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What to Do After A Bike Crash

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bike crash

Being in a bike crash can be a terrifying, confusing experience. There are things that need your attention immediately, and things that require even closer attention after a bike crash, especially if your crash involves a vehicle.

After a Bike Crash – Get Out of the Road

If you are able to move and are in a risky spot such as the middle of the road, make some attempt to get yourself to safety. Cars don’t notice most cyclists when they’re upright; don’t expect them to see you on the ground after a bike crash. If you’re unable to move, you are injured or it’s otherwise unwise to move, call for help from others — if anyone is out there.

Take Inventory

You could be dazed and confused after a crash. Don’t immediately jump to your feet without first checking for broken bones or blood. You could have injuries that you can’t feel such as a concussion or fractured vertebrae. If there’s traffic bearing down on you, crawl or drag yourself out of traffic. Do whatever it takes to get to safety.

Question Yourself

If you’re all alone and have a bike crash, your mental state may not be apparent to you. Do you know your name? Do you know where you are? Do you know what day it is? If you’re unsure about any of these questions, check your helmet for damage. If it’s cracked or you’re confused, call for help immediately. If it’s someone else who has crashed, ask them the questions. This link will give you more insight into concussions.

Stand Up

If you’re body and mind seem to be in working order, stand up slowly. If you don’t crumple back down to the ground and can stand without pain, you may not be seriously injured.

Lean on Your Bike

Some people who are significantly injured do manage to stand up so the next limiting factor is the ability to support your torso by placing your hands on the bars. With a broken collarbone you might get up with pain, but you’ll have a hard time supporting yourself on the bars. Walk around a bit. Make a deliberate, systematic check to make sure everything is still on the bike —  lights, water bottles, repair kit, etc.

Check the Bike

Make sure your bike is properly inspected. Carbon fiber is especially troublesome, but a hairline crack in any material might be subsequently catastrophe.  Check to see if your seat or handlebars are tweaked in a different direction. Give the wheels a spin to see if you’ve bent a wheel.

Ride The Bike

Grasp the bike and attempt to lift it off the ground. If you can lift your bike without too much pain, it’s likely that you haven’t broken any bones. If you feel like getting back on your bike, and no serious injury or damage has been done, ride away slowly. If you or your bike has sustained damage, or other cyclists, pedestrians or cars are involved,  you must take additional steps to protect yourself.

When Others are Involved

It’s one thing to be in a bike crash by yourself on a remote stretch of road or trail. But when others are involved, a car hit you for example, the post bike crash checklist is longer and very important. Gather some facts and evidence.

Don’t Assume Anything

In the event that you’re injured, or think you might be injured, call 911 immediately. If anyone asks you if you are OK, say, “I’m not sure,” because you don’t really know if you’re OK. Some medical issues take days or weeks to present themselves. Admitting that you’re fine can cause problems in a civil or criminal lawsuit. Do not say you are OK to whomever was involved in your crash, the police, or medical personnel. You are not qualified to say you are OK.

Insurance Companies

If you’ve been in a collision with another road user and decline immediate medical care, exchange contact details – even if you don’t think you’ll need them. Cyclists are often worried about medical bills if they are involved in a crash with motor vehicle.  The truth is, if you’re involved in a crash with a motor vehicle, and you are injured, the vehicle’s no-fault insurance coverage should provide benefits for your medical expenses and lost wages. Don’t be afraid to go to a hospital because you don’t have health insurance. If you secured valid auto insurance from the driver, the expenses should be covered.

Corroborating Evidence

One person’s word against the other isn’t an ideal courtroom decision maker. Question those who may or may not have witnessed the accident to corroborate your story. Most cyclists are carrying a camera phone these days. Take pictures. A few quick shots of the scene might come in handy later, especially if the circumstances of the accident are disputed. There’s no law against taking pictures in a public space, or of private cars.

File a Police Report

If you’ve been in a collision with another party and the police didn’t attend the scene, go and file a police report. Do it as soon as possible, while the crash is still fresh in your mind. Make sure you get a corresponding report number so you can follow up the incident.

Get a Lawyer

If you were injured in the crash, it’s a good idea to contact a competent attorney who is familiar with bicycle crash litigation to assist you in obtaining no-fault benefits.

Going it Alone

If you choose to go at it alone, try to have the no-fault benefit application returned to the company as soon as possible, preferably within 30-days. The application should provide a claim number. The claim number should then be given to the hospital, doctor, or anyone else involved in your medical treatment in order to bill the insurance company for your treatment. Try to refrain from giving detailed statements to the insurance company about the bike crash. These statements may be used against you later on.

Gather Evidence

 Preserve your bike crash evidence. Place your helmet or other gear aside to preserve for a possible trial. Don’t give a statement to anyone about the crash.  Insurance companies can be nasty and although they seem friendly, they are not your friends.  Be as brief as possible and do not get into details about the crash.

A bike crash is never a good experience and can test your limits both physically and mentally. Having read this, you will have an idea of what you should do in the event of a crash and not be completely lost as even with knowing what to do from experience, it can still be very trying. The first priority is to make sure that you’re OK and seek medical attention if necessary. Then worry about your bike and all the rest. Safe riding.

Staying Upright: Risk Averse Riding

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Staying Upright: Risk Averse RidingWhether you are a five year old kid learning to ride a bike or a Tour de France veteran, bike riding involves risk and how we handle that risk is what keeps us coming back for more or taking up another sport entirely. Risk, in the simplest sense, is how likely a bad outcome is to happen. Some aspects of bike riding, such as downhill mountain biking, bring a high level of risk but it’s that high level of risk that creates the thrill, rush, and fun. It can have a price though and for some, it’s a risk worth taking. For other aspects of riding, such as road riding, the level of risk can still be high but steps can be taken to lower that level of risk. Another element of risk in cycling is how comfortable you are in the same risky situation. As your riding improves, not only will you be a better bike handler but you will also be more comfortable being in those risky situations as you know you have the skills to avoid crashing.

Riding Ability

One of the biggest influences on how risky a riding situation, whether it’s a corner or avoiding a crashed cyclist in front of you, is how good you can ride your bike. The better a rider you are and the more experience you have, the less likely you are to crash. Say you enter a corner with a bit too much speed. You not only know how to handle your bike but you can do the proper things just through reaction without even really thinking about it. The less experienced cyclist is probably going to overreact and not know what to do in that small timeframe. Simply, the more you ride and practice things like cornering and bunny hopping, the less risk you will have of crashing and potentially injuring yourself.

Attention

After riding ability, how focused you are to the task at hand will influence how likely you are to having an accident. Whether it’s going down a trail, a road by yourself, or riding in a group, seeing what’s coming up to allow you ample time to react will substantially lower your risk of crashing. When riding down a trail or road you want to keep your attention on what lies ahead of you. Thinking about other things as well as looking at the sites takes your attention away from potential obstacles. You can let your attention waiver at times but make sure it’s the right time. When you’re riding on the road in a group, you must not only pay attention but also look further ahead than just in front of your front wheel. Seeing an incident a few riders ahead of you will give you added time to slow and avoid the crash or obstacle in the road.

Avoiding Risk

The thing with riding is that there is always going to be risk. Past making sure that your riding ability is up to the level of risk you’re willing to take along with paying attention, riding in a way that errors on the side of caution will lessen your risk of an incident even further.

Cornering

Crashes occur most often in corners whether riding on a trail or the road typically because of too much speed. With too much speed, traction becomes marginal and combining that with other riders in a group, wheels can easily overlap and when a rider ahead of you goes down, it’s hard to avoid piling into the back of them. The best way to stay safe in the corners is to just slow down a bit more. You will have to reaccelerate a bit more but it is worth your skin to do so.

When riding in a group, you can’t always slow as much as you would like but you can open up a little bit of a gap between you and the rider in front of you. This will allow you to not only slow more but also give you more time and space to react and avoid a rider if they do crash in front of you.

Along with opening up a small gap, staying to the inside of a corner takes away the possibility of a rider to your inside sliding out and taking you with them. And then if there is a crash, you can avoid it by turning sharper to the inside as on the outside there is going to be no place to go besides off the road or into oncoming traffic.

Overlapping Wheels

On straight stretches of road, crashes are most commonly caused by riders overlapping wheels. This is mostly caused by riders not paying close enough attention to where they’re riding and what’s in front of them. The best way to avoid this is to not overlap wheels so you don’t have to rely on the rider in front of you not wavering off of a straight line.

Other Riders Crashing

When riding in a group, other riders are going to crash. A lot of being able to avoid it is based on luck but you can increase your chances of avoiding it by always paying attention a few riders ahead of you and always having an out. This means that you are never so close to the rider ahead of you, as well as to both sides, to not have any place to go if there is a crash. You have to always be thinking if there is a crash right now, where are you going to. It will only be reaction when there is a crash but having yourself set up so there is a place to go in your reaction will help you avoid the crash.

Risk is a part of cycling but how you manage that risk is what is going to keep you safer on the bike. When you’re looking a few riders ahead of you, you should also be looking for obstacles in the road. Never position yourself so all you can see is the back of the rider in front of you. You want to be able to see around them to see what’s coming up. If you can’t see farther ahead you are just relying on luck to keep you safe. Whether on the trail or road, pay attention and practice your skills to get you out of a tight spot when the situation arises. Stay proactive at all times and you will lower your chances of crashing greatly.

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