After a bicycle accident, drivers and insurance companies count on you not knowing your rights. When you need a bicycle accident lawyer in Naperville, understanding what you’re entitled to makes all the difference. If you’ve been in an accident, Choose Charlie.
Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., fights to protect cyclists hurt by negligent drivers. As a dedicated personal injury lawyer in Naperville, we know that cyclists have the same rights as any vehicle operator on Illinois roads—and we make sure insurance companies respect those rights.
Your Legal Rights as a Cyclist in Illinois
Illinois law grants cyclists the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle operators. You have the legal right to use public roads, and drivers must share the road safely with you. You have the right to ride on most public roads and streets in Illinois. Drivers must maintain a safe distance when passing—at least three feet under Illinois law.
When drivers violate traffic laws and hit cyclists, they’re liable for resulting injuries. Running red lights, failing to yield, distracted driving, and dooring—opening a car door into a cyclist’s path—all create liability. Insurance companies may try to blame you for riding on the road, but Illinois law clearly protects your right to do so.
When insurance adjusters suggest you shouldn’t have been on the road, we educate them about Illinois cycling laws. When they claim you were hard to see, we prove the driver’s duty to watch for all road users. We go to bat for our clients by demanding that insurance companies respect cyclists’ legal rights.
Common Causes of Naperville Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle accidents happen when drivers fail to watch for cyclists or violate traffic laws. These collisions aren’t just “accidents”—they result from driver negligence. Understanding how bicycle accidents occur helps establish who was at fault and strengthens your claim for compensation.
Common causes of bicycle accidents in Naperville include:
- Distracted driving
- Failure to yield at intersections, driveways, and crosswalks
- Dooring accidents (drivers or passengers opening doors without checking for approaching bicycles)
- Left-turn collisions
- Right-hook accidents
- Following too closely or passing without maintaining the required three-foot distance
Each of these scenarios represents a driver’s failure to exercise reasonable care. Drivers have a duty to watch for cyclists, obey traffic laws, and share the road safely. When they fail in this duty and injure you, they’re liable for your damages.
Injuries Common in Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle accidents cause devastating injuries because cyclists lack the protection that car occupants have. Even low-speed collisions can result in broken bones, head trauma, and permanent disabilities. Understanding typical injury patterns helps us prove the full extent of your damages.
Road rash and skin abrasions from sliding on pavement often require skin grafts and leave permanent scarring. Broken bones are common, particularly in the collarbones, wrists, arms, and legs, from the impact or trying to break your fall. Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries occur even when wearing helmets, as the force of collision can cause concussions or worse.
Spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis or permanent mobility limitations that change your life forever. Facial injuries, dental damage, and eye injuries often result from unprotected impact with vehicles or pavement. Internal injuries to organs can develop complications days after the accident, making immediate medical evaluation critical.
How Insurance Companies Minimize Bicycle Accident Claims
Insurance companies use specific tactics to reduce what they pay bicycle accident victims. They know many people don’t understand cyclists’ legal rights and try to exploit that ignorance. Recognizing these tactics protects you from accepting less than you deserve.
Insurers often claim you were partially at fault for being on the road, riding at night, or not being visible enough. They’ll argue you weren’t wearing reflective gear or that you violated a minor traffic rule, even when the driver’s negligence clearly caused the accident. They use Illinois’s comparative negligence law to reduce your compensation by assigning you partial blame.
They’ll also pressure you for recorded statements before you understand the full extent of your injuries. They’ll make quick lowball settlement offers, hoping you’ll accept before consulting a lawyer. They may surveil you, looking for social media posts or activities that could undermine your injury claims.
Fighting Back with Legal Knowledge
Our bicycle accident lawyers in Naperville know how insurance companies think because our founder has worked on the side of insurers in the past. Our insider knowledge helps us anticipate their arguments and build cases that overcome their defenses. We protect your rights by refusing to let insurers shift blame from their negligent driver to you.
Types of Compensation Available in Bicycle Accident Cases
Bicycle accident victims may recover comprehensive compensation for all their losses. Understanding what you’re entitled to prevents accepting inadequate offers that fail to account for your future needs. We fight for full compensation that reflects every way the accident harmed you, including:
- Medical expenses include emergency treatment, surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, therapy, and future medical care.
- Lost wages cover time unable to work during recovery, and loss of earning capacity addresses permanent disabilities that prevent you from returning to your previous employment.
- Property damage covers your bicycle, helmet, clothing, and any other items damaged in the collision.
- Pain and suffering compensation addresses physical pain, emotional trauma, and reduced quality of life.
If your injuries are permanent, you may recover compensation for disfigurement, scarring, and lifelong disability. Some cyclists never feel safe riding again, losing an activity central to their fitness and lifestyle—this loss has value too.
What Makes Charlie Therman Different for Bicycle Accident Cases
Bicycle accident cases require lawyers who understand both cycling and insurance defense tactics. At Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C., we’ve built our practice on protecting injury victims’ rights. With 75 years of combined legal experience and over $100 million recovered for clients, we know how to maximize bicycle accident compensation.
We investigate thoroughly before making decisions about your case. Our team documents the accident scene, obtains police reports, interviews witnesses, and preserves all available evidence. We consult with accident reconstruction experts who can demonstrate exactly how the collision occurred and prove the driver’s fault.
Our family-oriented, boutique approach means you receive personal attention throughout your case. You’re not just a file number to us. We keep you informed, answer your questions promptly, and treat you with the respect you deserve.
Contact a Naperville Bicycle Accident Attorney Today
Drivers have insurance protecting them. Insurance companies have lawyers working to minimize claims. When you’re injured in a bicycle accident in Naperville, you need someone protecting your rights with the same dedication. Don’t let insurance adjusters convince you to accept less than you deserve.
Choose Charlie and work with a law firm committed to fighting for injured cyclists throughout Naperville and the greater Chicago area. We offer free consultations to discuss your accident, evaluate your claim, and explain your legal options. We work on contingency, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Contact our bicycle accident attorneys in Naperville today to protect your rights and get the compensation you deserve.
