It is sometimes a challenge to ride bicycles safely out on the Louisiana roadways. Sometimes, road conditions lead to dangerous situations. In other cases, motorist traffic may be a major contributing factor to an accident.
Sometimes, even cyclists contribute to the conditions that lead up to an accident. Fortunately, injured cyclists may still be able to recover damages even if they were partially at fault.
One way to avoid risky interactions or unfriendly roads might be to take advantage of the wide array of local parks and preserves throughout the state. There are a few good options right in the neighborhood. For residents or those visiting town, the Lake Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau recommends these local spots with bike-friendly trails:
- Sam Houston Jones State Park
- Cameron Prairie Wildlife Refuge
- Prien Lake Park
- Lakefront Promenade
- Riverside Park
Still, accidents happen. As explained in the statutory law, title V, article 2323, Louisiana operates under a system of comparative negligence when it comes to injury law. Unlike some other states, which set a maximum level of fault for parties recovering damages, the law here could allow almost anyone — even people who are 99 percent to blame for the accident — to make some amount of their injury whole. However, the amount of recovery would likely correspond to the amount of fault on a percentage basis. Therefore, someone who is mostly to blame for an accident might not recover much at all.
Even if it seems that a cyclist might be at fault for an accident, the relevant statutes and case law may indicate differently. It could be informative to have these cases analyzed from a legal perspective before agreeing to any binding contracts or settlements, especially when major injuries occur.
