After New York City legalized electric bikes in 2020, their presence throughout the city, including the East Village, has exploded. E-bikes, as a non-gasoline way to commute, make deliveries, and quickly navigate through traffic and busy streets, a popular alternative to slower-moving traditional bicycles or cumbersome standard-sized cars. However, e-bikes are much more dangerous to riders as well as those around them, especially pedestrians, when collisions occur. East Village e-bike accident attorney Michael J. Redenburg represents victims in personal injury and wrongful death claims against those responsible for their harm. Depending on the situation surrounding an e-bike collision, different parties could be at-fault. Often a negligent motorist has acted carelessly in causing an accident. Manufacturers of e-bikes, especially in cases involving a fire, can also be found liable for injuries caused by e-bikes. Mr. Redenburg can help you determine what factors have contributed to your accident and pursue proper legal action. Contact our office today at (212) 240-9465 or online to find out more about your legal rights in the aftermath of an e-bike accident.
E-Bike Accidents in the East Village
The East Village is made up of the area of NYC east of the Bowery and Third Ave, between 14th Street and Houston Street. This populous neighborhood contains residential as well as highly sought-after commercial spaces and venues. With so many people living, working, and visiting the area, e-bikes are commonplace on nearly every corner. Aside from New York’s Citi Bike bicycle-share program, private companies and individuals also ride e-bikes. Food delivery apps have put tens of thousands of e-bikes on the road in recent years, all with the goal of providing fast service, sometimes at the expense of their own or others’ safety. When an e-bike operator fails to obey stop signs, one-way streets, or rides on sidewalks to make their deliveries, serious accidents and injuries can occur. A knowledgeable e-bike accident lawyer in the East Village can help you determine your legal course of action.
Although an e-bike rider can be careless, it is often the negligence of another motorist that causes these types of collisions. Drivers may fail to check for blind spots before turning or changing lanes, creating unsafe conditions for e-bike riders. Fatal fires have also been caused by defective e-bikes. These fires, and other dangers, have led to calls for federal agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set regulations. In addition to potential defects of the e-bike itself or its parts, riders are not required to be licensed. With lack of restrictions on who operates these fast-moving e-bikes, as well as many riders being in a hurry, the potential for collisions is high.
Negligence in East Village E-Bike Accidents
When an e-bike accident is caused by negligence, the party responsible can be held liable in a personal injury or wrongful death suit. An experienced East Village e-bike accident attorney can help assess who may be at-fault for your injuries. Negligence is present when a party, or parties, has breached a duty of care owed to the victim, causing their injury or death, and resulting in damages. Road-users, including drivers and e-bike riders, owe each other a duty to act as a reasonable and prudent person would under the same, or similar, circumstances. Therefore, a driver who is speeding through traffic, or turns without looking in their mirror, and strikes an e-bike, can be found to have acted unreasonably. In situations involving a defective part, a manufacturer can be held strictly liable for the harm caused by the defect. Once negligence is shown, a victim can recover compensation for past and future medical costs, including rehabilitative treatment and physical therapy, as well as lost income or earning capacity. Family members who have lost loved ones in a fatal accident may also be awarded damages in the form of burial and funeral expenses and loss of support.
If you’ve been involved in an East Village e-bike accident, a knowledgeable attorney can help you gather and preserve the proper evidence to prove your case. Witness statements, accident reconstructions, manufacturing blueprints, and accident reports are all important to establishing negligence and determining fault. In e-bike accidents occurring in the East Village, the New York Police Department’s 9th Precinct will investigate and prepare an accident report. Copies of these reports can be obtained from their headquarters at 321 East 5Th Street, or online via the NYPD Collision Report Portal.
E-Bike Accident Attorney Representing East Village Residents
If you’ve been injured in an e-bike accident, you may be facing a long recovery. Medical bills can be overwhelming and seem impossible to pay, especially if you’re unable to work for a long period of time. East Village e-bicycle accident lawyer Michael J. Redenburg can help make sure those responsible for your injuries are the ones who also pay for the cost of them. Mr. Redenburg and his team offer comprehensive and compassionate legal representation to clients in the East Village and throughout NYC. If you have questions regarding your legal options after being injured or losing a loved one in an e-bike accident, call our office at (212) 240-9465 or contact us online to talk to an attorney today.