
With many metropolitan areas embracing bike lanes, not only are cities more bikeable, they also see more bike accident claims. Bike accidents can be extremely dangerous for the cyclist. Here’s what you need to know if you’re involved in a bike accident as shared by a pedestrian accident lawyer.
This blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for legal advice. If you want legal advice for your specific claim, schedule a consultation with a bike accident attorney in your area.
Take These Steps To Protect Your Potential Legal Rights
If you’re involved in a bike accident, you should know that you may have valuable legal rights that may need to be protected. However, it’s essential that you first worry about whether you’re injured. After the accident, you should:
- Call 911. By calling 911, law enforcement and medical will be dispatched to your location. The job of law enforcement is to protect the scene and perform an investigation. They will also write a report. Make sure that you get the accident report number. The report is often vital to a successful claim. If you have a serious injury, you may wish to go to the emergency room via ambulance. However, it is vital that you get checked out by a medical professional. Internal injuries often don’t have signs. If you hit your head, you should consider getting checked out.
- Take photos of your injuries, the damage to your bike, the damage to the involved vehicle, and the street conditions at the time of the accident.
- Collect witness statements from those who saw the accident, and be sure to get their contact information; police should help with this but you should ensure that they are talking to everyone on the scene.
- Keep track of all records associated with the accident; ask the hospital for copies of medical records and ask the police department for copies of the accident report. It is best not to wait until everything is “done” — instead, ask for copies at each stage of this process so that you have well-documented records.
- Schedule a consultation with a bike accident attorney as soon as possible. A bike accident attorney can explain your potential legal remedies and your legal rights to you.
Most Common Injuries Caused By Bike Accidents
According to our friends at Herschensohn Law Firm, PLLC, some of the most common injuries caused by bike accidents include, and may not be limited to:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Broken bones
- Eye injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Skull fracture
- Facial injuries
- Broken clavicle
- Lacerations
- Chest injuries
- Concussion
This is not a comprehensive list, there are many other injuries that may be sustained from a bike accident. No matter how big or small the injury is, you deserve compensation for it. Reach out to an attorney near you to schedule a consultation. They will review your records and your case in order to determine how much compensation you are entitled to as well as how best to tackle your case to get the verdict you want. Don’t hesitate, reach out to an attorney immediately.