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You’ve Just Been in a Bicycle Accident – Now What?

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Bicycle accidents differ greatly from the typical car accidents. Oftentimes the injuries can be more severe and the insurance can get complicated. If you’ve been in a bike accident, these factors and others might leave you a bit confused. Knowing what to do next will allow you to focus more on recovering and less time frantically searching for answers.

Make Sure You Tell Your Side of the Story to the Police

As with any vehicle accident, you’ll want to call the police so they can come and assess the situation. Even if you don’t think you’ve been injured seriously, injuries can creep up on you later on and you’ll regret not taking the time to properly manage the situation – including getting the driver’s insurance information. The police will file a report, but sometimes in cases with a car and bike they’ll only consult the driver of the car. It’s your responsibility to make sure you get your side of the story to the cops to include in their report. For both the insurance companies and potentially a legal case down the road, you want to preserve your perspective so there’s no ambiguities and you don’t end up paying for something that wasn’t even your fault.

Take Your Own Notes and Evidence

One of the best marvels of the modern era is almost everyone having a smartphone on them that can take photos on the fly. Take your own images of the accident and the surrounding scene. Was there a “do not turn left” or a stop sign that the driver ignored? Make sure you snap that too. Document your injuries too, both big and small. These images can be brought up later on to help strengthen your case. Write down everything you remember as soon as you can after the accident as well before life continues on and your memory gets foggy. If there were any witnesses at the scene, talk with them too and get their contact information. Ideally you won’t need all of this, but having it just in case can prove to be invaluable.

Get Yourself and Your Bike Checked Out

Getting medical treatment after a bicycle accident is crucial, even if you feel okay after the fact. Concussions and other bodily injuries can take time to show up and you need to find out if you have any issues before the insurance paperwork gets filed. This will greatly adjust your claim. But beyond just getting yourself checked out, you’ll want to take your bike into the shop for an assessment as well. It’s a similar situation – the bike may seem fine, but you might notice something on a future ride that could lead to another catastrophe. If there is damage to your bike, you can push the insurance to cover a replacement as well.

Bring in Help if You Hit Insurance Snags

Insurance cases with bikes can be a hassle and the protocols aren’t as cut and dry as they are with strictly automotive accidents. That doesn’t mean you should give up and move on. Bringing in a lawyer can help make sure you get the recompense you deserve. Elsner Law Firm specializes in personal injury cases, including bicycle accidents. Give us a call today and we’ll assess your situation and help you determine the next steps to take to get this burden behind you and back on two wheel again.

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