Not all cycling accidents involve a motor vehicle and accidents relating to badly maintained roads or inadequate signage can cause injuries that are just as serious as motor vehicle collisions. A bicycle accident solicitor will be able to advise you about liability issues and whether or not you have a realistic chance of recovering damages in any particular situation.
The majority of accidents that a bicycle accident lawyer deals with involve children and most of those consist of a collision with a motor vehicle at a busy junction or when a motor vehicle is overtaking a cyclist from behind or when a driver opens a vehicle door into the path of a rider. In all of these scenarios there can be horrific personal injury and cases involving brain damage and spinal injury are not uncommon.
A specialist lawyer will provide expert assistance in these cases. A lawyer will take full details including witness statements, will give advice on the preservation of evidence and will liaise with insurance companies, provide medical reports, assess bike damage and obtain reports from experts before subsequently filing a claim in a court of law if it is not possible to settle the claim on a voluntary basis.
There are a number of ways in which you can assist your solicitor to preserve evidence. Legal cases are won or lost on the quality of evidence presented to a court of law and the following items are usually important :-
- vehicle drivers personal details including name, address, date of birth and telephone number together with the vehicle license plate information, insurance company details and policy number
- the name and badge number of the attending police officer
- full personal details of any witnesses either to the actual event or to the aftermath including full names, addresses and phone numbers
- immediate documentation of any injury by attendance at a doctor or hospital as soon as possible but certainly within 24 hours of the accident
- detailed personal note and written statement about the accident, including plans and drawings as soon as possible
- a diagram of street layout, position of vehicles and location of witnesses
- photographs of the accident scene, damage to the vehicles and any visible injuries and subsequent photographs of the injuries at intervals over time to document the healing process
A good lawyer will give you a complete personal service and will always be available to discuss your claim on the telephone. Letters, faxes and emails should always be dealt with on the same day and you should be kept fully updated on the progress of your claim with each new development.
Total Permanent Disability Claim – TPD Compensation Solicitors in Australia
Total permanent disability (TPD) refers to a claim that can be made by a TPD compensation solicitor to an individual’s superannuation fund in Australia. A ‘super’ fund refers to an account held by trustees which is part insurance policy and part savings account usually used to provide a pension fund financed by compulsory deductions from salary. Superannuation funds are administered by trustees in accordance with the trust document that administers a particular fund and in accordance with the laws of Australia.
Those unable to work for any reason can make a TPD compensation claim to the superannuation fund for total permanent disability and the trustees must consider the TPD claim application. An award can be made in the form of a lump sum or by periodical payment effectively bringing super payments from their normal anticipated payment date.
A TPD compensation solicitor may act on your behalf to ensure that you get the best deal possible from the super fund. A lawyer can ask for reconsideration if the initial offer is unsatisfactory and may appeal the decision to a tribunal or to a court of law. A strong initial submission by a TPD compensation solicitor will often result in a satisfactory offer being made without necessity to take matters further.
