A lot of kids ride bicycles; and as much as it is a favorite pastime for kids, it often comes with risks. As a parent, you would love to see your kids enjoying themselves riding a bicycle, while on the other hand, you might be afraid of seeing your kid on a bicycle due to injuries.
While riding their bicycles, your kid could be involved in an bicycle accident and suffer from injuries, especially when hit by negligent drivers. You would need to take the appropriate steps to ensure that your kid gets the proper compensation from the driver’s insurance company who is at fault.
Knowing the proper steps to take when your kid is involved in a bicycle accident is very significant in getting the right damage amount that your child gets from the driver’s insurance company. You need to know various things when your kid is involved in a bicycle accident. They include:
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Leave The Accident Scene Untouched
When your kid is involved in an accident and isn’t too injured to move, you should quickly move your kid off the accident scene to prevent other damages. However, while doing so, ensure that you leave the accident scene in the same position as when the accident happened.
This would help the police determine how the crash occurred on arrival at the scene.
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Get Medical Care for Your Kid
An essential step after a bicycle accident occurs is to seek medical care for your kid. Irrespective of the injury, you should treat your kid’s injuries immediately. This would help reduce the injury, but it would also serve as evidence of an injury in a lawsuit.
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Get Evidence
Getting evidence of your kid’s injuries is another step you should take after a bicycle injury. You can do this by using your mobile device to take pictures of the entire accident scene. Every property involved in the accident should be left as they were. Also, write down any important information.
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Call The Police
Irrespective of your child’s injuries, you should call the police after getting medical care for your kid. When the police arrive at the scene, every scenario would be documented in their report that you would use in resolving the disputes arriving later.
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Collect Contact Information
After you have contacted the police, you should get the driver’s insurance information, driver’s license, contact information, and the driver’s name. You would use this information in filing claims for your child.
Also, you should immediately collect the contact information of witnesses. Witness accounts can help persuade the jury and convince the insurance company of the driver’s negligence.
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Get an Attorney
Getting an attorney is vital to filing a case. It would be best to do this before you communicate with the insurance company. You mustn’t speak with the insurance company directly. Instead, let your attorney talk on your behalf.
With the complications of accident cases, it is wise to hire a bicycle accident lawyer that is well versed in handling bicycle accident cases. After hiring a lawyer, you would be advised about the procession, negotiation on your behalf, and representation in the lawsuit.
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Avoid Pitfalls
Knowing what to be done after your kid is involved in a bicycle accident is knowing how you can avoid pitfalls. Sometimes, you could make costly mistakes that affect your negotiation or settlement with the insurance company.
Such mistakes include giving recorded statements, signing the medical authorization, and accepting quick settlements. Your kid might heal from the injuries after a long time, and you might not know how long this will take.
Therefore, you should receive fair compensation if the damages from the accident are long-term. Accepting quick settlements from the insurance company before the issue is addressed might not be able to cater for subsequent sequelae.
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Provide Psychological Care for Your Kid
It can be pretty traumatic for your kid to be hit by a car when driving their bicycle. After your child has been treated, you should seek the help of a mental health professional for assessment and treatment.
The trauma from the accident could have psychological and emotional effects like nightmares, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), flashbacks, anxiety, hopelessness or feelings of anger, depression, and fear of leaving the house.
Wrap Up
Every parent uses everything in their power to keep their kids safe. However, even with all these layers of bicycle protection, injuries or accidents still happen. For this reason, you must know how you can prevent bicycle accidents and know the best action you should take after such accidents occur.
