Whether you like to ride your bike for fun or for exercise, there's always the risk of getting hit while on your bike . When you do get into a bicycle accident, you'll want to eventually hire a bicycle accident attorney to assist you since the fees are likely to be high when it comes to medical expenses, replacing your bike, property damage, and even loss of work time to heal.
Bicycle injuries are serious and can be fatal, so you want to do all you can to prevent a bike accident. However, if you do get into a bicycle accident, knowing what to do immediately will help encourage your safety and make the situation better. Here are things you should do if you get struck while riding your bike.
Get out of the way
If you get hit by a car, another bicyclist, or collide with a rock or a tree, get out of the way if it's safe to do so. You don't want to get struck again, especially if you are on a main road with vehicles and other traffic. Make as much noise and movement as you can to alert others of your position as you get out of the way so you reduce the likelihood of getting hit again.
Call for help
Whether you are only scratched a little bit or your entire bike is destroyed, you need to contact the police. The reason you need to do this is to create a record of the accident for insurance purposes (if a vehicle is involved in your accident). This also begins the necessary paper trail if you need to have evidence of your injuries or how the accident occurred.
Gather witnesses
As you call for help, encourage anyone who saw the accident to stay and report what they witnessed to the police. Have these witness reports submitted to your insurance company if needed. Keep records of all witness reports (and all future reports of medical documentations, recommendations, and new witness accounts) to forward to your lawyer when you hire one.
Hire a lawyer
Once you have been receiving medical care and are out of immediate harms' way, it's time to hire a lawyer. You'll need legal representation to help you get the funds you need to repair or replace your bicycle or cover medical costs, or to protect you if you are found at fault for your wreck. Your bicycle accident attorney will guide you on how to move forward with your case.
