Tracy Father Killed After Fatal Bicycle Accident
A father from Tracy was killed after a fatal bicycle accident on Eastlake Drive and MacArthur Drive on the evening of Saturday, September 19, 2020. The cycling accident occurred around 7:00 p.m. According to the Tracy Police Department (Tracy PD), a man was taking a bike ride with his 9-year-old daughter down MacArthur Drive. The father, 45-year-old Mark Madamba, a retired Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy, noticed a vehicle approaching them at a fast rate of speed and encouraged his daughter to ride her bike faster to avoid getting hit. The car allegedly crashed into Mr. Madamba, and he was pinned under the vehicle. Sadly, he suffered fatal injuries at the scene.
Losing Someone You Love
The unexpected death of a loved one is always a tragedy, particularly if the loss could have been avoided. Those who are negligent or reckless and cause a fatal accident must be held financially accountable for their wrongdoing. Surviving family members of decedents killed in bicycle accidents may take legal action against negligent parties and entities through a wrongful death action. While bringing a wrongful death claim may be challenging, an experienced Tracy wrongful death lawyer can help simplify the process of obtaining justice on behalf of a lost loved one.
Factors Involved in a Wrongful Death Claim for a Fatal Bicycle Accident in Tracy
After a cycling crash, it is critical that a Tracy bicycle accident attorney acts quickly, especially if the incident involves fatal injuries. One of the most crucial steps an attorney can take is to hire an accident reconstruction expert to examine the scene of the collision and provide testimony before evidence is lost or destroyed. Without evidence, it can be challenging to prove negligence on the part of the at-fault party to recover damages incurred.
The amount of compensation available in a wrongful death claim for a bicycle accident is limited to the amount of bodily injury liability coverage the at-fault party has on their insurance policy. Unfortunately, many drivers carry insufficient coverage or none at all to cover tragedies such as these. In such situations, surviving family members may seek recourse through their insurance plan if they have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM).
This type of insurance may extend to other members of a household, including a close relative, who was lost in a fatal cycling crash caused by the negligence of an uninsured or underinsured driver. It may provide compensation for end of life medical treatment, lost future financial support, funeral expenses, loss of a loved one’s protection, care, and companionship, and more. To learn more about the wrongful death claims process and how specific factors may affect the value of a case, watch the video below.
Can I Trust the Insurance Company for a Fair Settlement?
Some of the many defense strategies used by difficult insurance companies and negligent parties are to blame the deceased cyclist, alleging that they were cycling in an unsafe manner or failed to follow the rules of the road. Such accusations can be devastating for surviving family members to hear, given that their loved one is no longer alive to give their account of the incident. Survivors should not trust insurers to treat their families fairly and should not settle for less than what their case is worth. To determine the full and fair value of a wrongful death claim, an experienced Tracy wrongful death attorney can help calculate the value of damages by gathering evidence and retaining experts to ensure the family is fairly compensated for their loss.
Bicycle Accident Lawyer in Tracy
I’m Ed Smith, a Tracy bicycle accident lawyer. Did you lose a member of your family in a fatal cycling crash because of a negligent driver? You and your family deserve justice for your loss, and an experienced attorney can help obtain that on your behalf from difficult insurance companies. To learn more about how a lawyer can help, call our law firm at (209) 227-1931 or (800) 404-5400. Our legal team is available anytime to discuss your loss and provide compassionate, free, and friendly advice on how to bring a wrongful death claim in your situation.
See what former clients have to say about working with our legal team at the links below:
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If you are interested in how our law firm can help you with your wrongful death claim, go to our Verdicts and Settlements page to see how we have helped other families in the past with their wrongful death cases.
Picture Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/love-gold-rose-cemetery-grave-dead-4814488/
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