Steps To Take If A Driver Hits Your Bike

Have you become entangled in a road traffic accident? Whether you are a biker or a driver, here is what you can do when you experience an accident.

Arizona is the fifth worst US state to live in if you are a cyclist. There are over 30 deaths per year here due to accidents between bicyclists and other drivers. An average of 2,000 accidents see over a thousand injuries per year. Arizona is a dangerous place to rely on a pedal bike for transport.

As a cyclist, there are steps you must take to protect your health that a driver might not need. However, the priority for both parties is safety.

Steps To Take If You Are Hit By A Car As A Bicyclist

If you are a cyclist using the road, familiarize yourself with the steps to take if a driver hits your bike before it happens. If you are a motorcyclist, this guide will help. You should have a plan in place that secures your rights should the worst happen – especially if you are a minority. Following these steps makes a good start.

1 – Safety First

If you are able, remove yourself from the road. Do not remove your helmet or your clothing. Call the police and the ambulance. You should not try to perform first aid unless you are trained, licensed, and insured to do it. This protects you legally, although you may prefer to act otherwise.

2 – Create Reports

Make sure the police record what you have to say, then visit the hospital. If you are unconscious, then wait until you feel well enough. In the event of a bike accident, you are statistically more likely to be the one who receives serious injuries in this situation. In this case, create the reports as soon as you can and contact a bike accident attorney to represent you.

3 – Evidence Gathering

The next stage in defending yourself lies with gathering evidence. If you are well enough, return to the scene to take pictures of the scene. Note any tracks or damage to street furniture and look for likely witnesses. There may be CCTV or dashcam footage. Again, if you are not well enough to do this, an attorney can do it on your behalf.

4 – Seek Legal Help

Even if you manage all the above steps by yourself, you may find you still require a legal representative. Perhaps the driver is arguing that you were at fault, in which case you need to create a defense.

You ought to have a representative anyway so that you can make a claim for compensation. This is how you recuperate your medical senses and try to recover something from this trauma.

What To Do As A Driver Who Hits A Cyclist?

If you are the driver of the other vehicle, you should remain at the scene. Offer any assistance that you can, make sure the authorities are on the way, and seek medical assistance if you need it. Speak to the police as soon as possible. This might be at the scene, and it might be when you wake up in hospital.

Either way, your next call should be to your car accident lawyer. Expert Arizona law firm Lamber Goodnow Car Accident Lawyers in Tucson could represent you if you hit a bicyclist or biker.

In either type of accident, seeking safety, seeking treatment, and then seeking legal help, is the best path forward.