Being knocked off your bike by a car is a traumatising experience, no matter what the extent of your injuries. If you were hit on the road and it was not your fault, then you are legally entitled to make a claim for compensation – this is one of the things that car insurance is designed to cover, and even if you have simply been shaken up and bruised, there is nothing weak about submitting a claim. If a driver is in the wrong, they are liable to pay you compensation. Often riders who have been knocked off their bike, and fortunately escaped serious injury, feel they should not claim as to avoid being part of the ‘claim culture’ however ‘claim culture’ actually refers to those who make a claim when the incident was in fact their fault. Why shouldn’t you be entitled to compensation for the inconvenience, stress and suffering? Especially when the claims process is hassle-free and ‘no win, no fee’ based. You have nothing to lose.
The first stage in making a claim for a bike accident is to get in touch with a solicitor who can guide you through the process and begin gathering evidence on your behalf. This will involve carrying out a medical report and getting in touch with any witnesses that may be able to assist. Once enough information has been gathered, a ‘letter of claim’ can be submitted on your behalf – either to the individual or organisation that you are holding responsible (the defendants). From this point, the defendant will have a limited time period to respond to your claim, either with a settlement offer or to provide further information on why they believe it was not their fault. Your solicitor will then respond to this. As with any personal injury claim, if liability can be agreed upon then an out of court settlement is very likely – although a small number of cases proceed to the civil courts.