Bicycle Accident Claims Explained

In this guide, we will look at the bicycle accident claims process. We aim to provide information on how you could seek compensation for injuries following a road accident caused by someone else’s negligence.

bicycle accident claims process

A guide on the bicycle accident claims process

All road users have a duty of care to protect each other from sustaining harm whilst navigating the roads. However, in some cases, other road users may fail to uphold their duty of care causing you to experience harm in a road traffic accident.

We will look at some examples of how another road user could cause harm by failing to adhere to road safety rules. This could help you understand when you’re eligible to make a claim.

Although we have aimed to cover the information you need in this guide, we expect you may still have questions. If so, you could get in contact with a member of our team by:

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How Does The Bicycle Accident Claims Procedure Work?

Before you put forward your claim, it’s important to understand how the bicycle accident claims process works. Firstly, in order to hold a valid claim, you must be able to show another road user acted negligently by proving that:

  • Someone owed you a duty of care
  • They breached their duty of care
  • You experienced harm as a result

Secondly, you should gather all relevant evidence to support your case. This could include:

  • Medical reports or records from your doctor or the hospital
  • Photographs of your injuries and the accident scene
  • Contact details of any witnesses
  • Police reports, if applicable

Furthermore, you may also find it beneficial to seek legal representation. An experienced solicitor could help you when compiling evidence for your case and they could arrange for you to attend an independent medical assessment. The assessment will look at the current state of your injuries, including the severity and the extent to which they have impacted your future quality of life. It may be used to help value your injuries when calculating compensation.

Our panel of solicitors have experience with various types of road traffic accidents and could help you take steps to get the compensation you deserve. Call our team for more information. They could connect you with a solicitor from our panel to help you claim.

Common Reasons For Making Bicycle Accident Claims

Bicycle accident claims are often made for injuries sustained in road traffic accidents caused by someone else’s negligence. A negligent party could be another road user or an organisation responsible for maintaining a road if a cycling accident is caused by road defects such as a pothole. Examples of the injuries you could experience in a cycling accident might include:

  • Head injuries or a traumatic brain injury.
  • Broken bones and fractures.
  • Soft tissue injuries include strains, sprains and joint injuries.
  • Cuts, lacerations and bruising.
  • Road rash injuries.
  • Back injuries or neck injuries that cause damage to the spinal cord.
  • Psychological injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The amount of compensation you could get for injuries sustained in a bike accident may depend on how severe your injuries are. Please consider calling our team for a free valuation of your injuries.

Common Causes Of Bike Accidents

There are various causes of bike accidents, but to make a valid compensation claim the accident must have been caused by another road user’s negligence. Examples of this might include:

  • A driver may have failed to check their mirrors when pulling out of their driveway. As a result, an oncoming cyclist may have been knocked off their bike causing them to sustain a serious head injury.
  • A motorcyclist may have been driving above the speed limit causing them to crash into a cyclist when turning at a junction. As a result, the cyclist may have sustained severe burns over their body due to being flung off their bike at a high speed.
  • A lorry driver may have been drinking while driving causing them to lose concentration on the road. As a result, they may have run over a cyclist causing them to experience a severe crush injury resulting in damage to their internal organs.

If you have experienced something similar, please get in touch with our team for more information on the bicycle accident claims process. They could also advise whether you’re eligible to put forward a claim.

Pedal Cycle Accident Statistics

Cyclists are classified as vulnerable road users. As part of the new changes to the Highway Code, those operating vehicles that have the greatest potential to cause harm, have a greater responsibility to protect those most at risk on the roads.

According to statistics from the Department for Transport, pedal cyclists experienced the following in 2020:

  • 149 fatalities
  • 4,455 serious accidents
  • 12,162 slight accidents

In total, there were around 16,766 accidents involving pedal cyclists.

Bicycle Accident Personal Injury Claim Time Limits

Personal injury claims have a time limit of three years as stated in the Limitation Act 1980. As per the act, bicycle accident claims must be made within three years from the date of your accident. Alternatively, the three years could begin from the date you gained awareness that someone else’s negligence caused or contributed to your injuries.

If a child is injured in a bike accident, they could still claim compensation. They will have three years to do so from the date of their 18th birthday. Alternatively, someone could put forward the claim on their behalf before they turn 18. To do this, someone could apply to act as a litigation friend, such as a parent, guardian or solicitor.

Similarly, if someone lacks the mental capacity to claim themselves, the three years are suspended. During this time, someone could apply to act as a litigation friend and claim on their behalf. Alternatively, if the person recovers their mental capacity, they will have three years starting from their recovery date to make the claim themselves.

For more information on how long you have to start your claim, call our team.

Bicycle Accident Claims Calculator

For successful bicycle accident claims, you may receive general and special damages as part of your compensation. General damages award compensation for your injuries, both physical and psychological. Medical evidence and reports may be used when valuing your injuries as they can determine how severe your injuries are and how badly they affected your quality of life.

Additionally, guidelines from the Judicial College may also be used to help value your claim. These provide bracket compensation amounts for different injuries. We have used these amounts in our table below. However, you should only use them as a guide because each settlement varies depending on several factors unique to your case.

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What Injury Was Suffered? Payout Estimate Notes
Moderate Brain Damage (c) (i) £140,870 to £205,580 There could be symptoms such as personality changes, effects on speech, a severe to moderate degree of intellectual deficit and the possibility of future epilepsy.
Moderate Brain Damage (c) (ii) £85,150 to £140,870 Intellectual defecits may be moderate to modest and the person may find that their ability to work is either gone, or very much reduced.
Facial Injury: Frontal facial bones (a) £22,350 to £34,480 Le Fort fracture(s) impacting the frontal bones of the face.
Facial Injury: Nose fracture (c) (i) £9,990 to £21,700 May include multiple or serious fractures which require several operations. There could also be permanent airway damage leading to problems with breathing as well as facial deformity.
Digestive System Injuries (a) (iii) £6,190 to £11,820 A laceration or penetrating stab wound. Injuries could also be caused by seat-belt pressure.
Moderate Hand Injury (h) £5,260 to £12,460 This could cause a penetrating wound, laceration, crush injury or other soft tissue injuries.
Back Injury – Moderate (b)(i) £26,050 to £36,390 This bracket covers lots of types of back injury such as crush or compression fractures of the vertebrae. The person could be left with residual disabilities.
Neck Injury – Severe (a) (iii) £42,680 to £52,540 An injury which causes soft tissue injuries, dislocations and fractures. The result could be a permanent chronic condition or permanent disability.
PTSD – Severe £56,180 to £94,470 Severe post traumatic stress disorder may cause problems with all areas of the persons life. Any prognosis is likely to be very poor.
Injuries to the Shoulder £4,830 to £11,490 A fracture of the clavicle bone. Damages are based on how severe the fracture is.

Special damages compensate you for any financial losses or expenses you have because of your injuries. These might include:

  • Medical expenses
  • Travel expenses
  • Loss of earnings, past and future
  • Care expenses
  • Home adaptation expenses
  • Mobility equipment expenses

Please note, you will need to provide evidence to prove any losses of a financial nature, such as receipts, payslips or invoices.

Why Choose The Expert Team At UK Law?

Our panel of road traffic accident solicitors could offer to take your case under a No Win No Fee arrangement. In doing so, there will be no fee to pay your solicitors upfront for their services or fees to pay while your claim is ongoing.

If you have a successful claim, you will need to pay a success fee. This is taken as a percentage of your compensation but the percentage is subject to a legal cap. However, if your claim doesn’t succeed, you won’t pay the success fee to your solicitor.

For more information on whether a solicitor from our panel could help with bicycle accident claims, get in touch by:

References

If you would like to learn more about making a road traffic accident claim, please read some of our other online guides.

We hope this guide exploring the bicycle accident claims process has helped. However, if you have any additional questions, please get in touch with our team on the number above.