If a bicycle accident comes your way, prepare to deal with the consequences by following these important steps you need to take in the immediate aftermath.
Step One: Tend to Your Own Personal Safety First
The first step is to get yourself out of the road as quickly as possible to avoid any further injury. Sit down in a safe space and take a deep breath while realizing that due to the initial adrenaline rush, you may not even experience any pain or symptoms right away; but do start to carefully check yourself for injuries like cuts, stop any bleeding you may have by any safe means if possible and feel around for bruising or broken bones. Regardless, immediately after a bicycle accident, particularly one between your bike and a motor vehicle, you should call the police because they are best suited to help you get professional medical attention as soon as possible at a hospital emergency room or clinic and use an ambulance if necessary. Competent police officers will also file an accident report that may be of great use to you later in a court of law if you have suffered serious personal injuries.
Step Two: Document Everything in A Police Report
When the police arrive, step two is to make sure you tell them what happened in as much detail as you possibly can so that your eyewitness account can be included in the final report. Be assertive in persuading the police officer to listen to you as the bicyclist, if it appears the cops are only interested in talking to the vehicle motorist. It is also very helpful if you write down (or voice record) your own account of what happened as soon as you get the chance. The personal injury lawyers at https://bestbicycleaccidentlawyer.com recommend that you take as many photographs of the accident scene, if possible, so you have the records for your attorney should your case go to court. You should also try to obtain copies of any records related to your injuries from your bicycle accident including all medical reports, X-ray images, prescriptions, hospital receipts, etcetera, if you see a doctor or go to the emergency room.
Step Three: Don’t Talk to The Driver’s Insurance Company
The third step takes place when an insurance adjuster from the other party’s insurance company attempts to make contact with you to try to have a conversation with you but realize that the real objective is to get you to say something that will hurt your case and it is a sure bet that everything you tell the vehicle motorist’s insurance company adjuster will be used against you in a court of law so it is a good idea to avoid talking to the insurance company at all until you speak with an attorney. From there, let your bicycle accident lawyer handle everything for you, but if you must speak with an insurance adjuster from the other party’s insurance company without a lawyer, keep the conversation brief and do not volunteer any information.
Step Four: Consult With A Bike Repair Specialist
Finally, in the event you have suffered only a minor bike accident, meaning few if any personal injuries and only a bent up or broken bicycle, you may very well be able to handle the damages yourself with the insurance company and without the need of legal representation. A specialist in bicycle repair should have a look to see whether the bike is still safe to ride when you are ready because subtle damage to your bike that is not easily observable could put you at risk for future accidents.
Whether you are biking the Tour de France or just taking a leisurely ride with family and friends through city streets on bike paths or in the local park, bicycle collisions may often happen to the most cautious and skilled riders because Murphy’s Law is alive and well for everyone. So say what you will, for all the potential benefits of riding a bicycle, undoubtedly you also face an increased risk of accidents in which you collide with a fixed object, another bike, a pedestrian, or perhaps most frightening of all, a car or truck. So, the choices you make immediately following a bike accident can not only affect your health, it may impact your future, and your ability to recover compensation for damages resulting from the accident.
