I Was A Cyclist And Was Hit By A Car

By Stephen Kane. Last Updated 9th June 2023. If you are a cyclist who was hit by a car because the driver breached their duty of care, you may be entitled to claim compensation. In this guide, we offer advice on making a personal injury claim for this type of road traffic accident.

Furthermore, we’ll look at the criteria for making a personal injury claim, and the duty of care road users owe each other. We will also explain what the personal injury claim time limits are and the types of compensation that could be awarded in a successful claim. This guide also talks through different types of accidents involving a cyclist being hit by a car that may happen. We’ll also offer advice on making a claim with the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor.

To speak to an advisor about making a personal injury claim, you can contact our team of friendly advisors. They’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help address your questions and offer free advice. To contact our team, you can:

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I Was A Cyclist And Was Hit By A Car – Can I Make A Claim

Select A Section

How Could A Cyclist Be Hit By A Car?
What Payout Could A Cyclist Hit By A Car Claim?
What Duty Of Care Do Road Users Owe Cyclists?
Types Of Injuries A Cyclist Hit By A Car Could Suffer
How To Claim If A Car Hit You
Begin Your Claim Against A Car Driver

How Could A Cyclist Be Hit By A Car?

As we have mentioned, cyclists are road users requiring extra care. So, cars should pay due care and attention to make sure they do not cause collisions with cyclists. Here are some examples of how a car can hit a cyclist:

The car can reverse into the cyclist if they don’t check their mirror when pulling out of a driveway.
A car can hit a bicycle at a junction if they don’t make the correct observations.
If a car is driving on the wrong side of the road, a head-on collision with a cyclist could occur
Or the car can cause a rear-end accident if they drive into the back of a bicycle.
Car dooring accidents can hit a cyclist. This is where a car door is opened in the path of a cyclist.
Or a motorist who is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol may hit a cyclist.

In addition, cyclists can be responsible for an accident if they, too, are not paying due care and attention and are not following the rules and guidance set out in the highway code. It is vital that all road users uphold the duty of care they owe to each other.

What Payout Could A Cyclist Hit By A Car Claim?

You can receive up to two heads of loss if your cycling accident claim is successful:

General damages compensate you for the impact of your injuries on your quality of life and the physical and mental harm they caused.
Special damages reimburse you for unavoidable costs and losses your injuries caused.

Here are some examples of special damage payments you could claim:

Medical expenses
Travel costs
Care costs
Payment to cover your loss of earnings
If your injuries cause a disability, you can receive funds to adapt your home or pay for mobility equipment you need

How Much Is Your Claim Worth?

The table lists common injuries with amount brackets taken from the Judicial College Guidelines JCG (16th edition 2022). The JCG is used by road traffic accident claim solicitors when calculating general damages.

Form And Severity Of Injury	About The Injury	Settlement
(A) Very Severe - Head Injury	The person does have a sleep/ waking pattern, they could follow some basic instructions but professional care is needed full time.	£282,010 to £403,990
(B) Moderately Severe - Head Injury	The person is seriously disabled. They are also significantly dependant on other people and require constant care.	£219,070 to £282,010
(A) (i) Severe - Neck Injury	The person has little to no movement in their neck, suffers from headaches and could have incomplete paraplegia.	In the region of £148,330
(A) (ii) Severe - Neck Injury	Permanent injury to the brachial plexus, loss of neck movement and loss of limb function.	£65,740 to £130,930
(A) (i) Severe - Back Injury	Incomplete paralysis could lead to impaired organ function such as bladder and bowel impairment.	£91,090 to £160,980
(A) (ii) Severe - Back Injury	The person could be left with injuries to the nerve roots. This could leave the person with reduced sensation and mobility.	£74,160 to £88,430
(C) Very Severe - Foot Injury	Injuries causing severe and permanent pain and disability.	£83,960 to £109,650
(B) - Wrist Injury	A wrist injury which results in significant and permanent disability in the wrist. There does remain some useful movement.	£24,500 to £39,170
(F) Severe Finger Fracture - Hand Injury	This injury could lead partial amputation.	Up to £36,740
(J) Index Finger Fracture - Hand Injury	This may be appropriate where the finger was fractured, it did heal quickly but was left impaired.	£9,110 to £12,240

Please note the compensation brackets in the table are not guaranteed payments. If your claim succeeds, what you receive may differ. Special damage payments are not in the table.

What Duty Of Care Do Road Users Owe Cyclists?

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 RTA, road users owe each either a duty of care not to cause damage or injury. The Highway Code is a set of rules and guidelines for all road users to follow. Following and adhering to the Act and the Highway Code can ensure that all parties using the road can remain safe.

Furthermore, updates to The Highway Code in 2022 establish a hierarchy of road users. Under the hierarchy of road users, less vulnerable road users, such as those inside vehicles, have more responsibility for the safety of vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians.

Types Of Injuries A Cyclist Hit By A Car Could Suffer

If you were a cyclist hit by a car, you might have been injured. Your injuries may have been minor. Or you could have suffered severe injuries that seriously affected your quality of life. We have included some examples of potential injuries below:

Broken or fractured bones
Head injuries or concussion
Organ damage, such as a punctured lung
Cuts and lacerations or road rash
Nerve damage, which can permanently reduce mobility
Or dislocated shoulder or kneecap injuries

How To Claim If A Car Hit You?

To claim compensation for a cycling accident, you must start your claim within the personal injury claims time limit. Under the Limitation Act 1980, this is normally 3 years. Your limitation period will normally start on the day of your accident. There are exceptions to this time limit.

For your claim to be valid, you will need to provide evidence to prove the following:

Firstly, the driver of the vehicle that hit you owed you a duty of care.
Secondly that the driver of the vehicle acted negligently on the roads, leading to an accident.
And you were subsequently injured in the accident.

Supporting evidence for your claim can include your medical records, the police report, photographs of your injuries and CCTV footage.

Begin Your Claim Against A Car Driver

To enquire about making a personal injury claim, please get in touch with Advice today. If our team believe you are eligible for compensation, a skilled solicitor from our panel could offer to handle your compensation claim.

You could opt to work with a No Win No Fee solicitor for your claim. A Conditional Fee Agreement which is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement, means you will only pay a success fee if you win your claim, and you won’t pay an upfront solicitors fee. Your success fee is deducted from your compensation payment. And it is legally capped.

To make your claim, please reach out to Advice.co.uk today: