Who Can Claim Compensation From a Bicycle Accident?

Have you been involved in a bicycle accident? Discover whether you can claim compensation here.

00:23 27 December 2022

Have you been involved in a bicycle accident? Dealing with injuries? Have you had extra expenses tied to your incident? Well, you may be wondering whether you may be able to claim compensation. On this page, we are going to go through who may be able to claim compensation for a bicycle accident.

Remember, this is not a definitive guide. It is just a few guidelines. It may be worth talking to a lawyer to find out whether compensation is available in your specific case. 

If The Accident Wasn't Your Fault

You can only claim compensation if the incident wasn't your fault. If it was your fault, then you are pretty much out of luck. You can't claim compensation from yourself, after all.

In most cases, it is obvious when the accident isn't your fault. A vehicle hits you at a time when you were doing everything right. Do bear in mind that if you have been involved in an accident, no matter how minor, you should always call the police. You should also seek medical advice too. If you don't, then it can be tough to claim compensation as there is no evidence for the accident.

In other cases, there may be a fault in the manufacturer of your bike. For example, if your bicycle is faulty (through no fault of your own) and it causes an accident, then you may be able to claim compensation from certain parties. 

You Have Suffered Losses Due To The Accident 

In most cases, this is very much going to be a given. There will almost always be some losses tied to an accident.

The most obvious losses will be related to injuries. If you are injured, then you may need to take time away from work to recover. You can claim for lost income.

You can claim many expenses related to the accident, in fact. For example:

• Public transport costs if you find yourself unable to ride a bike to and from work.
• The cost of medical attention
• The cost of getting to the doctor
• Childcare costs (if you didn't have them prior to the accident).

Any good lawyer will ensure that you claim the maximum that you are entitled to. Nobody should be left out of pocket because of the actions of another person, after all.

In addition to all of this, you may also be able to claim for the loss or repair of your bike, and even for the loss of any equipment or clothing that may have been broken in the accident e.g. your helmet. Again, a lawyer will walk you through what you need to provide as evidence here. It shouldn't be too tricky for somebody with experience. 

You Can Claim Compensation On Behalf of Somebody Else 

Throughout this page, we have assumed that you are the one that has been injured in the accident. But, what happens if the victim of the accident passes away or is otherwise incapacitated?

Well, direct family members may be able to claim compensation instead, particularly if the victim is somebody that was earning a lot of money for the household.

This type of claim can be a little bit trickier to make, but it is the type of claim that often offers the biggest payouts because there are such serious injuries here. Once again, a good lawyer is going to walk you through the process.

Remember, in all cases, you should try to get compensation as soon as possible. The longer you leave things, the tougher it is to make a claim.