How To Claim For A Cycle Accident

Every day, Advice helps claimants just like you with free legal advice about whether you can claim compensation for a cycle accident. We have created this guide to help you if a bicycling accident that was caused by another party injured you.

This guide will discuss who could be eligible to claim cycling accident compensation and the types of compensation that could be awarded in successful claims. Our team can offer you free legal advice. And if you are eligible for compensation, we could appoint a No Win No Fee personal injury solicitor from our panel to work on your case.

Enquire today, and see if you can make a compensation claim:

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Or if you would like to know more, please continue to read this guide.

Select A Section

What Is A Claim For A Cycle Accident?
What Payout Could You Claim For A Cycle Accident?
How To Claim For A Cycle Accident
Time Limits To Claim For Cycling Accidents
Common Types Of Cycle Accidents
Begin Your Claim For A Cycle Accident

What Is A Claim For A Cycle Accident?

Many people find cycling enjoyable to keep fit and reduce their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, cycling also has risks, as cyclists are less protected on the roads than people travelling by car or bus. For example, in 2021, 26 cyclists were killed on the roads of Great Britain per billion miles travelled. Compared to 3 car occupants travelling the same distance.

Cyclists could claim compensation for their injuries if they are injured in a cycling accident due to the fault of another party. If you are a cyclist who has been injured because another road user breached their duty of care and is at fault for the accident, you could be eligible to make a cycle accident claim.

Road Users’ Duty of Care

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, road users owe other road users a duty of care. Therefore, it is vital that road users follow the rules of the road and ensure they pay due care and attention so as not to cause accidents. Pedestrians and cyclists are considered vulnerable road users therefore, vehicle drivers need to take extra precautions.

If a hit-and-run driver causes an accident that injures you or you are knocked off your bike by an uninsured driver, you could still claim compensation if they are at fault. The Motor Insurer’s Bureau compensates people for accidents that are the fault of uninsured or untraced drivers. Please contact Advice for more information and see if you can make a claim through the Motor Insurer’s Bureau.

Furthermore, other parties may owe road users a duty of care. For example, a council or highways agency may be responsible for maintaining a road to a safe standard. Or a construction company may be responsible for putting cyclists and other road users at risk when they litter the road with debris.

What Payout Could You Claim For A Cycle Accident?

If you make a successful cycle accident claim, firstly, general damages compensation can be awarded for the pain and suffering your injuries caused and their impact on your quality of life. Secondly, you can receive special damages compensation to reimburse you for unavoidable expenses your injuries caused. Such as travel expenses.

The table below has bracket amounts for general damages compensation. We used 16th-edition guidelines from the Judicial College (updated for 2022) for the bracket figures in the table. The table excludes special damages compensation.

Injury	Severity	Notes	Damages
Head Injury	Very Severe (a)	This person will be severely injured. The extent of their injury will necessitate 24 hour care.	£282,010 to £403,990
Head Injury	Moderately Severe (b)	The person will be seriously disabled. They will need constant care. There will be a marked impairment on personality and intellect.	£219,070 to £282,010
Neck Injury	Severe (a) (i)	The person could suffer permanent spastic quadriparesis, incomplete paraplegia and little neck movement.	Around £148,330
Neck Injury	Moderate (i)	The injury could have been a neck fracture or dislocation. The person will have experienced severe symptoms.	£24,990 to £38,490
Hand Injury	Both Hands - (b)	An injury which causes significant loss of the use of or function in the hands as well as permanent disability.	£55,820 to £84,570
Arm Injury	Severe (a)	The injury is severe enough that it is almost as severe as the loss of an arm.	£96,160 to £130,930
Arm Injury	Permanent and Substantial Disablement (b)	Permanent Disablement. There will be serious and permanent disability to one or both arms.	£39,170 to £59,860
Wrist Injury	Complete Loss of Function (a)	Due to the severity of the injury, the person has lost function in their wrist.	£47,620 to £59,860
Wrist Injury	Permanent Disability (b)	There does remain some useful wrist movement.	£24,500 to £39,170
Ankle Injury	Moderate (c)	Ligament tears, bone fractures or similar degree of injury leaving the person with less serious disabilities.	£13,740 to £26,590

Please bare in mind that compensation payouts can vary greatly on a case-by-case basis. So your payment may differ from what is on the table. Alternatively, contact Advice’s knowledgeable team to help determine if you are eligible to claim compensation.

How To Claim For A Cycle Accident

If you want to claim compensation for a cycling accident, you will need to meet the following criteria:

Another party owed you a duty of care on the roads. In other words, their responsibility was to ensure they did not endanger you on the roads.
The party acted negligently, breaching their duty of care. Therefore the party contributed to or caused a road traffic accident.
Consequently, the cycle accident injured you.

You will need evidence to support your claim. Your medical records, pictures of the accident scene, images of your injuries, and CCTV or dashcam footage could be used as supporting evidence. Furthermore, you could ask witnesses for their contact details so representatives could take a statement if one is needed.

If you want to claim compensation for a road traffic accident that injured you, please get in touch with Advice.co.uk right away. An advisor will be happy to talk to you and can let you know if you are eligible to claim.

Time Limits To Claim For Cycling Accidents

It is important to remember that there is a time limit to begin a road traffic accident claim. Under the Limitation Act 1980, the time limit is normally three years. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Therefore, if your accident was more than three years ago, there is still a chance that you can claim compensation.

The time limit to begin a personal injury claim starts on the following dates:

The date your accident occurred.
The date of knowledge, in other words, the date you become aware of negligence.

Call our advisors to see if you are within the time limits to start a personal injury claim after being injured in a cycling accident.

Common Types Of Cycle Accidents b

The following types of accidents on the road can injure a cyclist:

Spillages on the road, such as mud or oil, can make the road’s surface slippery. Therefore cyclists may lose control of their bikes.
Collisions with another vehicle
Pothole accidents or uneven road surface accidents can cause cyclists to come off their bikes.
A cyclist may suffer a fatal injury if they are involved in a severe accident. Sometimes, the deceased’s loved ones can claim compensation for a fatal accident.

Pedal Cycle Statistics

The reported road casualties in Great Britain 2020 gives you insight into how common cycling accidents were from 2015 – 2020.

On average, 2 pedal cyclists were killed a week on the roads in Great Britain.
83% of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSIs) on the roads were male.
56% of fatal cycling accidents happened on rural roads. 29% of fatal cycling accidents occurred in traffic.

Begin Your Claim For A Cycle Accident

Get in touch with our team today to see if you can begin a claim for a cycle accident. An advisor can speak to you at length about the incident to see if you have the right to claim. If you are eligible to claim, a solicitor from our panel could offer to represent you on a No Win No Fee basis

No Win No Fee Claims For A Cycle Accident

You may wish to use legal representation to make a bicycle injury claim but be wary of paying an upfront solicitors fee. So opting to work with a No Win No Fee solicitor could mean you won’t pay a solicitors fee upfront. If the cycling accident claim is won, the solicitor will charge you a capped percentage, i.e. a success fee. But you do not have to pay a success fee if you don’t win your claim.

Please get in touch with Advice.co.uk today to enquire about making an injury claim: