What Cyclists Should Do If They’re Hit by A Car
Although cycling is a great method of transportation for many people across Australia, riding on the road certainly carries some risks. Being much less protected than they otherwise would be in a car, people on bikes can sustain serious injury very easily due to inattentive or aggressive drivers. Although there are certainly avenues that will allow you to pursue compensation, this shouldn’t be your priority after the accident – the only problem is that many people have no idea what they should do! In this article, we take a look at what you should be doing in the event that you have an accident on the road due to a car.
What to do immediately after the accident
Although car accident lawyers can help provide the compensation to aid in recovery after a cyclist has been hit by a car, phoning them shouldn’t be too high on your priority list immediately after the accident takes place. Instead, if you have sustained serious injuries, forget everything else and have someone organise an ambulance for you (if they haven’t already). if you’re not too badly hurt, then you can start assessing the accident scene and making the first steps to remedying the situation. Start out by gathering the contact details of the driver of the vehicle you consider at fault – they should readily give these up, but if they don’t, make sure to record their registration plate (although you should still do this if you also gathered their other contact details). If there are witnesses, it’s a good idea to record their contact details so that their testimonies can be used at a later date if necessary and finally, make sure to take detailed photographs of the accident scene. This will typically include damage to your bicycle and damage to the car at fault.
What you should be doing to follow up after the accident
After the accident has taken place and you’re in a position to do so, it’s important that you report the accident to the police with 28 days (although they may have turned up to the scene, particularly if the accident was more serious in nature). You should also take the time to see a doctor, even if you don’t think your injuries are too severe. This way, the doctor can record exactly what the sustained injuries are and how the injury occurred. At this point, you can start seriously considering compensation, as you will likely have sufficient evidence to back up a claim. The compensation can work to pay for costs related your injuries sustained, pain and suffering and also any time you needed to take off of work. To start the claim process, you should complete an Accident Notification Form within 28 days of the accident and forward it to the CTP insurer of the vehicle involved in the accident, which will then cover you for up to $5,000.00 worth of treatment and lost income.
Recovering after a bicycle accident
Although recovering after a bicycle accident can be difficult, there are many things you can do to help yourself along. Perhaps the best example of this is compensation, as it will ensure that the accident doesn’t have too much of a negative effect on your physical health or work life, which can be too very unpleasant aspects of any accident.
