Bike accidents are all too common in today’s day and age. With more and more people riding bikes, it is safe to say that this trend will continue to grow. Even if you are as careful as possible on your bike, you are not 100% safe. When sharing the road with cars, accidents do occur. Knowing how to handle a bike accident when it occurs is important.

What to Do Following a Bike Accident

If you were injured in a bike accident due to the negligence of a motor vehicle driver, you may be in a position to receive compensation. Before you do anything, follow these three steps:

  1. Seek immediate medical attention. Most bikers hit by vehicles are injured – some are very serious. You must receive treatment as soon as possible, no matter if you think your injuries are severe or not. It is better to be safe than sorry. Also, recognizing an injury, later on, can make it difficult, if not impossible, to identify the accident as the cause.
  2. Contact a bike accident attorney. Choose a lawyer with experience in bike accidents. During your initial consultation, share details about the accident while accurately answering any questions that are asked of you. Remember, your attorney is on your side. Our goal is to help you collect the compensation that you need to recover.
  3. Decide if you have a case. This is the reason for contacting an attorney in the first place. After you provide all the pertinent information, your attorney will tell you if you have a case and how to best move forward.

Bike accidents can be very serious, and expensive. If you were recently injured in this type of accident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

Types of Bicycle Accidents

Understanding the type of bicycle accidents that occur can help you stay safe, while still enjoying a day on your bike. These are a few of the most common types of bicycle accidents in the Boston area:

  • Door accidents: This most often occurs when parked drivers are not paying attention, and suddenly open their door, hitting the bicyclist.
  • Distracted driving: Distractions are more and more common as technology becomes an even more prominent part of our world. Distractions can easily lead to bike accidents.
  • Intersection accidents: Intersection accidents occur when the bicyclist is trying to turn right onto a road. Drivers who are turned left may not notice the bicyclist and hit them.
  • Truck accidents: Unfortunately, truck accidents involving a bicyclist is also a possibility, often leading to severe damages. The larger size of trucks can make it difficult to notice bicyclists on the road. Additionally, other drivers may swerve in and out of lanes to get around a truck, not noticing the bicyclist.

Other factors can increase the risks involved with a bicycle accident, like bicycling at night or during bad weather. Busier cities, like Boston, are also more likely to have an increased number of bicyclists, as well as motor vehicle drivers, on the road. The city of Boston also allows bicyclists to share the roads with drivers, with the exception of expressways.

If you were injured in a bicycle accident, you may have legal options available. Reach out to a bicycle accident lawyer as soon as possible to consider your options.