San Antonio Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents

Throughout San Antonio, there are many common causes of bicycle accidents. While bicycles are intended to share the road with other drivers much the same as all drivers must share the road, there are still a high number of accidents.

Anyone on a bicycle can be exposed to the risk of car accidents from other drivers who are speeding, distracted, on their cell phones, or driving under the influence.

Even accidents where the other cars were driving at speeds slower than five mph can still result in injuries to those on bicycles. That said, not every bicycle accident warrants a claim for compensation. However, some examples of situations where you, as the person on the bike, may be entitled to compensation include:

• You are cycling across the street, a driver runs a red light and hits you in the crosswalk or on the road.
• You are crossing at an intersection, following the green light and the driver fails to stop at a stop sign and hits you.
• You are cycling across a parking lot, and a driver fails to check their mirrors or look both ways before entering/exiting, and because of that they hit you as you are crossing in front of a parking lot entry/exit.

San Antonio Bicycle Accident Locations

Statistics indicate that San Antonio bicycle accidents take place throughout the entire city and are commonly involved in car accidents where the person on the bicycle was hit by a driver who was either speeding or using their cell phone. Data shows crashes all year round, be it Balcones Heights, Mission San Jose, Downtown, Tobin Hill, or Woodlawn lake.

Crash data from the Texas Department of Transportation reveals that this problem can take place and is not isolated to one particular intersection or region. This means that the severe risk is quite prevalent for those on bicycles. No matter how cognizant you might be of your surroundings, all it takes is one distracted, speeding, or reckless driver passing through a red light or making a swift turn without looking for severe injuries to occur.

What Steps to Take After a Bicycle Accident

If you have been involved in a San Antonio bicycle accident, the first thing you need to do is contact the San Antonio Police Department so that an officer can come to the scene. This is very important as the officer will create a formal report of what transpired. If your bicycle accident was the result of another driver, someone who was reckless, perhaps speeding or under the influence or texting, that police report can go a long way in helping you substantiate your claim.

Once a police report has been taken, you should gather as much evidence as you are physically able to at the moment. It can be incredibly overwhelming and very detrimental to your health to be involved in a bicycle accident, especially in cases where the vehicles are speeding. Assuming you have not sustained serious or life-threatening injuries, you want to document as much as you can, not only about where the accident took place but the insurance and contact information for the other people involved. Make sure to take any witness statements or at the very least contact information. The more you can document and the more pictures you can get of injuries and damage to physical property, the easier it will be to present a claim for compensation later.

After that it is up to you to visit whichever hospital is closest to you to get medical attention, be it Southwest General Hospital, San Antonio State Hospital, Northeast Baptist Hospital, Methodist Hospital|Texsan, or St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital. If you fail to seek medical care, and you have been injured, those injuries could worsen because you didn’t get them treated immediately.