Biking is one of the great joys in life – it’s great physical activity and can serve as a boon for your mental health as well. That being said, your risk of injury or incident while on a bike is not something to take lightly.
A bicycle accident is a more common occurrence than you may initially assume. Every year, hundreds of thousands of bikers find themselves on the receiving end of an unexpected accident. The damage that results from these accidents can be immense.
It’s for this reason that you take the idea of bicycle insurance very seriously. How can you protect your bike and yourself against the risks associated with biking accidents? What do you need to know about bicycle accident law? Read on, and we’ll walk you through the basics.
What is Bike Insurance?Â
Bicycle insurance isn’t quite as common as some other forms of insurance – such as homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance. So you could be forgiven for not being completely clear on what is or isn’t covered under this form of insurance.
On top of this, bicycle insurance coverage features aren’t as standard from company to company. You’ll need to look closely into the coverage policies from various providers to determine what is and isn’t being offered.
Ideally, your bike insurance policy should cover a number of potential incidents. It should cover you in the event that your bicycle is stolen, and it should cover the damages to your bike that would be associated with crashes or accidents.
If you’re planning on transporting your bike from place to place, bicycle insurance should also ideally cover damages or losses that might occur when moving your bike from Point A to Point B.
Last but not least, a solid bicycle insurance policy should cover liability when it comes to bike accidents. If you injure someone else while on your bike, your bike insurance ideally would be able to step in and cover you.
Bike Insurance as Compared to Homeowner’s Association
You might not be aware of this, but your bicycle might be covered already under your standing homeowner’s insurance. In many but not all homeowner’s insurance policies, bicycles are part of the covered items.
This being said, the coverage your bike is likely to get under your homeowner’s association is much less than it would receive under a standard policy.
Bike insurance will cover the cost of replacing your bike completely at no deduction or depreciation in any instance. Even if the loss of your bike was your own fault, the insurance will still cover the whole and complete value.
On the flip side, the homeowner’s association likely will only pay for replacements and repairs to your bike via insurance. There is likely a relatively low coverage limit, and costs outside of this limit will not be covered.
In addition, if you are found in some way responsible for the damage done to your bike (or its theft) the insurance might not kick in at all.
It’s for this reason that you may want to consider getting a more dedicated insurance policy for your bike – especially if the model you have was a big investment.
Understanding Bicycle Accidents
If you were in a bicycle accident, how would your insurance help resolve the potential difficulties of the situation? What are the rules in place that help to protect bikers?
Let’s say you were riding your bike through the neighborhood when you were hit by a car that was speeding through a stop sign. You’re thrown from your bike, injuring your arm. On top of that, your bike is completely bent down the middle – no longer usable.
What can you do? Ideally, you’d be able to report this incident immediately to your bike insurance provider. You’d want to take photos or videos from the scene, get the contact info of the driver involved, and get any witness information and testimony.
You’d need to go to the doctor and get a medical report that details your injuries, and you may want to bring your bike to a shop to get an estimate of the repairs needed.
If you provide all of this evidence to the insurance company, they should look through your claim and pay the total of the damages that have occurred.
Difficulties With Insurance Payout
What happens if you have trouble getting the compensation that you deserve? The unfortunate reality is that sometimes insurance companies combat claims and try to pay less than a client might really deserve.
Insurance companies have teams of lawyers whose job is to help keep the business profitable, and they fight back against many claims as a result.
For this reason, you might need to hire your own bicycle accident lawyer to help fight your case and ensure you get the full compensation total that you deserve.
“Where can I find a bicycle accident lawyer near me?” It’s a worthwhile question and one you’ll certainly want to invest some time into ahead of your case unfolds. Many attorneys cover bike accidents as well as automobile accidents, so it shouldn’t be challenging to find quality help in your area.
Recovering From a Bicycle Accident
The unfortunate reality is that a bicycle accident could happen to anyone. If you spend a lot of time on your bike, you’ll want to make sure you and it are protected, and insurance is the best way to accomplish this.
The above information can help you understand what bike insurance is and how it works.
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