With the amount of people who commute by bicycle these days, it is important to know what steps to take if you are ever involved in an accident with a vehicle. The possibility of this is daunting and the last thing you want to think about when you climb on your bike for a ride down the street, but having an idea of what steps to take can help protect you and help prevent future accidents from happening.
Check that You are Safe
Getting hit by a few tons of metal traveling even ten miles an hour is going to cause injury. It is important that after this happens you can confirm whether you are ok to move or are majorly injured. Either way you should call emergency services since some injuries may not be immediately noticeable due to the adrenalin running through your veins.
If you are in pain, do not move and have someone else make the call so you can avoid causing further injury.
Contact the Police
Some drivers may think that because you do not seem to have major injury, that there is no need to involve the police, but you need to make sure they are contacted. If you notice injuries or damages done to your property after an accident that was not immediately noticeable but did not collect the driver’s information or file for a police report, then you will be responsible and cannot try and get a settlement for those damages.
Even with the drivers contact information, they can easily try and change their story or place blame on you when you try and get a settlement from them. Having a police officer there to decide fault and issue a ticket to the driver will help you to get a payout later down the road if you seek medical attention or there is damage done to your bicycle. You should treat it the same way you would if you were in a vehicle instead of on a bike.
Contact a Lawyer
It may seem like taking care of this type of claim is simple, but it is more complicated than you think. Having an experienced lawyer on your side, like the legal team at The Law Offices of Jeremy Rosenthal can help make sure you are protected and receive an appropriate settlement offer from the insurance company, especially if the driver is trying to place blame on you. The best part? Initial consultations on cases of this type are always free and Mr. Rosenthal’s law firm also works on a contingency fee basis, which means that in the event Jeremy is not able to collect compensation for you, you do not pay.