What to Do After a Bicycle Accident in Long Island
Being involved in a traffic collision can be frightening under any circumstances, but it can be especially traumatic to get hit by a negligent driver while you are riding a bicycle with nothing but possibly a safety helmet to protect you. That said, it can be important to be as calm and proactive as possible in the aftermath of a wreck like this, as what you do in the days and even hours following your crash can have a huge impact on your ability to seek civil compensation for your injuries later on.
With that in mind, here is a basic overview of what to do after a bicycle accident in Long Island which should at least help you avoid possible mistakes that could come back to haunt you during a civil claim. If you have any questions about these steps or if you just want to give yourself the best chance of securing a favorable case result, you should speak with a skilled bicycle accident lawyer about your circumstances sooner rather than later.
Call the Police
It can be understandable to want to move on from the scene of a harrowing experience like a bicycle accident in Long Island as quickly as possible. However, if a crash like this results in any amount of property damage and/or physical injuries, it can be crucial to call 911 immediately and then wait at the scene until police arrive—not just in order to give them a statement and provide information about what happened, but also to avoid anyone getting in legal trouble for unlawfully leaving the scene of an accident.
Get Contact Information from Everyone
Another very important thing to do after a Long Island bicycle collision is to ask for and then write down names, phone numbers, email addresses, and anything else useful for contacting people who saw the crash happen and/or own surveillance or dashboard cameras that captured the incident in progress. It can also be vital to get auto insurance details as well from people directly involved in the collision.
Take Photos and Videos of the Crash Scene
While it is possible to comb through evidence after the fact with guidance from a capable legal professional in order to establish exactly what a crash scene looked like, there is no real substitute for photos and videos taken right away when a bicycle wreck occurred in Long Island. Even a few shots taken on a smartphone of damage to the vehicles involved, injuries sustained by people involved, and nearby traffic patterns and/or visual impairments may be much more important than expected over the course of a civil claim.
Seek Medical Attention Quickly
Finally, the most important thing to do after a bicycle wreck in Long Island by far is to go to a hospital emergency room, visit an urgent care clinic, or at the very least, schedule an appointment with a primary care physician as soon as possible after the incident. Beyond just ensuring that both obvious and not-so-obvious injuries get the treatment they need, this initial visit will also produce important medical records about what kinds of injuries a bicyclist suffered, which they can use later to prove that they actually need the damages they are seeking through a lawsuit, settlement demand, or insurance claim.
A Long Island Attorney Can Answer Further Questions About What to Do After a Bicycle Accident
Of course, this is far from a comprehensive summary of what to do after a bicycle accident in Long Island. There are various other small and large steps you can take to protect yourself in the short term and preserve your legal options in the long term in the wake of a wreck like this, and put bluntly, many of them are not things that are easy to pull off alone.
That is just one reason among many why you should get help from a dependable legal representative before trying to seek compensation for your bicycle crash alone. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
