{"id":1709,"date":"2019-11-13T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/?p=1709"},"modified":"2019-11-13T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T10:00:00","slug":"bicyclists-hit-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/bicyclists-hit-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Bicyclists: what to do if you are hit by a car"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With modern commuter solutions, bicycles are being used more\noften by individuals looking to take advantage of a cost-effective\ntransportation method. Often sharing the road during peak time, cyclists have\nvirtually no protection against a vehicle in an accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should you do if you are a cyclist and in an accident with a vehicle?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, call 911 to get both medical attention and a police\nreport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, do not talk about the crash to the other party or\npost about it on social media. Stating you are feeling \u2018okay\u2019 before a medical\nprofessional has a chance to properly diagnose any injuries will not destroy a\ncase, but it will make things harder once an insurance company is involved. The\ndriver\u2019s insurance company will look for any and all evidence against you to\nminimize they financial responsibility they face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t mean you are playing the quiet game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If police, other law enforcement or medical professionals\narrive, it is okay to talk to them about the crash. Provide details as you\nremember them, knowing that your body will likely experience late-stage\nreactions to adrenaline \u2013 meaning, you will feel physically weak, emotional and\ncold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provide your full name and date of birth at a minimum if you\nhave no government issued identification on you at the time of the accident.\nWhen sharing your version of events leading up to and following the crash,\nprovide as much detail as possible. Small facts recorded at the time of the\naccident may trigger memories down the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bystanders are witnesses, get their name and phone number<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If there are any bystanders that witnessed the crash, ask\nthem to stay and provide you or the officer their contact information. It often\nproves useful during a recreation of the event to have a third-party perspective\nto fill in any gaps that may be undocumented or conflicting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the crash: Finding an experienced attorney<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the crash, you may file a claim with the driver\u2019s\ninsurance company within 2 years of the accident to help cover any expenses\nincurred. However, HarshLaw recommends reaching out to an experienced attorney\nas soon as possible \u2013 specifically, before<\/em><\/strong> speaking with any\ninsurance companies as what you say during your initial interviews will have\nsignificant weight in any future case or settlement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expect the driver\u2019s insurance company to take an extreme adversarial\nposition to any claim. Insurance companies are engineered to minimize the\nliability of themselves and their clients. Be careful what is said during any\ndiscussions and do not volunteer any information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insurance companies will act friendly, but they are not your\nfriends. They are highly skilled at mitigating claims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top actions to take after a bicycle and vehicle collision<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  • Call\n 911 and request police and EMS to the scene<\/li>
  • Gather\n witness information (name, phone number)<\/li>
  • Ask\n police how you can obtain a copy of the police report<\/li>
  • Take\n pictures of the car and bike<\/li>
  • Take\n pictures of the scene<\/li>
  • Get\n the vehicle license plate number<\/li>
  • Do not\n make a statement to anyone except the police<\/li>
  • Call\n HarshLaw at (909) 793-6261<\/li>
  • Consult\n with an attorney before you make a claim with any insurance company<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    With modern commuter solutions, bicycles are being used more often by individuals looking to take advantage of a cost-effective transportation method. Often sharing the road during peak time, cyclists have virtually no protection against a vehicle in an accident. What should you do if you are a cyclist and in an accident with a vehicle? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1709\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harshlaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}