If you sustain injuries in a road traffic accident while riding your bike, you may want to know more about how to claim compensation. This guide takes a look at cycling accident compensation claims.
There are set eligibility requirements that you must meet in order to have good grounds to claim personal injury compensation. In addition to providing details on this, we help illustrate the criteria with a series of examples of when you could be eligible to file a cycle accident claim. We’ll also take a look at how compensation could be awarded for a successful bike injury claim. Additionally, this guide examines how you could claim compensation if the driver who hit you was uninsured.
If you are thinking about claiming compensation for injuries sustained in a road traffic accident, you may want to have the support of a personal injury solicitor during the claims process. This guide concludes with a look at how a solicitor can support your case on a No Win No Fee basis.
If you have any questions about cycle accident compensation, speak to one of the advisors from our team. To discuss bicycle accident claims:
- Call 020 8050 2736
- Fill in our claim online form and an advisor will get back to you about your bicycle accident claim.
- Enquire about cycling accident compensation amounts in our live chat.
Select A Section
- What Are Cycling Accident Compensation Claims?
- When Can You Claim For Cycling Accidents?
- What Should You Do After A Cycling Accident?
- How Is Cycle Accident Compensation Calculated?
- Can You Make A Cycling Accident Claim If The Other Party Was Uninsured?
- No Win No Fee Claims For Cycling Accidents
- Read More About Making Cycling Accident Compensation Claims
What Are Cycling Accident Compensation Claims?
Each road user, including cyclists, motorbike riders, pedestrians, and vehicle drivers, owes a duty of care to each other while using the roads. This means that those using the roads must navigate so that injuries and damage are prevented. As part of their duty of care, all road users must comply with relevant sections of the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988.
If you sustain injuries in a cycling collision on the roads and would like to make a compensation claim, then you must meet the personal injury claims eligibility criteria. This means that you need to prove that:
- A driver owed you a duty of care.
- They failed to adhere to this duty.
- Your injuries occurred in an accident caused by the driver’s breach of duty.
In addition to meeting this criteria, you typically must file your compensation claim within the three year personal injury claims time limit. However, in certain cases, exceptions to this limitation period apply.
Direct any questions you have about the eligibility criteria or time limits for cycling accident compensation claims to an advisor from the Personal Injury Claims UK team.
How Long Does A Cycling Accident Compensation Claim Take?
There isn’t a specific amount of time for a claim to reach a settlement once it is filed. Different factors will be considered when estimating how long your claim for cycling accident compensation will take. These include:
- Complexity.
- Evidence. Strong evidence could help the claim settle sooner.
- Liability. If the other party accepts or denies liability will impact how long your bike injury claim takes to settle.
- Negotiations. For example, if you are offered a settlement but don’t believe you are being fully compensated, you may want to negotiate for a higher figure.
- Nature of your injuries. For example, if you have numerous complex injuries, it may take longer to understand what impact they will have on your life.
When Can You Claim For Cycling Accidents?
There are various situations where you could be involved in a bicycle accident. These include:
- A speeding driver fails to stop at a crossing knocking you off your bike and causing serious injuries, including a brain injury, road rash and broken bones.
- You are hit from behind by a car entering the cycle lane, causing broken bones and facial injuries, including a fractured jaw, lost teeth and a permanent scar.
- A driver fails to look when reversing out of their driveway and runs you over, resulting in a broken leg.
Cycling Accident Statistics
The Department for Transport collects details on the reported road collisions, in Great Britain. They publish this information as an annual report. For 2022, there were a total of 135,480 casualties amongst all road users, or 413 casualties per billion vehicle miles travelled. Of these:
- 91 pedal cyclists were killed while on the roads.
- 4,147 pedal cyclists were killed or seriously injured (adjusted).
- 15,693 cyclist casualties were reported to the police.
These statistics were published on 28 September 2023.
If you would like to discuss cycling accident compensation claims and the incident that caused your road traffic accident injuries, contact a member of our advisory team.
What Should You Do After A Cycling Accident?
Rules 275 to 287 in the Highway Code cover what you could and must do following an incident. Additionally, after a cycling accident, it is always advised to seek medical attention for your injuries.
If you decide to make a personal injury claim for your injuries, you will need to gather evidence. This needs to show liability for your injuries. Items you could collect include:
- Police report if the police were present following the bike accident.
- Medical records can help show injuries suffered.
- Witness contact information so anyone who saw what happened can give statements about the accident circumstances later into the personal injury claims process.
- Photographs from the scene or of your visible injuries.
- Videos, such as from a dashcam or helmet camera.
Additionally, you may like to seek legal advice about cycling accident compensation claims. An experienced solicitor specialising in road traffic accident claims from our panel could help you if you have a valid claim. Call our advisors for further information about how a specialist cycling accident solicitor can support your claim.
How Is Cycle Accident Compensation Calculated?
Settlements for successful cycling accident compensation claims may consist of two parts. These are general damages for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by the bike accident and special damages for the costs associated with bike injuries.
When assigning value to pain and suffering, those responsible for doing so, such as cycling accident solicitors or other legal professionals, may refer to the guideline compensation figures published by the Judicial College.
Our table below looks at a few figures that could be relevant to injuries suffered in a cycling accident. The first row looks at how you could be awarded compensation for more than one severe injury plus special damages. In the remaining rows, we look at figures from the 17th edition of the JCG. Please note that the figure in the top row is not from the JCG. As all cycling injury claims differ from each other, the table is only for guidance.
| Injury | Severity | Notes | Compensation Guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries and Special Damages | Very Severe | Settlements could include compensation for multiple serious injuries and related costs, such as lost wages and nursing. | Up to £1,000,000+ |
| Brain Injury | Very Severe | Full-time nursing is needed to cope with severe disabilities (both physical and cognitive). | £344,150 to £493,000 |
| Neck Injuries | Severe (i) | The injured person suffers severe headaches and no neck movement, permanent spastic quadriparesis or incomplete paralegia because of the neck injury. | In the region of £181,020 |
| Leg Injuries | Amputations (iv) | The claimant sustained a below-knee amputation of one leg. | £119,570 to £162,290 |
| Leg Injuries | Severe (ii) | These very serious injuries cause permanent mobility problems. | £66,920 to £109,290 |
| Arm Injuries | Severe | These injuries are very serious leaving the claimant little better off than had the arm been amputated. | £117,360 to £159,770 |
| Knee Injuries | Severe (i) | Considerable pain along with functioning losses have occurred due to a serious knee injury with joint disruption. | £85,100 to £117,410 |
| Facial Scarring | Less Severe | The injured person suffers a significant psychological reaction to substantial facial disfigurement. | £21,920 to £59,090 |
| Shoulder Injuries | Severe | A significant disability occurs due to a damaged brachial plexus. | £23,430 to £58,610 |
| Facial Injuries | Complex | The claimant sustained Le Fort fractures to their front facial bones. | £29,060 to £44,840 |
In addition to general damages, some claimants may be awarded special damages. Examples of special damages that could be awarded in cycling accident compensation claims include:
- Lost wages for time off to recover from your injuries.
- Care costs.
- Various medical expenses.
- Domestic help, such as a childminder.
As part of the bike injury claims process, you could be asked to submit proof of your costs. You could save invoices, receipts, bank statements and your payslips to help recover your expenses.
Contact an advisor if you would like to know more about how compensation for a cycling accident could be awarded.
Can You Make A Cycling Accident Claim If The Other Party Was Uninsured?
Generally, personal injury claims for road traffic accidents are filed against the negligent party’s insurer. However, in some cases, a driver may have failed to take out insurance, or they are untraceable following a hit and run accident. In these cases, as long as your claim is valid and meets the eligibility criteria discussed earlier in this guide, you could be awarded cycle accident compensation from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).
The MIB awards compensation in claims where the driver was untraceable or uninsured. A personal injury solicitor can help you make a compensation claim through the MIB. If you have any questions about when cycling accident compensation claims can be made through the MIB, please get in touch.
Why Choose Us To Claim For Cycling Accidents?
If you are eligible to file a road traffic accident claim for your cycling injuries, you may wish to have a personal injury solicitor to help you with the claims process. A bike accident solicitor from our panel could support your claim. Usually, our panel provide a No Win No Fee service under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
Personal injury solicitors that work on a No Win No Fee basis, generally:
- Don’t take payment upfront for their services.
- Won’t ask for ongoing fees.
- Don’t collect payment for their work on your cycling injury case if it fails.
- Only take a small fee from your award if your claim is successful. This success fee is a legally capped percentage.
If you have any questions about cycling accident compensation claims, direct them to one of our advisors. Additionally, if you satisfy the eligibility requirements, you could be connected to one of the personal injury solicitors from our panel.
To discuss bicycle accident claims:
- Call 020 8050 2736
- Request for an advisor to call you by filling in our claim online form.
- Enquire about starting a cycling accident compensation claim in our live chat.
Read More About Making Cycling Accident Compensation Claims
Further guides:
- Guidance on filing a fatal cycling accident claim on behalf of a loved one.
- Advice on cycle claims against drivers.
- Details about personal injury compensation and how to claim.
External resources you might find helpful:
- Advice for cyclists from Think! Road Safety.
- Details about claiming statutory sick pay (SSP) from the government.
- Information about performing first aid from the NHS.
If you need any further advice about cycling accident compensation claims, get in touch today.