BIn late December 2017, the 2018 models of the Rocky Mountain Altitude, Instinct, and Pipeline mountain bicycle were recalled. The mountain bicycle was recalled because of a life-threatening hazard—an issue with the brake system. During the manufacturing of the Altitude, Instinct, and Pipeline mountain bicycles, the brake cable housing was not secured as it should have been. This issue with the brake cable housing can cause brake failure in the bicycles and, subsequently, the risk of crashing. A total of 3,100 mountain bicycles were sold—1,300 in the United States and 1,800 in Canada. These bicycles were sold in Rocky Mountain bicycle dealers from June to November 2017. The price range for these defective mountain bicycles ran between $2,600 and $7,300.
Although no injuries have been reported, the faulty brake systems in the Rocky Mountain Altitude, Instinct, and Pipeline bicycles can cause crash accidents that can severely injure bicyclists. To verify whether your bicycle is part of recall 18-069, you should inspect your bicycle for the model name. In 2018 affected models, the model name can be found on a sticker on your bicycle’s top tube.
The recall advises bicycle owners of the affected models to immediately stop riding the bicycle and contact a Rocky Mountain bicycle dealer for inspections and repairs—all at no cost. However, if you have already suffered an accident because of brake failure in a Rocky Mountain Altitude, Instinct, or Pipeline mountain bicycle, you should not immediately seek legal assistance.
Normandie Law Firm is a law firm dedicated to helping victims injured by defective products. If you were injured after your bicycle crashed because of a brake failure, you might have grounds to file a lawsuit and receive compensation for your injuries. Our injuries have handled many product liability and defective product lawsuits in the past, and they have helped many injured victims recover the compensation they deserve. You must immediately contact our law firm. The company should not have sold you a bicycle with a faulty braking system; you have the right to file a lawsuit.
What are Common Injuries Caused by Bicycle Crashes?
When many people think of bicycle accidents, they think of children falling off their tricycles and scraping their knees—they think of injuries that are not life-threatening. However, bicycle injuries can be severe. Mountain bicycles are specially designed for off-road bicycling; bicyclists are expected to ride their mountain bikes in rough terrain. Therefore, injuries sustained in a bicycle crash might be different than what the general population is used to considering. Below, you will find a few examples of the injuries that you might sustain if your bicycle crashes because of a faulty brake system:
- Broken bones, such as legs and arms
- Dental and jaw injuries
- Dislocated joints
- Fractures in elbows, hands, and clavicles
- Head and traumatic brain injuries
- Lacerations, scrapes, and bruises
- Neck injuries
- Nerve damage
- Spinal cord injuries
If your mountain bicycle’s braking system fails, you might be left with some of the injuries listed above. Along with these painful injuries, you will likely be left with expensive and unforeseen medical bills. If so, you must immediately contact our law firm and speak to our experienced defective product attorneys.
Can I file a lawsuit?
Many people believe that they cannot file a lawsuit for their injuries sustained because of a defective product once the company issues a recall. However, recalls are designed to address the issue before any injuries occur. The company responsible might offer a replacement, for example. In this specific recall, the manufacturer is offering a free inspection and a free repair. However, if you were injured, repairing the faulty brake system will destroy essential evidence that will support a lawsuit. So, can you file a lawsuit if you were injured because of the bicycle’s defective system? The short answer is yes; you can file a lawsuit for your injuries. If your injuries were a result of a defective product, you could file a lawsuit if there is at least one of the following in the product:
- A defect in its design
- A defect in its labeling
- A defect in its manufacturing process
For additional information, you must immediately contact our product liability attorneys. Our attorneys will evaluate your claim and give you the information you need to take legal action.
What Compensation is Available for My Injuries?
If you file a lawsuit, you might be eligible to receive compensation for your injuries. Many forms of compensation might apply to your product liability claim. These forms of compensation might include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
Although there are many types of categories of compensation available for recovery, victims are not guaranteed to receive every type of compensation. The form of compensation you receive will depend on the specific details of your claim. For more information of the type and amount of compensation you might be eligible to receive, you must immediately contact our law firm. Our attorneys will evaluate your claim and thoroughly explain the compensation that might be available to you.
How do I prepare for a Defective Product Claim?
If you suffered an injury because of a defective product, you might instinctively contact the company for a replacement or a refund. Although it is natural to want your money back, sending the product back for a refund or replacement could prevent you from filing a lawsuit. If you were injured because of brake failure in any of the three mountain bicycles involved in the recall, you should not contact the company for repairs; rather, you should do everything listed below:
- Do not return the item. If you return the item for a refund or a replacement, you will destroy the foundation of your lawsuit. The defective product is the main piece of evidence in your lawsuit.
- Do not fix the issue yourself. If you identify the problem in a defective product, do not try to fix it. If you are successful in fixing the problem, there will no longer be any evidence of the product being defective. It is also possible that the company will claim that you caused the problem when you tried to fix the product. Remember that the defective product is the primary piece of evidence; you should do everything necessary to preserve the evidence.
- Seek medical attention. If you were injured because of the defective brake system in the recalled bicycles, you must immediately seek medical attention. Besides treating your injuries, seeking medical attention ensures that your injuries are directly associated with the bicycle crash. You must keep all medical bills for later reference.
- Keep records of all documents related to the bicycle. You must ensure to keep any documents associated with the bicycle. That might include things like order confirmations, email confirmations, receipts, and shipping confirmations, to name a few.
If you do everything listed above, you should be ready to file a lawsuit. You must immediately contact our law firm to speak with our defective product attorneys. Our attorneys will help you recover the compensation you deserve.
What is the Statute of Limitations for My Claim?
If you are interested in filing a lawsuit, you must file your claim before the statute of limitations is over. A statute of limitations is a time limit that establishes the deadline to file your claim. If you do not file your claim within the appropriate statute of limitations, you might lose your right to file a lawsuit. If you were injured by the Rocky Mountains defective mountain bicycles, you have two years from the date of injury to file your lawsuit. However, some exceptions might apply to your statute of limitations. Therefore, you must immediately contact our attorneys for details regarding your statute of limitations and any exceptions that might apply.
Our Law Firm Can Help You
Normandie Law Firm is a law firm focused on helping injured victims. Our attorneys have an extensive background in successfully handling defective product claims and helping victims recover the compensation they deserve. Every victim of a defective product can contact our law firm and expect to get the information necessary to take legal action. Our law firm offers free consultations and free second opinions. These free initial services allow all injured victims to contact our law firm and speak to our attorneys without ever worrying about paying any fees. Our attorneys will answer every question and address every concern to give clients the confidence they need to either begin or continue their legal process.
Our law firm offers free consultations and free second opinions as part of our Zero-Fee guarantee. Our guarantee ensures that our clients will never have to worry about paying any upfront fees for any of our services. Our law firm is also strictly based on contingency; therefore, our clients will not pay any legal fees until our experienced attorneys win their lawsuits.
If you were injured in a bicycle crash because of the bicycle’s defective braking system, you must immediately contact our defective product attorneys. Our attorneys will fight for you and your right to compensation—contact our law firm today.
