{"id":19003,"date":"2015-08-28T11:02:40","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T18:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pdxinjurylaw.com\/?post_type=faqs&p=19003"},"modified":"2022-03-31T18:25:23","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T18:25:23","slug":"dos-and-donts-after-a-portland-bicycle-crash","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pdxinjurylaw.com\/es\/faqs\/dos-and-donts-after-a-portland-bicycle-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Do’s and Dont’s After a Portland Bicycle Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bicycles are much smaller than motor vehicles, which makes them difficult to see when they\u2019re approaching a busy intersection or riding along a row of parked vehicles. Drivers, on occasion, simply don\u2019t see the bicyclist or pay enough attention, but that\u2019s not to say people on bikes never make mistakes. This is why,\u00a0apart from the health of everyone involved, the focus of any investigation into a bicycle accident will be on who was negligent and to what degree<\/span><\/a><\/span>. The driver\u2019s insurance company will try to claim at least a certain degree of negligence on the part of the cyclist in the vast majority of cases to avoid having to pay anything.<\/p>\n

Some dos and don\u2019ts if you\u2019ve been involved in a\u00a0Portland bicycle crash
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It\u2019s not something anyone wants to think about, but if you\u2019re a cyclist and end up being involved in an accident involving a motor vehicle, there are things you should and shouldn\u2019t do. Failure to heed these suggestions could lead to any potential claim being seriously undermined. So remember:<\/p>\n

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  1. Always wait for the police to arrive, even if you think at the time you haven\u2019t been seriously injured. It\u2019s important to have an official report available, especially as a means to confirm the identity of the driver that caused the accident.<\/li>\n
  2. Never negotiate with the driver! It is more than common for a driver to initially admit liability and promise to pay damages, then later change his or her mind and try to shift the focus of responsibility to the bicyclist. In a number of documented cases, the driver may suddenly decide they were never even in the area on the day of the accident. They may also give false information regarding their name, address or insurance details. Let the police handle it.<\/li>\n
  3. If you\u2019re physically able after the accident, make sure that your version of events is included in the accident report. Police sometimes don\u2019t wait to speak to the cyclist before filing their report, especially if the cyclist has been taken to the hospital and the police have already decided, based on what the driver told them, that the cyclist was at fault. If, on the other hand, the driver has received a ticket, this could be very helpful to you should you decide to file a claim.<\/li>\n
  4. Get the driver\u2019s name and contact details, or if you\u2019re too injured to do so, ask a witness to the accident to do it for you.<\/li>\n
  5. Put on your detective hat and start investigating. Get someone\u2014even if only with a cell phone\u2014to take photographs of skid marks, your bike, any damage to the car, etc. Also try to get the names and contact details of additional witnesses. Your bicycle accident attorney will conduct a thorough investigation, including getting the accident scene measured and diagrammed, so any information you can give them would be helpful.<\/li>\n
  6. Get medical treatment immediately after the accident. This achieves a number of things, including:\n