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What to do if you’ve been in a Bicycle Accident

What to do if you’ve been in a Bicycle Accident

Even the most seasoned cyclists who ride their bikes to work daily or on regularly for leisure and exercise can be in a bicycle accident. Unfortunately, accidents are traumatizing. For bicyclists, I found a quote about managing the shock that seemed apropos and wanted to share it.

What to do if you’ve been in a bicycle accident are a few lists and things to think about.

Manage the shock

As Garry Brennan from Bicycle Network told us, your first and most important challenge is to manage your own shock.

“Unless you have had a crash it is hard to imagine just how difficult it is to keep your wits about you, to stay level-headed and to manage your predicament. You have had a big fright, you could be hurting and injured, you could be dealing with someone who has every intention of ensuring they are never made accountable for their crash-causing actions, you might be dealing with police, ambulance, witnesses — it’s all just a blur.”

Mr. Brennan makes an excellent point. As bicyclists, we ride frequently without interruption. We wear helmets to protect our heads, reflectors so drivers can see us and we stick to our lane. We’re also keenly aware of our surroundings. Unfortunately, it’s still not always enough.

Being hit by a car or a bus can cause irrevocable damage emotionally and physically.

Please consider these things, too.

GET OFF THE ROAD

  • To quote State Bicycle Operations Coordinator Sergeant Arty Lavos, “In all instances your primary objective is to make sure that there is no further risk to yourself or anyone else.”
  • If you’re able to pick yourself up, get yourself and your bike off the road and deal with the situation from there. You don’t want to stay on the road and risk further injury. But if you’re concerned about the possibility of spinal injuries, don’t move — you could risk further and more serious injury.

ASSESS YOURSELF FOR INJURIES

  • Your first priority should always be your health — everything else can be sorted out later. If you think you need medical attention, don’t hesitate in calling an ambulance. And if you’re unable to make the call, ask someone nearby to do so for you (if they haven’t already).
  • If you’ve managed to avoid serious injury, be ready to assess the situation, take a deep breath, and act calmly.

EXCHANGE CONTACT DETAILS

  • If you’re ready and able to act, approach the driver of the vehicle. There’s every chance you’ve got reason to be upset, but confronting them aggressively won’t help the situation. Be as calm as you can and get the information you need.
  • You should exchange names, addresses and phone numbers with the motorist, and get their driver license number, car registration and insurance details if you can. Note down the time of the incident and where it occurred. If you don’t have a pen and paper with you, just take the details down on your smartphone, or take photos of licenses and registration plates.

LOOK FOR WITNESSES

  • While you’re talking with the driver have a look around to see if anyone else has witnessed the accident. If they have, exchange contact details with them.
  • Getting a witness to provide their analysis of the situation can be very valuable if the motorist changes their story after the accident. You want to avoid it being a case of your word against the motorist’s so it’s worth trying to get someone else to back you up.
  • Have a look around for fellow cyclists as well, on the off chance that one of them has a camera mounted to their helmet or handlebars. This might sound unlikely, but on my very first day of wearing a helmet camera to work I saw someone get doored. The cyclist saw that I had a camera on my helmet and asked if he could have a copy of the video to use in future negotiations.
  • Have a quick look around to see if there are CCTV cameras in the area as well. If there are, let the police know so they can contact the operators to get the relevant footage.

TAKE PHOTOS & NOTES

  • Any information you can collect at the time and place of the accident could be valuable later on. Take photos of any injuries you sustained, any damage your bike or the other vehicle might have sustained, and any damage to your clothing or helmet.
  • If you decide to take photos of other people involved in the accident, bear in mind that some people aren’t receptive to having their photo taken.

TELL YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY TO THE POLICE

  • If anyone is injured in a road accident, or if there’s damage to property and the owner isn’t present, the police should be called.
  • With that in mind, and if you aren’t too badly injured, call the police and wait for them to arrive. Even if it’s cold and inconvenient and even if the driver has left you should stick around to tell your side of the story.
  • A police report is very important when it comes to insurance claims, et al and ensuring the motorist is followed up for any misdemeanors he or she has committed.
  • “Ask for the name and station details of any police that attend. If police don’t attend you must report the accident to police before you lodge a claim.”
  • If police did arrive, give as much detail to them as you can. Don’t tell them what you think happened — say what you saw and heard. Ask for a copy of the report afterwards. And if you give formal statement (you’ll have to sign it if it’s a formal statement) get a copy of that too — it can be a pain to get a copy later on and might cost you money.

HEAD TO A HOSPITAL OR A DOCTOR

  • Once the police have left the scene of the accident, it’s worth reassessing your injuries. Immediately after an accident your body can go into shock and the adrenaline can mask a lot of pain. You might find that after going through the steps above, you realize that you’re injured more badly than you first thought.

“Getting medical attention is not a bad idea as a lot of injuries may appear a few days later. It’s a good idea to get checked out for any immediate serious injuries to negate any further complications down the track.”

  • Even if it’s a minor injury you should go to a doctor or hospital straight away to get looked at. Ask for a list of the injuries you’ve sustained — a report like this will almost certainly be required if you lodge a claim or pursue legal avenues against the motorist. Better to get the report when the injuries at their worst.

GET A QUOTE FOR ANY DAMAGES TO YOUR BIKE

  • Once you’re well enough and able to do so, head to a local bike shop and get them to assess any damage that your bike and equipment (including helmet and clothing) might have sustained. Don’t try fixing anything yourself — take it to the shop in the condition it was after the crash. Get the LBS to give you a quote for the repairs. This will be valuable when negotiating a settlement with the motorist or pursuing your legal options.

  • If possible, get quotes from a couple of bike shops and use the lowest quote in any negotiations. It will dispel any concerns that you’ve got a friend at the bike shop writing higher quotes for you, and it will also show that you’re negotiating in good faith.

  • If you have insurance for your bike this would be a good time to get in touch with the insurers and make a claim, assuming that’s what you want to do.

 

CHOOSE HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED

  • If you want to take legal action, be sure to contact an attorney who has expertise in bike accidents and personal injury.
  • If you have sustained damage to your property and yourself, consider the consequences if you don’t take legal action. For example, if you’ve been severely injured and require round the clock care or can’t work; between the cost of medical bills and lost wages, you could wind up in an unimaginable and horrifying predicament.

Have you ever been in a bike accident? How did you handle it? How are you doing now? Do you wish you had done anything differently? We’d love to hear from you.

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