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Cyclists who were victims of road accidents often encountered significant difficulties in obtaining fair compensation for physical and material damages, essentially becoming victims a second time. It was to remedy this situation that the ZEROSBATTI Association was founded in 2017.
The non-profit association - led by lawyer Federico Balconi, who practices in the Milan court, specializing in civil law with a focus on road accidents and sports law - immediately set itself the goals of promoting road safety and ensuring fair compensation for accident victims.
Lawyer Balconi, let's start with this point: you stand by the victims.
"The first point is precisely to lighten the burden on victims, who find themselves facing a complex and difficult moment, by managing the legal and bureaucratic aspects necessary to process and follow the compensation claim. Guiding accident victims in the very first stages is crucial to take the right steps and not compromise the final outcome."
After eight years, are you satisfied with the results achieved with your team?
"I'm happy for all the people we have assisted and helped, who thank us every day for the work we've done for them, but I cannot say I'm equally happy with the current situation on the roads and the regulations that should protect vulnerable road users."
What is ZEROSBATTI's strength?
"Immediate assistance and strong specialization in managing this type of legal cases."
Why did you choose to create an association as your legal form?
"To allow everyone to have free access to legal defense, while also creating a large community to share social goals aimed at greater road safety."
ZEROSBATTI's ambassador is Vincenzo Nibali. How is the team composed?
"We are a structured team that grows year after year, composed of various specialized lawyers, collaborators who provide immediate assistance to those who need our intervention, and a dedicated press office."
You are a practicing cyclist: is this an advantage for your work in the Association?
"Certainly yes, the advantage is having specific expertise and knowledge of all the peculiarities related to the world of two wheels to interface with insurance companies to obtain fair damage compensation. There are specific technical aspects, such as bicycle damage and all types of physical, financial, existential, and moral damages that must be considered. Specifically, we also have experts, technicians, legal medical professionals, and psychologists to meet every client's needs and counter the opposing party's objections; this allows us to quickly and fully resolve compensation claims without almost ever having to go to court."
In the past year, you've established new collaborations in the cycling world...
"Exactly. We were chosen by the Italian Cycling Federation, with a contract until 2027, to provide free assistance and our services to all their members. As ZEROSBATTI, we've activated conventions for numerous ASD to protect entire teams. This year we also have an important partnership agreement with Specialized Italia: through numerous dealers, we'll provide assistance to all new customers, offering them legal, technical, and professional support in case of an accident. We believe this is a great advantage. We have many professional riders who rely on our legal protection and have joined our association, helping us spread our goals: this is an important signal that directly reaches the amateur world."
What is the dream of this association? Where do you want to go?
"The goal is an effective reform of the Highway Code and thus achieve a radical change in what happens on the road. To make this possible, it's crucial that more and more people join our association. I also believe that the communication and social media activity we do daily is essential to reach an increasingly wider audience."