10 Essential Things to Worry About After a Bike Accident

You know that safety is important when riding a bicycle. Cars are bigger and you have less protection while riding a bike. But, regardless of what you do, you are at high risk for a bike accident.

However, even though the risks are high, this doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do after the accident to preserve your case and chances for maximum compensation.

To stay in control of your case, follow these ten tips for immediately after the accident:

what to do after a bicycle accident

  1. Wait for the police to arrive: You will need to contact the police regarding the accident. Once they have been called, you will need to remain at the scene. Even if you are not driving the vehicle that caused the accident, leaving the scene on your bike will be considered fleeing the scene of an accident.
  2. Do not negotiate with the driver: The driver may attempt to negotiate with your or get you to admit that you are partially at fault. No matter what, do not discuss the facts of the accident with the driver nor negotiate in any way – it can be used against you later.
  3. Get the driver’s information: You will want to get all pertinent information from the driver, including their driver’s license number, insurance information, name, address, phone number, etc. Write down the vehicle’s license plate number and registration information as well.
  4. Write down witness information: You will also want to write down witness information – including their names, contact information, and a brief account of what they say. You can ask an attorney to follow up on their statements later, but get as much information as you can upfront.
  5. Document what happened before, during, and after the accident: You will want to start creating a document file that discusses everything that happened before, during, and after the accident.You will want to write down where it happened, how it happened, the road and traffic conditions, weather conditions, etc. If anything was said after the accident, be sure to include that as well. Include information regarding street signs and traffic lights, too.
  6. Make sure the police write it all down and take your report: It will help your personal injury case if you get a police report stating the facts. If the police officer cannot give you a copy of the report on the scene, make sure you get a report number and the officer’s information so that you can request the report later.
  7. Get immediate medical attention: Delaying medical attention will only hurt your claim—even if you feel fine. You need to seek medical attention to make sure that you do not have any life-threatening injuries and prove that you were legitimately injured in the accident.
  8. Preserve evidence if you can: While you cannot preserve all evidence, do what you can to preserve the evidence you meet – including photographs of injuries.
  9. Do not negotiate with insurance companies: Never negotiate with insurance companies. They will contact you as soon as they can to negotiate a settlement – but they will offer you as little as possible to settle the claim. You should never negotiate or accept any settlement without speaking to a personal injury attorney first.
  10. Seek out professional advice from an attorney: You will want to contact a personal injury attorney that has experience handling bike injury cases. The attorney will be better equipped to calculate your losses and document those losses for the courts. Also, an attorney will be an expert negotiator with insurance companies on your behalf.

Bike accidents happen more often than you think. Before you treat it like a minor accident, talk to an attorney. You could qualify for a settlement.

If you are in need of a personal injury attorney for your bike accident case, contact the bicycle accident lawyer at Glotzer & Kobren today for a free consultation. Call us today at 561-361-8677 or visit our office in Boca Raton.