Fatal Bicycle Accidents

The attorneys at Bellotti Law Group, P.C., represent people who have been affected by serious bicycle crashes, including tragic accidents that result in the loss of a victim’s life. We understand the pain and stress that can come with a cycling accident that takes away someone on whom a family depended. Our Boston bicycle accident lawyers draw on decades of combined legal experience to help the people whom we represent aggressively pursue the full compensation that they deserve and hold those responsible for a crash fully accountable. If you have lost a loved one in a fatal bicycle accident, contact us to discuss your situation in detail.

A family who has lost a loved one in a bike accident has the right to seek compensation from those who caused the crash. Often, the cause is a driver of a car or another vehicle whose careless actions behind the wheel led to the accident. Fault also may be allocated to a road crew whose work left the area where the cycling crash happened in a dangerous condition. In many cases, more than one person or entity may be at fault. Even in cases in which the cyclist was partly to blame for a crash, their family still has the right to seek compensation from others as long as the cyclist is not determined to be 51 percent or more responsible for the collision.

Unfortunately, there is no amount of money that can bring back a person who is killed in a fatal bicycle accident. State law does, however, allow the family of the cyclist to sue for wrongful death. The damages available in these cases are meant to account for the victim’s funeral and burial expenses, in addition to their projected lost earnings over the rest of their life. In addition, family members may recover more subjective types of damages related to the care, comfort, companionship, and guidance provided by the victim. In some cases involving extreme conduct, punitive damages also may be sought.

Wrongful death cases stemming from biking accidents are similar to other cycling crash cases in that they usually involve claims based on negligence. The person suing, known as the plaintiff, is required to prove that the person or entity being sued (the defendant) caused the crash through negligence or a “wanton or reckless act.” To prove negligence, the plaintiff will need to show that the defendant violated a “duty of care” that was owed to the person who was killed in the crash. Car drivers, for example, owe others on the road a duty to operate their vehicles in a reasonably safe manner. They need to refrain from dangerous behavior like speeding, drinking and driving, texting or using a cell phone behind the wheel, failing to use signals, failing to check their blind spots, or failing to keep a proper lookout around bike lanes. The plaintiff also needs to show that the defendant’s carelessness caused the fatal bicycle accident.

At Bellotti Law Group, P.C., our Boston lawyers have dedicated our careers to assisting our neighbors in their times of need. We work meticulously to ensure that our clients have the strongest possible cases under the circumstances. Our lawyers seek to resolve cases through a negotiated settlement when appropriate, but we are also ready to fight for our clients in court if a settlement offer is inadequate. We are proud to be able to guide the people whom we represent through the legal process with compassion and experience. If you have lost a family member in a bike lane accident or another type of crash, our personal injury attorneys are ready to assist you. We have offices in Boston, Cambridge, and Quincy, from which we represent victims and their families in cities such as Lowell, Malden, Medford, Somerville, Newton, Waltham, Concord, Revere, Braintree, and Weymouth. Call us at 617-778-1000 or contact us online to set up an appointment.