Roads are safe for pedestrians and cyclists, to a great extent. This notion is mostly right, but not entirely because your safety on the road depends as much on other drivers as it depends on you. In other words, a collision may be a result of your own mistake, the carelessness of the driver on the other end, or the negligence of both involved in the accident. Therefore, driving or moving on the road asks for more attention than you might imagine.
You have to take care of many aspects in order to be safe from traffic rules, speed, to even the movement of others. While you follow road laws to be safe, you must also be aware of steps you should take in case you get involved in an accident.
How A Car-Cycle Clash Is Different & What You Can Do
Whilst a car crash or a bike accident is a common occurrence on road, a collision involving a cyclist is not so much. Since a lot of people do not know what is relevant to the case where a cyclist is hit by a car, we will confine our discussion to such crashes only. The legal procedures for such accidents may be the same, but there are many other factors that work differently here. Consequently, it is rather important that you understand the ways that will help you get compensation and reel from the unfortunate experience.
Contact Emergency Services
First thing first, you should go to a doctor immediately after the accident irrespective of what you think of its seriousness. The medical examination and treatment will set you physically well which is definitely the most important thing for you at the moment. The medical report you get post examination is what can serve as evidence that you were injured during a collision with a car. While you are in the hospital and doing well, you can start the legal process by contacting the police.
Get The Police Involved
This step is highly important and can surely strengthen your side of the case. As a matter of fact, the involvement of the police in your case can help you in a number of ways. Not only will police scan the spot of the accident for more clues and pieces of evidence, but they would also help you find witnesses that can prove your case. The report of the accident that will be prepared by the police has great value. Oftentimes, the drivers manage to flee the spot without any trace and it gets really hard to find them. In that aspect, the police can be highly effective in tracking the person with whom you collided so that you can claim compensation from the right person.
Seek A Lawyer’s Assistance
The accident lawyers are well acquainted with the ins and outs of such cases of the crash which is why they are able to help you big time. The lawyer can help you get all the necessary documents ready to prove that you were at the no-fault end. Since the lawyer knows what the law requires, they can shield you against any false claims or reports about the accident. As per Boston Accident Lawyers, most accidents of this kind come to pass because the car drivers sometimes do not pass a cyclist at a safe distance. In addition to that, an accident lawyer can also negotiate a fair price of compensation with the other party on your behalf. The insurance companies are skilful at mitigating claims, therefore it is right to have an attorney on your hand.
Gather Witness Information
Although police would do their bit to collect information from the witnesses of the accident, it would be highly helpful to you, if you can also participate in it. Since you were involved in the accident, it’s likely that you saw people who were around at the time – the shopkeepers, homeowners, or probably someone you already know. If you can, make sure you meet the witnesses and ask them for all the information that they might have about the incident. The witnesses can help you with post-accident photographs or the number of the vehicle that collided with you.
Ask For A Copy Of the Accident Report
As mentioned earlier, the police will prepare an accident report based on the information conveyed by the scene of the accident and the one provided by you. You must ask for a copy of it as it contains details of the accident that are crucial for you. Scan it and see if all the details put in there are correct, if not, you ought to immediately contact authorities and apprise them of non-correspondence. This step will help you ascertain that nothing goes wrong in the middle of the case because it is going to depend a great deal on the report’s accuracy.
Follow Through To The End
Oftentimes even after the law has ordered the insurance company to pay your compensation amount, the insurance company tries to avoid or delay the payment for as long as they can. In those cases, it may get very difficult to collect your compensation. However, to resolve this issue, you can get in touch with your lawyer who will drop a legal notice on your behalf for payment of compensation. It is most likely that the notice will be paid attention to and you will get your compensation rather soon.
What is important to remember in these cases is that with the help of the right set of people and authorities, you can prove your claim right. The police will help you with the entire documentation of the accident and the witnesses can provide you with all the details that you would not get anywhere else. Also, the accident lawyer is a companion in these unfortunate cases. The lawyer will study and analyse your case and take relevant decisions that promise to get you what you deserve such as compensation and support, etc. If you do the right things and follow the required steps, you can be sure of rapid recovery both health-wise and financially.
