What should you do after a bicycling accident?
After you're in a car-bicycle accident, there are a few things you need to make sure you do. You'll want to call the police and collect information at the scene if you're able to, and if you're injured, you should make sure that the emergency services are aware of your injuries.
Right after an accident, make sure the driver stays at the scene until the police come to the scene. If they don't stay, try to get the car's description and license plate number. If you get the license plate number, remember that the state of issue is also important to retain.
If the driver does stay, remember to ask for an ID and insurance information. If other people are injured, you should try to provide aid when you can. If you've been doored, which is when the driver opens a door in front of you, causing an accident, make sure to tell the police that is what happened. It's a violation of CVC 22517 to door a cyclist.
When you go to the hospital, a medical report will be written up. This is an important piece of information for your insurance company and the other party's insurance. The police should also have reported the incident in an incident report, which is something you can submit to the insurance company or your attorney, too.
If you have information about witnesses at the scene, contact them and ask for an email of what they saw happen. This testimony can be helpful when you're making a claim for compensation, because it can confirm your story.
Source: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, "Crash Checklist," accessed Nov. 16, 2015
