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What To Do If You've Been Involved In A Bicycle Accident
Cities across the United States are increasing bike-friendly roadways and safety measures that protect bicycle commuters. Still, there is often an adversarial relationship between bicyclists and motorists — a relationship that can easily lead to bike accidents and serious injuries.
At Frederick & Hagle, we know that bicyclists are very vulnerable on the road. It is every driver and biker’s duty to practice safe driving and adhere to basic precautions. If a driver, a fellow bicyclist or another person’s negligence caused you injury, we can help.
What You Can Do To Protect Yourself
Here are a few tips on what you can do to protect yourself after you have been involved in a bicycle accident:
Contact the police, wait for the police and make sure your version of events is recorded in the police report. Even if you think you were not hurt very badly (or at all), injury symptoms can arise long after the accident. When the police arrive, they may ask only the motorist what happened. Make sure you relay your version of events. Never admit fault and never negotiate with the driver. These records will play a big role in your case.
Gather contact information of the driver or other party involved in the accident as well as any witnesses who saw what happened. Ask the driver for his or her name, address, phone number, driver’s license number, insurance information, etc. If you are injured and cannot gather this information yourself, ask someone nearby to do it.
Document what happened in the accident, what injuries you suffered and preserve evidence until is it recorded properly by your attorney. If your bike was damaged, do not fix it yet. If you have cuts, scrapes or other visible injuries, take photos. Keep a journal of how you’re feeling day by day. Some symptoms of injury manifest in subtle ways, like chronic headaches, limited mobility, numbness or tingling in extremities and other signs of complex spinal cord injuries.
Make Sure Your Settlement Is Enough
Our lawyers have significant experience in both trial and settlements — something that is crucial to obtaining the fair settlement you deserve. Insurance companies may offer an initial compensation package, but that will not always be in your best interests. Make sure you recover what you need for the full scope of your injuries. Let us help.
Schedule a free initial consultation online or call us at 217-367-6092 (toll free at 1-800-642-1227). From our office in Urbana, we handle cases throughout the Champaign-Urbana area and Central Illinois.
