Everything You Need To Know About Bike Accident Claims

This guide will explain how to make bike accident claims for compensation.

bike accident claims

bike accident claims guide

Unlike cars or vans, a bicycle does not have an outer shell to protect the rider if an accident occurs. Therefore, cyclists are considered vulnerable road users.

As part of the changes to the Highway Code, road users operating vehicles that have the chance to cause the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to prevent more vulnerable road users from sustaining harm. If they fail to do so as a result of negligence, you may be able to claim compensation after a cycling accident.

Your compensation payout may include funds to compensate you for your pain, suffering and loss of amenity. What’s more, you may receive funds to pay for any medical treatment you may need if it’s not available on the NHS.

To begin your bike accident insurance claim, please contact UK Law today. You can do so by:

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What Are Bike Accident Claims?

A bike accident is a road traffic accident involving a bike. For instance, a cyclist may be involved in a collision with another vehicle causing them to be injured.

According to the Reported road casualties in Great Britain: pedal cycle factsheet, 2020, there were 141 pedal cyclist fatalities. In addition, 4,215 pedal cyclists were seriously injured and 11,938 were slightly injured.

The nature of the accidents may have had several contributing factors. It’s important to note that not all accidents will have been caused by another road user’s negligence. However, to claim compensation, you must be able to prove that another road user caused you harm as a result of breaching their duty of care.

For more information on the criteria that must be met to pursue bike accident claims, call our team on the number above.

When Could You Make A Bike Accident Claim?

Bike accident claims could be made if another road user failed to uphold the duty of care they owed other road users and caused them harm as a result. There are various ways in which another road users negligence could cause harm, such as:

  • The driver of a car may have failed to indicate when turning. As a result, the cyclist may not have known they needed to give the driver more space causing them to sustain a severe head injury after being knocked off their bike by the car.
  • A driver may have been speeding causing them to hit a cyclist when overtaking on a narrow road.
  • The driver may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. As a result of the dangerous driving, the cyclist may have sustained serious injuries such as damage to their spinal cord.

A cycling accident could result in all sorts of injuries. For instance:

  • Whiplash injuries including damage to the soft tissues in the neck or back.
  • Head injuries such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  • Injuries that result in death due to a fatal accident.

If you have been involved in a similar accident that has caused you to sustain harm as a result of negligence, you could claim compensation for your injuries.

Please get in touch with our team to discuss your case in more detail. We may be able to assign our panel of personal injury lawyers to work on your claim.

Pedal Cycle Safety Statistics

According to statistics from the Department for Transport, there were various contributory factors involved with pedal cycling accidents during 2020.

It was recorded that:

  • Road environment contributed to 626 pedal cyclist accidents
  • Vehicle defects contributed to 201 pedal cyclist accidents
  • Injudicious action contributed to 1,498 pedal cyclist accidents
  • Error on the part of a driver or rider contributed to 6,598 pedal cyclist accidents

There were various other contributory factors. However, this provides an idea of the ways in which accidents involving cyclists happened during this period.

Eligibility Criteria

All road users owe each other a duty of care to do everything they reasonably can to prevent each other from sustaining harm. The Highway Code provides guidelines and rules for each different road user to follow when navigating the road.

In some cases, another road user may fail to uphold this duty of care. If you have evidence that they caused you harm as a result, it may be possible for you to seek compensation.

The evidence you could gather in order to build a strong claim might include:

  • Witness contact details
  • Dashcam footage
  • Pictures of your injuries
  • Pictures of the accident
  • Medical reports from any appointments you had at the doctor or hospital

We understand the bike accident claims process can seem overwhelming. For that reason, it might be beneficial for you to seek advice from a solicitor. In doing so, a solicitor could help you through the process of claiming including gathering evidence that’s relevant to your case. They could also arrange for you to attend an independent assessment of your injuries to determine the full extent of the harm you sustained.

Our panel of solicitors all have experience handling bike accident claims. For more information about working with a solicitor from our panel on a No Win No Fee basis, call our team on the number above.

What Is The Time Limit For Accident Claims?

Bike accident claims must be made within the time limit set out in the Limitation Act 1980. The Act states that you have three years from the date of the accident or the date you became aware that someone else’s negligence caused or contributed to your injuries.

However, there are exceptions in which the time limit may be suspended. For more information on these, please call our team. They can assess whether you’re still eligible to claim if three years has passed.

Bike Accident Claims Calculator

Please look at the table below to estimate how much your bike accident claim is worth. The figures in the table are taken from guidelines the Judicial College published. The guidelines provide bracket compensation amounts for several types of injuries at differing severities.

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Body Part Or Injury Severity Damages
Neck Injury Severe (a) (i) The most severe neck injuries could cause incomplete paraplegia or may leave the person with permanent quadriparesis. In the region of £139,210
Neck Injury Moderate (b) (i) A dislocation or a fracture in the neck which immediately causes symptoms and may require a spinal fusion. £23,460 to £36,120
Back Injury Moderate (b) (ii) Back injuries that disturb the muscles and ligaments causing backache. £11,730 to £26,050
Leg Injury – Amputation (a) (i) The loss or amputation of both legs above the knee joint, or where one leg is amputated below the knee and the other is amputated higher up above the knee. £225,960 to £264,650
Leg Injury – Amputation (a) (iii) Amputation of one leg above the knee. Higher compensation payouts may be paid depending on how far above the knee amputation occurs. It may also take phantom pain as well the psychological effects into account. £98,380 to £129,010
Leg Injury (b) (i) These injuries fall short of amputation but are serious enough that the damages awarded and effects are similar to those in the above category. £90,320 to £127,530
Leg Injury (b) (i) Very serious leg injuries which affect mobility permanently and which could require the person to use walking aids. £51,460 to £85,600
Ankle Injury (a) Very severe: Injuries might include transmalleolar fractures of the ankle which also cause extensive damage to the soft tissues. The person could be left with a deformed ankle. £46,980 to £65,420
Ankle Injury (c) Moderate: This category may include a fracture, ligament tear or a similar injury. These injuries could cause problems when walking on ground which is uneven. £12,900 to £24,950
Mental Anguish Where the person fears either the reduction of their life expectancy or that death is impending. £4,380

The table includes figures of compensation that may be awarded under general damages. These compensate you for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity you may have experienced.

Medical evidence may be used to assess the severity of your injuries when valuing your claim for general damages. For that reason, the figures in the table are only to be used as a guide because your settlement will vary.

Your compensation payout may also include special damages which compensate you for your financial losses or expenses related to your injuries. These might include:

  • Medical expenses, such as the cost of physiotherapy or surgery that wasn’t available on the NHS
  • Travel expenses, such as the cost of hospital parking
  • Care expenses
  • Loss of earnings

You must provide evidence to prove any financial losses, such as receipts, payslips or invoices. For more information on what bike accident claims compensation may comprise, call our team on the number above.

How Could UK Law Help With Bike Accident Claims?

If you are concerned about the cost of funding legal representation, you may find it beneficial to work with our panel of No Win No Fee solicitors.

Solicitors who take bike accident claims on this basis won’t require you to pay upfront fees or fees during the course of your claim.

You will be charged a success fee if your claim is successful. This is taken from your compensation as a legally capped percentage. For unsuccessful claims, you won’t pay the success fee to your solicitor.

Our team could help you to begin your bike accident claim for compensation on a No Win No Fee basis. The personal injury solicitors on our panel have experience handling cycling accident claims and take claims under this arrangement.

For more information, get in touch by:

  • Calling us on 020 3870 4868, and we can help you
  • Contacting us via our online claim form
  • Asking a question using the live support widget below.

References

Please read the following guides to learn more about claiming compensation for a traffic accident.

We hope that our guide to bike accident claims has been helpful. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to know more about claiming bike accident compensation.