The after-effects of a cycling accident can range from minor cuts and bruises to life changing injuries, and making a cycling accident claim could start the process of getting your life back on track.

We understand that no amount of compensation can completely make up for being injured, especially if the injuries are serious. It can provide a sense of justice for the fact that someone else has been negligent and caused your injury, however, as well as making sure that you don’t end up being out of pocket as well as injured.

If you’ve been injured while riding your bicycle then please contact Beacon Law. We offer a free, no obligation consultation, and if we think you have a strong case to make a cycling accident claim we’ll do everything we can to get the compensation you deserve.

Compensation Guidance for Cycling Accident Victims

If you make a successful cycling accident claim the compensation you receive could make a huge difference. As well as reimbursing you for any expenses directly linked to your injuries it could help with the psychological impact of a cycling accident, giving you a sense of closure and the space to concentrate on recovery and the rest of your life.

The amount of compensation for a successful cycling accident claim will depend upon the nature and severity of your injuries and the impact the cycling accident has had on your life as a whole. Payments could range from a couple of thousand pounds for minor cuts and bruises up to several hundred thousand for serious injuries which have a permanent, life-changing impact.

The compensation paid for a cycling accident claim is made up general and special damages:

General Damages

General damages are calculated on the basis of the injuries you received, taking into account factors such as the following:

• Which parts of your body were injured and how bad the injuries are
• How much pain and suffering your injuries caused
• The prognosis for any future recovery
• How the injuries have impacted things like living family life as you used to and engaging with hobbies and interests

The amount awarded in general damages will be based on example ranges set out in the Judicial College Guidelines. This publication lists injuries from minor to serious, any of which could form part of a cycling accident claim. Example amounts in the JCG include:

• An injury to the hip or pelvis which requires surgery – £33,430 to £44,790
• Loss or damage to two front teeth – £3,710 to £6,510
• Serious jaw fracture – £15,320 to £26,010
• A fractured index finger causing permanent symptoms – £7,780 to £10,440

If we make a cycling accident claim for you we’ll estimate the general damages you’re likely to receive on the basis of your injuries and our experience of similar claims. We always work to get 100% of compensation our clients are entitled to, and will keep you fully informed of what the amount is likely to be throughout the claims process.

Special Damages

Special damages relate to the financial impact of a cycling accident, and are meant to ensure that you are not financially worse off because the accident and your injuries happened. They will include an amount intended to reimburse any earnings or pension provision lost because your injuries stopped you working.

Special damages will also cover expenses directly linked to your injuries, such as the following:

• The cost of any adaptations you need to make to your home or vehicle on the basis of long term injuries
• The cost of any care required due to your injuries, now and in the future
• The cost of any special equipment you need to purchase because of your injuries, such as crutches, wheelchairs etc.
• The cost of medical treatment required after the accident and/or predicted for the future
• An amount to reflect the value of any care provided free of charge by friends and family
• Any travel costs which are directly linked to your injuries, such as the cost of attending medical appointments
• The cost of any therapy or counselling you need because of the aftermath of your cycling accident and your injuries
• The cost of repairing or replacing a bicycle damaged in an accident

Can I Claim for a Cycling Accident?

The criteria for making a cycling accident claim are as follows:

• You were involved in an accident while riding your bicycle
• This cycling accident was caused by another person behaving in a negligent manner
• The cycling accident directly caused your injuries

The negligent party in a cycling accident claim could be any of the following:

• The driver of a motor vehicle
• Another cyclist
• A pedestrian
• The party responsible for the poor condition of the road surface – i.e. a pothole which caused your accident

The most common cause of cycling accident claims is negligent behaviour by the driver of a motor vehicle. You can still make a cycling accident claim if the driver responsible for your accident can’t be traced or is uninsured.

You can also make a claim for compensation if a loved one is sadly killed in a cycling accident, or on behalf of a child who is injured. No matter what the circumstances are, the team at Beacon Law will work on your cycling accident claim in an empathetic and understanding manner, handling the stress of the legal process and the admin of gathering evidence so that you have the space and time to concentrate on recovering.

How Long Do Cycling Accident Claims Take?

How long a cycling accident claim takes will vary, depending upon the severity of your injuries and the nature of the accident. If the accident is relatively clear cut and your injuries fairly minor the whole process should take just a few months, particularly if the other party quickly admits liability.

If the accident is more complex, however, with liability contested so that much more evidence needs to be gathered, your claim could take more than 12 months to process. The same applies if your injuries are more serious and will require more medical examination in order to ascertain aspects such as the likelihood of any recovery.

Here at Beacon Law we always work to process claims as quickly as possible, using our expertise to know exactly which evidence to present and our skill in dispute resolution to avoid having to go to court wherever possible.

How to Make a Cycling Accident Claim

We understand that making a cycling accident claim after being injured is a fairly daunting prospect. We do our best to take the stress out of claiming the compensation you’re entitled to by breaking the process down into smaller, manageable steps.

We’ll support you through each of these steps on a one to one basis, always ready to answer any questions and explain the legal position in clear, jargon-free English.

Immediately following any cycling accident you should do the following:

Medical attention – seeking medical help immediately upon being injured will increase your chances of making a recovery from your cycling accident. It will also create an initial record of the nature and severity of your injuries.

• Report your cycling accident – any cycling accident in which people are injured must be reported to the police. The police report of your accident will then form part of the evidence used to support your compensation claim
• Details – you should exchange contact details with anyone else involved in your cycling accident – whether that means a driver, another cyclist or a pedestrian. Where relevant you should also take their insurance details.

You should also try to get the contact details of any witnesses to the accident. If you are not able to ask for this information – i.e. if a driver knocks you off your bike and fails to stop – you can still pursue a claim for compensation

• Photographs – if possible you should gather photographic evidence of the scene of your cycling accident, including other vehicles, the road layout and cycling conditions
• Contact Beacon Law – if you think your cycling accident was caused because another party was negligent you should contact us as soon as possible. We provide a free, no obligation initial consultation during which we’ll let you explain what happened, ask any relevant questions and explain whether you could be eligible for compensation.

If we think you are then we’ll explain how the cycling accident compensation process works and start your claim immediately. We like to work quickly to ensure that you get the compensation you’re entitled to sooner rather than later.

Evidence – we’ll set about gathering the evidence needed to show that your cycling accident claim is valid. This will include the following:

• A statement from you explaining how the accident happened, the nature of the injuries you received and the impact they have had on your life
• A medical evaluation carried out by an independent expert of our choice, setting out the full extent of your injuries in medical terms and the prognosis for recovery
• Your medical records and in particular any treatment that has been needed since your cycling accident
• A copy of the accident report made by the police
• Statements from anyone who witnessed your cycling accident
• Photographs taken at the time of the accident, or of the scene of the accident since. We will also track down any available CCTV footage of the accident happening
• Any letters to and from the insurance company of the other party in the accident
• Detailed records of any expenses or financial losses directly linked to the accident, in the form of receipts, bills, bank statements and wage slips
• Your own account of your recovery from the accident and the toll the injuries have taken on a day to day basis

Choosing the Right Cycling Accident Solicitor

There is no legal obligation to work with a solicitor when making a cycling accident claim, but claiming without expert legal advice would be extremely risky. Working with Beacon Law, on the other hand, means being able to rely on more than 200 years combined experience of working through the complexities of personal injury claims of this kind.

We can point to our own track record of making successful cycling accident claims and our ability to pinpoint exactly the evidence needed to prove negligence and maximise the compensation paid. From your first free consultation you’ll realise that you’re in the safe hands of a family firm that treats clients like people and not just case numbers.

We’ll explain the claims process clearly and calmly, we’ll always be on hand to answer your questions and we’ll provide empathetic support as the process moves forward. We know how stressful it can be to find yourself injured out of the blue, and we’ll work to handle the stress of claiming compensation so that you can concentrate on making a physical and psychological recovery.

From gathering evidence of your cycling accident through to identifying expenses and negotiating a settlement, we’ll work tirelessly to ensure that you get 100% of the compensation you’re entitled to. We never settle for anything less, and we use our expertise in dispute resolution to settle the vast majority of cycling accident claims without having to go to court.

If a court appearance becomes necessary you can relax in the knowledge that we’ll be by your side throughout. We’ll present your case in the strongest terms, and make sure that the court knows just how much you’ve been put through.

No Win No Fee Cycling Accident Claims Explained

We handle cycling accident claims on a no win no fee basis, also referred to as a Conditional Fee Arrangement (CFA). This works in the following way:

• You pay nothing up front and we take out After the Event (ATE) insurance against any costs should you lose your case
• We won’t charge any legal fees unless your cycling accident claim is successful
• Those fees will never be more than 25% of your compensation – you keep everything else

We work on this basis so that you can make a cycling accident claim with Beacon Law without having to worry about legal fees or costs. All you have to ask is whether you’ve been injured because someone else was negligent – if the answer’s yes then we’ll work as hard as we can to get you the compensation you’re entitled to.

Common Injuries in Cycling Accidents

The injuries sustained in a cycling accident can range from minor cuts, bruises and strains which take a few weeks or months to recover from, all the way up to life changing damage to vital body parts. The most serious cycling accidents could require surgery or leave you with life-long medical and/or care requirements.

Common injuries we see following cycling accidents include the following:

• Scrapes, cuts and bruises caused by contact with the roadway after being knocked from a bike
• Injuries to soft tissues such as muscle strains
• Head injuries caused by impact, ranging from cuts and concussion through to brain damage
• Spinal injuries ranging from dislocations and fractures up to degrees of paralysis
• Fractures to bones throughout the body

No matter what form your injuries take, if they only happened because someone else was negligent you may be able to claim compensation.

Contact us with details of your cycling accident, and we’ll explain what the next steps should be.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How long do I have to make a cycling accident claim?

There are strict time limits in place on all personal injury claims, including those following a cycling accident. In general terms you have 3 years from the date of your accident to make a claim, after which time you won’t be entitled to seek compensation.

Rare exceptions to this 3 year rule include the following:

• You were left ‘mentally incapacitated’ by the cycling accident and unable to claim before the 3 years were up. In such cases the 3 year timeframe will run from the date on which you regain your mental capacities
• You – or your child – were under 18 at the time of the cycling accident. If this is the case the 3 years will run from the date of your 18th birthday until your 21st

Despite the legal time limit being 3 years, we would always recommend starting the claims process as soon as possible after any cycling accident. This will ensure that the details of the accident are fresh in your mind and the minds of any witnesses.

Can I claim for a cycling accident if the other party was uninsured or untraceable?

Yes, you can claim for a cycling accident if you were hit by an uninsured driver, or are unable to trace the driver who hit you. Claims of this kind are made through a government body called the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB).

The process for claiming from the MIB is the same as if you were claiming from an insured driver, with the claim being made through the ‘portal’ on the MIB website.

Will I need to attend court to settle my cycling accident claim?

You will only need to attend court to settle your cycling accident claim if the other party denies liability, or refuses to offer a fair amount of compensation. If this happens the team at Beacon Law will provide expert and supportive representation.

How is compensation calculated for cycling accident claims?

Compensation for cycling accident claims is calculated on the basis of three factors:

The nature and severity of your injuries, including the likelihood of any recovery, the pain and distress caused both physically and psychologically, and the way in which those injuries stop you living your life as you previously did

Any loss of earnings caused by the impact of your injuries on your ability to work

Any expenses which are directly linked to your injuries