Bicycle accident claims

If you’ve been involved in a cycling accident within the last three years, and it wasn’t your fault, then you could be eligible to claim cycle accident compensation.

For example:

• If another vehicle was at fault
• If you had faulty equipment i.e a defective helmet, or a manufacturing issue with your bicycle
• The roads or bike lanes were in poor condition i.e. potholes

We understand that sometimes it’s hard to determine who was at fault. So if you’re unsure, the best thing to do is speak with a trained legal advisor for a free initial consultation, about whether you could make a no win no fee* claim. With claims.co.uk, there is no obligation to make a claim.

There are many ways in which using a bicycle as your mode of transport is a wholly positive thing. It’s relatively inexpensive, it’s good for the environment and it keeps you fit as you travel around.

Indeed, many people throughout the UK choose to cycle as much for pleasure as necessity, and seek to introduce the habit to their children at the earliest opportunity.

Setting all of that aside, however, there’s no way of getting round the fact that cycling on the same roads used by a host of motor vehicles can be a dangerous proposition.

The risk is heightened by other road users’ often reckless attitude towards cyclists, by cyclists’ occasional lack of visibility and by the vulnerability of a cyclist in the event of any kind of accident.

The statistics back this up, with figures from 2018 indicating that 17,550 cyclists were injured in reported accidents during the year, with 4,106 being seriously injured whilst 99 were sadly killed.

Whilst the upsides of riding a bike are clear and to be applauded, the risks inherent in the activity are such that the Department for Transport commissioned a report triggered by concern over the rising number of killed or seriously injured whilst riding a bicycle on the road.

The report sought to establish the causes of such incidents, and the findings firmly established that most of the danger facing cyclists can be traced to the behaviour of other road users:

• A large proportion of collisions took place at road junctions, and, where another vehicle was involved, the drivers ‘failure to look properly’ was reported as being a key factor in almost 60% of serious collisions.
• Cyclists are at a greater risk of being killed whilst riding on rural roads, and the higher the speed limit, the greater the injury sustained was likely to be.
• HGVs pose a particular risk for cyclists, being involved in 18% of fatal accidents.
• The police felt that the key factor in collisions involving HGVs included the ‘vehicle blind spot’ and ‘driving too close to the cyclist’. In many cases the collision involved an HGV turning left whilst the cyclist was travelling straight ahead.

The risk to cyclists posed by the negligent behaviour of other vehicles is something which doesn’t look set to reduce any time in the immediate future. According to the latest figures, at the end of 2018 there were 38.2 million licensed vehicles on British roads, an increase of 1.2 percent on the previous year.

Making a claim for compensation isn’t about cashing in on your accident, or punishing the other party. It’s about fairness and ensuring that, having suffered as a result of a road traffic accident, you don’t have to carry on suffering with physical injuries in the future.

The key to a successful claim lies in demonstrating that the bicycle accident in question wasn’t your fault, and that it resulted in you suffering a personal injury.

To find out more about claiming cycle accident compensation, submit the online claim form, or call free on 0800 234 6438 and speak to a trained legal adviser.

The adviser will take the details of your accident and give you an honest and clear appraisal as to whether you’re in a position to make a claim. If you wish to proceed, they can put you in touch with specialist solicitors – expert personal injury lawyers, who will work on your case on a no win no fee basis.

Our partner solicitors will only take on cases which they’re confident of winning, meaning you can trust them to be completely honest in their assessment of your claim.

The fact that cycling can be dangerous is not only down to the attitude of other road users, but is compounded by the serious nature of the injuries often inflicted upon those involved in accidents.

Common cycling injuries suffered by cyclists in road traffic accidents include:

• head injury
• neck injury
• arm injury
• wrist injury
• elbow injury
• brain injury
• shoulder injury
• knee injury
• leg injury

Then there are more serious injuries such as severe brain damage, or even life threatening injuries.

According to figures collected by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents:

• 40% of cyclists involved in road accidents suffer injuries to their arms, and 25% to their legs.
• Chest and abdomen injuries are rare, at 5%, but often serious.
• According to hospital data, 40% of cyclists and 45% of child cyclists suffer head injuries.

The serious nature of such injuries can be life changing, and compensation may well be required. Not only in recognition of the personal injuries you’ve suffered, but also to fund the cost of ongoing care, medical treatment and lost earnings.

If you’re a cyclist (or the relative of a cyclist) who’s unlucky enough to be involved in an accident of this kind then you may well be in a position to make a claim for compensation.

If you’ve been injured and it wasn’t your fault, then it’s deeply unfair to expect you to have to carry the burden of this injury entirely on your own. Even a relatively ‘minor’ accident can result in long term pain, distress and expense, both direct and indirect.

If this accident was brought about by the negligence of another party e.g. if a driver failed to spot your bike at a junction, for example, or a lorry turns left in front of you without looking – then it’s wrong that you should be left to get on with recovering entirely under your own steam.

A successful compensation claim can go some way towards mitigating this unfairness.

If you’ve been injured while out riding your bike because someone else didn’t take sufficient care, then you’ve every right to seek compensation to minimise the negative ramifications of this event.

While we can’t give you a set amount of how much cycling accident compensation you might be entitled to – because every cycle accident claim is different. What we can do is give you a rough idea of what you might be eligible to claim for.

The Judicial College, a department of the Ministry of Justice, publishes the ranges of general damages payments for all types of personal injuries.

For example:

Head injury: £1,880 – £379,100

Severe neck injury: £38,800 – £139,210

Moderate brain damage: £36,740 – £205,580

Severe back injury with spinal cord damage: £77,700 – £151,070

Hip or pelvis injury: £3,370 – £122,860

Fractured thigh bone (femur): £7,780 – £13,210

If you do claim for personal injury compensation, then any payment you’re seeking will be based on several factors. The first and most obvious of these is the pain and distress, both physical and psychological, that the accident has put you through.

Any compensation awarded for this will be calculated on the basis of the type and severity of your injuries. On top of this, you could be able to claim for expenses directly arising from the accident.

Expenses of this kind might include travel costs, medical bills, the costs of repairing or replacing your bike and other equipment and any other money which you would not have had to spend if the accident hadn’t happened.

When you pursue compensation, your solicitor will seek the maximum compensation for you. And in order to maximise your chances of success it’s vital to keep any receipts for such expenses.

If you’re claiming on behalf of a loved one who died as a result of a bike accident, while nothing can ever replace them, compensation can help cover certain costs.

For example, the cost of funeral expenses, bereavement counselling, even loss of income. Your specialist solicitors will explain the claims process to you, and will endeavour to go through it at your pace.

To find out more about personal injury claims, get in touch with a trained legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438. Or, if you’d prefer, you can fill in one of the secure contact forms and they’ll call you back.

If you’ve been involved in a cycling accident and it wasn’t your fault, then you could be eligible to claim compensation. But to ensure your cycling accident claim is successful, there are a few steps you can take to help your case:

Firstly, report the accident to the police and obtain an incident number and a copy of your statement.

You should also request copies of all witness statements from other people who were at or near the scene at around the time of impact.

Make sure that they sign these forms if they agree with what they have written down, so that it can be used as evidence later on when court proceedings begin if necessary.

You may also want to see your GP and get a copy of the medical report they give you, which will be helpful in getting compensation.

If you have been prescribed medication, keep the receipts for this as well as any other out-of-pocket expenses (such as travel costs for attending appointments) that relate to your injury.

If applicable, also keep any appointments letters from doctors or physiotherapists involved with treating your injuries.

Look at what happened before and after the incident and ask yourself:

• Was there any evidence of reckless or careless driving?
• Did they fail to signal before changing lanes?
• Did they speed up suddenly without warning?
• Did they fail to give way at a junction or pull out in front of someone else on a roundabout?

If you’re able to establish that another person was at fault for causing your bicycle accident, then you could be eligible to make a bicycle accident claim.

Establish the cost of your injuries. This can be done by keeping receipts for any loss of earnings or out-of-pocket expenses tied to the accident.

Some examples of these include:

• Lost wages due to missing work as a result of your injuries
• Treatment costs for medical treatments you have received since the accident

If possible try to take photos/videos of any damage caused to you, your bike, or your personal property before it is repaired, so that you have proof of its damaged state when making claims against responsible parties.

Be sure to take photos of the accident scene (if it occurred in public), any nearby witnesses and perhaps even a police officer if one was present.

You may also want to take photographs of the other party’s vehicle and insurance details, their driver’s licence, etc.

If you have been in an accident on your bike, and you want to claim compensation, you will want to try to gather as much evidence to support your claim as possible.

This includes:

• A copy of the police report (sometimes known as a Traffic Collision Report)
• A copy of the accident report (sometimes known as a Report of Accident Involving Bodily Injury or Death)
• Your own statement about what happened, including where, when and how it happened
• Your medical report, including any injuries sustained and details regarding medical treatment that has been sought or received since being injured by the incident. You should also provide copies of any related medical records here if they do not already exist in our office’s systems.

If you’ve been injured in a cycling accident, you typically have three years from the date of injury to pursue compensation. At claims.co.uk, we can help you with your cycling accident claims.

To find out more about making a personal injury claim following a bike accident that wasn’t your fault, get in touch with a trained legal adviser for free on 0800 234 6438. Or, if you’d prefer, you can fill in one of the secure contact forms and they’ll call you back.

Cycling accidents can have a devastating impact on your life, but claiming compensation gives you some much-needed financial support. While you can go through a traditional lawyer, personal injury solicitors specialise in arguing these cases and don’t charge upfront fees.

You’ll only pay fees if they win your compensation claim, and the amount will come out of your award.

As with all personal injury claims, you have three years from the date of your accident. It’s always a good idea to claim immediately, as the process can take a while. Your solicitor will need to assess all accident circumstances and gather evidence, then present your claim to the negligent party.

There’s no saying how long negotiations will take; some cases will go to court.

Most cycle accident claims are paid straight to you, but very serious injuries might offer interim payments, which take place over an agreed number of years. These agreements are rarer, but your personal injury team will discuss this option with you.