A Bike Lawyer Reveals The One Thing You Can’t Ignore After a Crash

 

As bicycle law specialists, we naturally think it never hurts for a cyclist who has been in a crash with a car to talk to a bicyclist lawyer about their case. (Anyone can call us for a free, no obligation consultation to talk about their case with a bicycle injury attorney at (415) 466-8717

However, many people just want to move on after a crash. Sometimes they think the damages to their property aren’t worth the hassle of a court case, or that they can handle the insurance claims on their own, or they don’t know where to find a bicycle injury attorney. And in some cases, that ends up working perfectly well for the person!

While we think that working with a bicyclist lawyer is the way to get the best possible result, many people are able to resolve issues satisfactorily on their own. However, there is one thing you just shouldn’t ignore after you’ve been in a bicycle crash: your injuries.

 

Why you should never ignore your injuries after a bicycle crash

No matter how minor your injuries may seem right after your crash, you should never, ever ignore them.

There are so many reasons why this is the case.

Let’s say you’ve been in a bicycle crash, where you ended up with some minor scrapes, but your bike frame and wheels are rendered unusable.

If you choose not to pursue a case and don’t get the cost of damage to your bike covered, that mostly likely won’t ruin your financial future. At the very most, you’ll be out a one-time cost of a few hundred (or maybe thousand) dollars on the purchase of a new bike, and any additional transportation costs during the time between losing your old bike and getting your new one.

Now let’s say you were in the same accident, but that you had a sore ankle afterwards too. If you choose not to go to a doctor because you figured it would heal in a few days, but it turned out to be a more serious injury (like a sprained muscle, torn ligament, or broken bone) or it develops into a more serious injury due to lack of treatment, then you could end up with significant medical bills and a long-term health problem that is much harder to solve than it would have been if you had sought immediate treatment.

In the worst case scenario, your delay in treatment could result in an injury that never fully heals, causes chronic pain, or requires significant physical therapy to correct. All of this is not only financially draining, but emotionally and physically draining too.

On top of all of that, it will now be much harder to get coverage for that injury if you do pursue a case. Why? Because you didn’t seek immediate treatment for your injury, the at-fault driver’s insurance company can claim that you are making up the injury now in order to get some free cash.

When you don’t immediately report and seek treatment for an injury, you lose the opportunity to create a record of the damage caused by the crash. Without a record, it becomes much harder to prove who is at fault for the injury, and therefore to get adequate (or any) compensation for it.

 

Losing your long-term good health is the greatest loss you can have after a crash

Ending up with a long-term injury, chronic pain, or developing a medical condition that requires a long hospital stay or physical therapy will impact your life in far greater ways than anything else that might come from a bicycle crash.

Not only will there be financial ramifications, but your quality of life could change for the worse forever.

In the moments following a crash, injuries might not feel as serious as they are. You will likely be in shock, which can prevent you from feeling the pain fully or making a logical decision about how your injury could affect you long-term.

No matter how minor your injuries may seem at the scene of your bike crash, please do not ignore them. Always seek medical treatment if you have an injury, and don’t ignore something just because you want to avoid a doctor visit.

Paying a one-time visit to the doctor to get a clean bill of health is a far better option than ignoring a problem that turns into a potentially years-long battle.

Work with a bicyclist lawyer

Once you’ve seen the doctor, call Bay Area Bicycle Law to discuss your case and see how we can help you get compensation for your recovery. Your initial consultation is completely free and you will speak with an experienced attorney who can help you understand your case and make the smartest decisions possible for your future.