denver, you can take legal action to recover financial damages and compensation when the accident is caused by negligence. Damages can include reparations for lost wages while injured, compensation for medical bills, and financial damages for your pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. We hope that this page can be a legal resource for victims of negligence in bicycle accidents and help accident victims better navigate the Denver court system.
Other law firms are “settlement mills” that prioritize churning out cases quickly — not getting you all of the compensation that you deserve. Arckey & Steele is not like the others. We prioritize getting you everything that you deserve in your case. When you are involved in a bicycle accident and have to contend with insurance adjusters, the legal representation you choose matters, and our boutique approach makes sure you have direct access to the legal support you need with a reliable team.
Representation for Bicycle Accidents in Colorado
Types of Denver Bicycle Accident Claims We Handle
We provide tailored legal strategies for the specific types of bicycle accidents that occur most frequently to cyclists on Colorado roads.
Rear-End Collisions
Just like cars, trucks, and SUVs, bicycles and the cyclists riding them are in danger of rear-end collisions that can have dire consequences for riders. Many rear-end collision bicycle accidents are due to drivers on the road going too fast, not maintaining safe following distances in traffic, or driving while distracted. When you are involved in a rear-end collision on your bike, the Arckey & Steele legal team will analyze data and evidence to ensure you receive the financial compensation you deserve.
Dooring Accidents
Imagine you are riding your bicycle down a busy Denver street — Colorado Boulevard, West Alameda Ave., or Speer Boulevard — and a car door opens right in your path. Dooring accidents are not uncommon on the busy streets of Denver, and it can either be the direct cause of an injury or force cyclists to swerve into dangerous traffic to avoid the car door. When these accidents occur, it is important to have an experienced legal team on your side to negotiate financial compensation with private parties and insurance companies.
Left and Right Turn Bicycle Accidents
Many bicycle accidents happen when drivers are not aware of or do not pay attention to cyclists on the road. These types of accidents can occur when a vehicle turns right in front of a cyclist going straight from the bike lane or when a driver turns left in front of an oncoming biker. When these accidents happen, cyclists can face major injuries and serious medical bills, and the right attorney can help present your case in a courtroom and receive the compensation that you deserve.
Sideswipe Bicycle Accidents
The crowded and chaotic Denver streets can be dangerous for cyclists, and when traffic lanes get tighter and tighter, there is a real danger of bicycles getting sideswiped by passing cars, trucks, and SUVs. These types of accidents can lead to orthopedic injuries, head injuries, soft tissue injuries, and worse, making it imperative that you have a compassionate and dedicated attorney fighting your legal battles for you. Arckey & Steele will put our legal expertise to work for you in your personal injury and negligence case to help you get the right compensation.
Intersection Bicycle Collisions
When drivers fail to obey traffic signals and run a red light or a stop sign, dangerous accidents can happen on the Denver streets. Bicyclists are more vulnerable in these scenarios and a vehicle-bicycle collision at an intersection can result in serious injury that can turn into lost wages, major medical expenses, property damage, disability, and long-term pain. A knowledgeable personal injury attorney, like Arckey & Steele that has experience with bicycle accidents, can help you get the justice and compensation you deserve in the Denver court system.
Critical Steps to Take After a Bicycle Accident in Denver
You have just been involved in a bicycle accident — what do you need to do after an accident occurs? There are critical steps you need to take after a bicycle accident, because insurance adjusters will take every opportunity to undermine your claim, and the steps you take after an accident play an important role in building a foundation for any legal action you may take. Follow these steps after a bicycle accident to protect yourself and your case.
1Check for Injury, Call 911, and Exchange Information
When you are involved in a bicycle accident, the first and most important thing to do is to check for injury, and then call 911 for medical assistance and to create a police report. A police report will serve as the foundation of any legal case and prevents others involved from changing their stories after the fact. Make sure to exchange contact and insurance information with everyone involved with or present at the time of the accident.
2Document the Accident and Collect Evidence
The next step you need to take after a bicycle accident is to document the scene and collect any relevant evidence. This critical evidence can play an important part in a personal injury case. Use your phone to photograph the accident scene including photos of the area around the accident, license plates, vehicles, road signs, bike lanes, and damage — and get verbal evidence from any eyewitnesses.
3Get Medical Care
Even if you feel “fine” immediately following the accident, you may experience new symptoms hours or days later. A gap in your medical treatment after a bicycle accident and a lack of medical documentation is a primary reason why insurance companies deny claims. Get medical care immediately after the accident to ensure that all injuries are documented when you make an insurance claim or pursue a legal case with a personal injury attorney.
4Speak With a Personal Injury Attorney
When you have been in a bicycle accident, you will receive a call from the insurance company within 48 hours — but in many cases, their objective is to get a recorded statement that can be used as evidence against you in any kind of lawsuit. Do not provide them with a statement or sign any kind of documents without first speaking to a personal injury attorney that will help protect your rights as the victim and preserve your best interests.
Maximize your recovery
Compensation for Bicycle Accident Injuries in Denver
The value and compensation for a bicycle accident in Colorado are calculated by examining the financial damages of the accident and multiplying that total by a set factor based on your non-economic pain and suffering — which are directly linked to the evidence in your case. The level of compensation you receive for your case is intended to return you to the same physical and financial position you were in prior to the accident. Helping you receive the compensation and damages that you deserve is our focus at Arckey & Steele, and we will help document every aspect of your medical care to provide a clear and vivid picture of how the accident has impacted your life and ensure that the compensation you receive reflects the damage it caused.
Economic DamagesHow much will this bicycle accident cost you financially? These factors and more are labeled as economic damages. Key examples of economic damages for a bicycle accident include past and future medical bills, rehabilitation costs, lost wages due to missed work, and property damage to your bike. With long-term injuries, “lost earning capacity” can be a factor in your compensation and will account for earnings you would have had if you had never been hurt.
Non-Economic DamagesBeyond the financial costs of a bicycle accident, there are additional human costs and non-economic damages that go hand in hand with an accident. These human costs can include physical pain over a long period, mental and emotional suffering, and the loss of enjoyment of life. This is subjective compensation that can be adjusted periodically and is capped by Colorado law (C.R.S. § 13-21-102.5). With the subjective nature of non-economic damages, an attorney that will take the time to focus on your day-to-day life and recovery, gather additional evidence.
Factors That Affect Claim ValueThere are multiple factors that will impact your compensation in the event of a bicycle accident that need to be made clear in your case. These factors include the severity of injuries that can lead to exceptions to typical compensation rules, clarification on liability in the accident, insurance policy limits that include Uninsured/Uninsured Motorist claims, and the Comparative Negligence rule in Colorado. The modified comparative fault rule states that cyclists found more than 50% at fault cannot receive damages and those that are less than 50% at fault will have damages reduced by that percentage.
Schedule a Free Case Strategy Session
Ready to Get the Insurance Companies Off Your Back?
When you are in a bicycle accident in Denver, insurance adjusters will attempt to dictate how much your recovery is worth. You can’t let them. Put your personal injury case in the hands of our legal team at Arckey & Steele to help secure the damages and compensation you deserve.
How Long Do You Have to File a Bicycle Accident Claim in Colorado?
When you are involved in a bicycle accident in Denver, CO, the clock starts ticking the moment you file a police report. In most cases, you have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit according to Colorado law C.R.S. § 13-80-101 — when a local or federal government vehicle is involved in the accident, claimants have 180 days to file a lawsuit with a formal Notice of Claim. This may seem like a lot of time to file a claim, but the longer you wait, the more difficult it can be to produce the evidence that you need for a successful claim.
Do not wait to file your claim with the Colorado court system. The sooner you contact Arckey & Steele to help file your claim the better. It is a priority to file your case early and collect evidence that is relevant to your lawsuit within 48 hours and avoid lost evidence. Preemptively filing your case and collecting evidence allows you to avoid a last-minute rush and panic in your case, helping strengthen your case against insurance companies.
Our Process
What to Expect When Starting a Bicycle Accident Claim with Us
Personal injury cases present very different circumstances from case to case, yet most cases follow a standard chain of events. Here’s what the process of filing a bicycle accident case will likely look like for our Denver-area clients.
1Investigating the Accident
We will investigate the precise events that led up to your accident from A to Z, including police reports, eyewitness statements, and any other relevant photos and documents from the accident. This will help us establish the foundation for your case based on concrete evidence.
2Filing the Claim
When we have established a foundation for your case, we will use our years of experience as personal injury attorneys to determine liability and potential damages before we submit an official claim and send notifications to defendants and insurance companies. With these notifications, we will communicate initial settlement demands.
3Negotiating a Settlement
A majority of personal injury cases are resolved via negotiation after we have a complete understanding of the resultant injuries and how they have affected you, your livelihood, and your family members.
4Litigation, If Necessary
In the event that negotiations break down, we will start legal proceedings with a formal lawsuit and hearing if necessary to obtain a judicial resolution. We will do everything we can to prepare for a courtroom case with any contingencies.
Critical Selection Factors
Choosing a Denver Bicycle Accident Lawyer
When you have been in a bicycle accident and have sustained injuries, it can be an overwhelming series of events that can include complicated legal proceedings. This makes it even more important for you to find the right personal injury attorney in Denver that can help you navigate the legal process from start to finish, negotiate with insurance companies, and ensure you receive the compensation that you deserve. Arckey & Steele takes a different approach to the legal process, seeking to provide boutique legal support, getting you maximum compensation, rather than focus on rapid settlements. We will be your legal advocate every step of the way to dispute liability, lost earning capacity, and more with the court system and insurance companies.
Why Choose Us
Why Choose Arckey & Steele for Your Bicycle Accident Case in Denver
Small caseloads, focused attention
We intentionally limit the number of cases so each client receives the time, focus, and resources their matter deserves.
Direct access to your attorney
When you contact our firm, you work directly with the lawyer handling your case.
Proven track record
Our attorneys bring decades of combined experience and a track record of results in serious injury and litigation-focused cases.
Meet Our Team
Our Trusted Denver Bicycle Accident Attorneys
When you hire Arckey & Steele, you will have an experienced team of personal injury attorneys on your side that are personally invested in your case and will work hand in hand with you every step of the way.
Founder & PartnerEric S. Steele
Tackles cases involving personal injury, business, and employment matters. Eric has significant experience securing meaningful recoveries for injured clients.
Brings over four decades of litigation experience and a strategic approach shaped by years of representing individuals and businesses, often in the courtroom.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bicycle Accidents
Colorado is an “at-fault” state where the driver who is responsible for the collision is responsible for the damages. Drivers must provide a minimum of three feet of space when passing cyclists. This requires that negligence can be proven and you must have evidence to show that the driver failed to yield, signal, or was distracted while driving. The exception to the rule is if MedPay is used to cover medical bills regardless of who is at fault.
A bicycle accident on the Denver streets, even a minor one, can cause major and minor injuries. If you are involved in an accident, there may be delayed-onset injuries from whiplash, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), or other internal injuries that go unnoticed initially, and insurance adjusters will push for a quick settlement before the true nature of your injuries and medical costs are known. A quick legal consultation with Arckey & Steele can prevent you from leaving compensation on the table.
In some instances where you are involved in a bicycle accident, the vehicle may leave the scene of the accident or not realize they hit you on your bike. Cyclists involved in a “Hit and Run” accident may be able to get compensation via their Uninsured Motorist (UM) insurance coverage.
Colorado has a “Modified Comparative Negligence” rule that assigns fault via a percentage. If an investigation determines that you are more than 50% at fault, you are ineligible for compensation. If you are determined to be less than 50% at fault, your compensation will be reduced by the same percentage of fault.
Resources
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Areas We Serve
Representing Bicycle Accident Victims Across Colorado
No matter where you live in the Denver area — from the Denver city limits to Thornton — Arckey & Steele is here to help. We have offices in Denver and Broomfield with experienced personal injury attorneys ready to help you navigate legal proceedings.
Are you worried whether or not you have a case? There is no need to guess. The Arckey & Steele legal team can provide legal support and clarity on your case to help you receive fair compensation for your medical bills and lost wages. Contact Arckey & Steele for a FREE legal consultation.
