How Car Insurance Can Help Cyclists
Your Automobile coverage isn’t limited to just car crashes. It can cover you in a bicycle accident too.
Car insurance is important for cyclists. If you’re riding your bike and the at-fault driver's insurance covers you. Where your car insurance factors in is when you get hit by a car that doesn’t have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance to cover your injuries.
Common Bicycle Accident Scenarios. A common bike accident scenario is when if you’re riding your bike and somebody hits you and leaves the scene. This is where your own car insurance can step in and cover your related medical bills. The second one is if you’re hit by a car that is not insured insurance. Your own Uninsured/Underinsured coverage can help you in both of these scenarios.
Most cyclists are unaware that car insurance can help them in a crash situation. Most people relate car insurance with car wrecks and, specifically, cars. But your own auto insurance may cover you whether you’re in a car, on a motorcycle, on a bicycle, or a pedestrian. If you have Medical Payments or MedPay on your policy, to can submit your medical bills directly to your own insurance company.
If you are a cyclist in a hit-and-run. The first thing is seek medical attention. Next, make sure that you file a police report - this is often required by your insurance. If there are witnesses, then take down their information. In a hit-and-run accident, you need to document and prove that the cause of the crash was somebody else’s fault.
Common Bicycle Accident Problems. A fatal problem is waiting too long. Most states have a statute of limitations for accidents which is basically a deadline to file a lawsuit. Here in Georgia, for example, it’s generally two years with few exceptions. Another common mistake is not reporting the accident immediately or failing to exchange information. You want to treat a bike injury just as if it was a auto accident. You want to exchange insurance information, contact information, and you want to contact the police to file a police report. If possible take photos of your bike, the car, and the accident scene.
Things cyclists can do to protect themselves. I suggest a GoPro or some other mounted recording device. Liability is a big problem with bicycle accidents and it’s not uncommon for drivers to automatically blame the cyclist. There is a perception from non-cyclists that that cyclists are unsafe and ignore traffic rules. Also, many drivers are not aware of the "sharing of the road" rules and often place cyclists in unwanted dangerous by uncourteous driving. Something as simple as a helmet camera can evidence to prove that the car driver was at fault and that you weren’t doing anything wrong.
If you were hurt in a bicycle accident and need an experienced attorney to fully represent you, then call me today for a free consultation. You can also email your request to me on my Contact page as well.