As the Weather Warms up, Discuss Bicycle Safety With Your Kids



With spring finally here and the temperatures steadily warming, many children in the Indianapolis area are spending more time outside. In many cases, this means riding bikes from place to place—or even just riding bikes just to ride them.

Unfortunately, riding bicycles in a metropolitan area like Indianapolis exposes kids to the risk of accidents with motor vehicles—even in the most residential neighborhoods. For this reason, parents need to talk to kids about bicycle safety regularly and make sure that they take steps to reduce the risk of a car, truck, or motorcycle hitting them.

  • Children can reduce their injury and accident risks when riding when they:
  • Always wear a helmet when riding bikes.
  • Make sure that cars and trucks can see them. Wear brightly colored clothing and equip your bikes with reflectors on the front, back, and on the wheels. Avoid riding at night altogether.
  • Never wear headphones or listen to music when you ride.
  • Do not wear loose or long clothing that could get caught in wheel spokes or chains.
  • If you ride in traffic, follow all of the rules of the road.
  • Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them or pulling into their lanes.
Bicycle Accidents Can Have Devastating Results for Children

Kids can sustain extremely serious injuries in collisions with cars and trucks, including broken bones, serious lacerations, concussions, and even traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. In many cases, these injuries can leave children with long-term issues, including chronic pain, disfigurement, scars, cognitive issues, or even paralysis. Due to these potentially serious outcomes, do everything you can to help your child avoid a bicycle accident in the first place.

In the unfortunate event that your child is injured in an accident, take immediate steps to protect your child’s legal rights. If you can show that the accident resulted from the negligence of the driver who hit your child, you may obtain compensation for current and future medical treatments, lost quality of life, physical and emotional pain and suffering, and any other losses.

  • Some steps to take after an accident include:
  • Call the police to the scene of the accident. Obtain the other driver’s contact information, as well as the contact information of anyone who may have witnessed the accident.
  • Take your child to the hospital for a thorough medical evaluation. Attend any follow-up appointments and help your child engage in all recommended treatments.
  • Do not discuss the matter with the driver’s insurance company until you have talked to a lawyer.
  • Retain an attorney as soon as you can.

 Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for a Free Consultation

Indianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an injury law attorney in the greater Indy area—Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon—she’s here to help! Call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click Tell Us About Your Case for a free consultation.

Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for a Free Consultation

Indianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an Injury Law Attorney in the greater Indy area; Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon...we're here to help! You can call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click 'Tell Us About Your Case' for a free consultation.
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Indiana law typically entitles auto accident victims to compensation when the negligence of others results in injuries.

They can receive compensation for both economic and non-economic losses. Car accident victims, for example, may recover compensation for medical expenses, property damage, lost quality of life, and physical and emotional pain and suffering, among others.

While Indiana law may legally entitle injured car accident victims to compensation, they must still take certain steps to obtain it. In addition, they must avoid a few things along the way that can reduce the amount they ultimately receive. The following details three of the most common pitfalls.

Social Media Posts

Many people today share pictures and status updates on social media without giving them a second thought. As a car accident victim, however, keep in mind that the at-fault driver’s insurance company can use the things you post on social media as evidence against you. For example, if you suffer from debilitating neck pain that prevents you from working, but you post pictures of yourself out with friends, an insurance company could potentially use your posts as evidence that you are not as injured as you claim—even if the medical record supports your position.

Failing to Follow Your Doctor’s Orders

Another way in which car accident victims can hurt their financial recovery is by failing to follow doctor recommendations for follow-up care. When an injury victim ignores a doctor’s orders, insurance companies can make the argument that a victim’s injuries are not as serious as claimed—and reduce their settlement offers accordingly. As a result, if your doctor prescribes pain medication or refers you to physical therapy, for example, comply with your doctor’s orders even if you think that you can deal with the pain or believe that your injuries will heal on their own.

Providing the Insurance Company With a Recorded Statement

Insurance companies often pressure car accident victims to provide recorded statements and may even imply that doing so is in their best interests. Understand, however, that you are under no legal obligation to provide a recorded statement and that doing so is much more likely to hurt your case than help it. Insurance companies request recorded statements hoping that victims will say something that indicates that they were partially (or even fully) responsible for the accident in which they were involved, allowing them to reduce the amount they pay out. For this reason, if a car accident injures you, politely decline to provide a recorded statement and inform the insurance company that you plan to retain legal representation.

Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for a Free Consultation

Indianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an injury law attorney to represent you in your car accident case in the greater Indy area—Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon—she’s here to help! Call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click Tell Us About Your Case for a free consultation.

Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for a Free ConsultationIndianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an Injury Law Attorney in the greater Indy area; Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon...we're here to help! You can call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click 'Tell Us About Your Case' for a free consultation.
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Walking is one of the healthiest forms of exercise. It can help to reduce stress, increase long-term health, and it’s a positive environmental option to take instead of driving your car. While there are many benefits to walking, one danger to be aware of is heavy traffic, especially distracted drivers. The law is supportive of pedestrians and allows walkers the right of way in a crosswalk, or when crossing the street at the appropriate place. Still, accidents can happen. In 2015 there were over 5,300 people killed in pedestrian accidents, and another 129,000 walkers were treated for serious injuries.

Pedestrians are especially vulnerable when walking because they are largely unprotected. With the increasing use of smartphones and other distracting devices, the reality is that many drivers are simply unaware of a pedestrian until it is too late. Stepping into a crosswalk should always be taken with precaution. Although a pedestrian typically does have the right of way, a driver who isn’t paying attention can easily miss noticing a person or a child when they are crossing the street. This can result in devastating consequences and serious injuries.

What Damages Can you Claim in a Pedestrian Accident?

When you are injured, the medical bills can start to accumulate quickly, especially if you are unable to work while you are recovering. There are many different damages that you can request to recover when you are involved in a pedestrian accident. Some of these include (but are not limited to):

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost wages
  • Future earning loss
  • Emotional distress
  • Physical therapy and outpatient recovery
  • Modifications to your home that are required to assist in your recovery or physical limitations

What will the Insurance Company Offer to Pay?

When you are injured in an accident, your primary source of recovering damages is usually the insurance company. Typically, in the case of a pedestrian accident, the insurance companies will attempt to settle as quickly as possible. It is in their best interest to offer you a fast settlement to keep the case out of court. The first offer will always be their lowest offer, and it is in your best interest to hire a personal injury lawyer immediately to help you work through this process. An attorney who understands how to manage the insurance company settlement offers you a strong chance of receiving the maximum amount of damages for your injury.

Call an Indianapolis Pedestrian Accident Attorney Today

If you or someone that you know has been involved in a pedestrian accident, the damage can be catastrophic. Between medical appointments, physical therapy, and time off work, healing an injury can feel like a full-time job. Recovering compensation for your injury can feel overwhelming. The insurance companies have a team of attorneys working on your claim, and you should too. The experienced legal team at Fountain Law Group is ready to help victims of pedestrian accidents in the Indianapolis area. Call us today at 1-888-242-HURT(4878) or contact us online to set up an initial consultation. We are available and ready to go through the details of your case and fight aggressively on your behalf.

Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for a Free ConsultationIndianapolis

personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an Injury Law Attorney in the greater Indy area; Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon...we're here to help! You can call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click 'Tell Us About Your Case' for a free consultation.
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