Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
A construction zone DC bicycle accident lawyer can help you sort through liability, damages, and secure compensation for you after an injury. The issue with a construction zone accident case is that it adds an extra wrinkle into who may be at fault. What if you get hit by a car because they went through a red light at the direction of a construction zone worker? Who is at fault? You certainly should not have to pay the expenses of medical treatment, miss time from work, and suffer through months of physical pain and soreness if you did not cause the accident?
But who is responsible for those damages? A construction zone DC bicycle accident lawyer at Gelb & Gelb can break down these answers and explain it in a way that is easy to understand. Most importantly, we will set you on a path to both recover physically and collect compensation financially.
Riding a bicycle in Washington, DC can be a great way to navigate the city, but construction zones pose dangerous conditions that increase the risk of accidents. Construction sites often force bicyclists to maneuver through narrow lanes, uneven surfaces, and around heavy machinery, making an already vulnerable mode of transportation even more dangerous. Worse yet, they may even force cars and bicycles to merge into the same lane. This can be dangerous, particularly if one or both parties are not ready for the merge. In many cases, we can apportion blame between the two parties.
However, it is almost always more expensive to pursue a claim against a construction company or the federal government. First, there are statutes in palce that limit what we can recover from the government. Additionally, suing for injuries arising out of a construction site as a third party defendant is more expensive as we must pay for expert witnesses to testify what the standard is an dwhat the construction crew did incorrectly.
Riding a bicycle through construction zones in Washington, DC requires extra caution. While plenty of construction zones are designed to account for cars, and some even for pedestrians, few are designed to account for bicyclists. Unfortunately, there is often just enough room for a single car or truck to fit inside the concrete blockades. This leaves little room for a car to go around a bicycle. Nonetheless, many drivers will wish to pass a bicyclist. In addition to narrow pathways, there are uneven surfaces, debris, and heavy machinery that put cyclists at an increased risk of accidents. Any of the above can lead to a DC bicycle accident. And if a driver is the one who hits you, they will share responsibility for the accident. Who we choose to sue will depend on the severity of your injuries.
If your injuries are not severe, with damages totalling under $10,000, it probably makes more sense to make a claim only with the driver. But if your damages far exceed the insurance coverage under the driver’s policy, we must look for additionaly sources of recovery. If the consrtruction crew is also negligent in causing your accident, that provides you with deeper pockets to compensate you for your injuries.
Construction areas are rife with potential dangers for cyclists, and certain mistakes can greatly increase the risk of an accident. One of the most common mistakes is failing to slow down when entering a construction zone. There is a reason many states double the fines for speeding in a construction zone. This is to protect both the construction workers and motorists. The margin for error tends to be smaller in a construction zone. This is especially true in a city like DC, where everything is condensed to begin with as space is at a premium. Thus, slowing down can protect your life and the lives of people you share the road with. Further, some cyclists maintain the same speed they would use on a regular road, not realizing that gravel, potholes, or uneven surfaces can cause them to lose control of their bike.
This often proves to be a drastic mistake. Worse yet, an accident due to those issues can be very difficultl to prevail on, potentially leaving you without compensation. Another mistake is ignoring detour signs or attempting to ride through blocked-off areas, which can lead to collisions with vehicles or construction equipment. Bicyclists have a reputation for bending the rules on the road. Unfortunately, you may observe a bicyclist riding through a red light after checking both ways. However, bicyclists are still subject to the same laws as cars. But that does not always mean they adhere to these rules. But if a bicyclist does not follow the rules in a construction zone where the ground is not ready for a bicycle on two wheels, severe consequences may ensue.
Below is a list of more common mistakes leading to accidents necessitating assistance from a construction zone DC bicycle accident lawyer.
In some cases, the construction company may be liable for failing to provide adequate signage, barriers, or clear detours for bicyclists. If the road or pathway was unsafe due to construction debris, potholes, or hazardous machinery placement, the company overseeing the project could be held accountable for not maintaining safe conditions. On the other hand, a driver can just as easily be fully responsible for your damages. Just because the roadway is more narrow does not mean the construction company is liable. There is a new duty on each driver to behave reasonably under the circumstances. Part of that duty is that a driver slows down and does not cause an accident. However, if they do cause an accident despite that duty, that is a legal breach of duty, and liability may be shown.
The statute of limitations for the typical personal injury case is three years in Washington, DC. However, the statute is much shorter if you are making a claim against the DC or federal government. You must provide the Washington, DC mayor with notice of your claim within six months of your injury occurring. This is a major problem. Unfortunately, many people may see that there is a three-year statute of limitations and believe they have more time than they really do. Of course, the government does not really need notice to handlet he claim any differently. Rather, they likely are just reduing the number of claims made against them. Nonetheless, you must put them on notice if you wish to file suit against them for personal injuries arising out of a DC bicycle accident.
Contact our office today for a free consultation and case evaluation at (202) 331-7227.
Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.