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Receiving Compensation for a Bike Accident That Is Not Your Fault
Bikers should be extremely careful how and where they ride to avoid accidents. Nothing takes the joy out of biking more than being involved in a biking accident. Biking accidents that involve automobiles are common today due to the increase in traffic in Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Eastern Washington, and other areas. Although sport cyclists are at risk, school-age and university students are prime victims of bike accidents.
HOW TO AVOID A BIKING ACCIDENT:
- Observe all rules of the road, especially yielding the right-of-way to favored drivers and adhering to all traffic control signs and lights
- Use arm signals to signal your intent to turn or slow down
- Assume drivers do not see you
- Accelerate from stops at intersections in a low gear
- Wear safety gear, including reflective clothing and a helmet
- Keep all factory reflectors on the bike, and keep them clean
- Illuminate your bike with a front headlight and a rear, flashing red light; and
- Choose bike-friendly routes with minimal vehicular traffic
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE IN A BIKING ACCIDENT:
- Call 911
- If possible, take pictures of your sprockets – (the gears you were in at the time of the accident will help prove speed – which may be relevant to proving fault)
- Photograph the accident scene
- Photograph bruising, cuts, scrapes, swellings, and other visible injuries
- Get the name and contact information for any witnesses
- Get the insurance information of the driver who hit you
- Call us – our consultations are free.
Insurance Tips:
Often, injuries from a bike accident can be catastrophic. Finding insurance to help you through this time can be crucial.
Even if you do not have auto insurance, you may have first-party insurance to cover your lost wages, medical bills, and other benefits. If the driver who hit you has Personal Injury Protection (PIP), you may be covered as if you bought and paid for the policy yourself. We can help you determine whether the vehicle driver who hit you has this coverage.
If you or someone you live with has an auto policy – you may be covered under that policy as well for injuries caused because of your biking accident – even though you were driving a bicycle at the time of the accident. We can help you figure this out too.
Finally, the driver of the vehicle will hopefully have liability coverage. Other types of coverage may be available. We can help you find it all.
Auto drivers also play a vital role in the prevention of biking accidents. Drivers should exercise more caution when pedestrians or bikers are on the road. Drivers should be especially aware of children bikers around them as children can be unpredictable in their actions and may make sudden decisions that put them in danger. Although not you can avoid every accident, it is possible to lower the risk of accidents by both parties being more cautious and alert.
