It has to happen ( accident)

[Birddog]

Don't let the hospital charge your insurance company, those charges will be discounted. The insurance co. that eventually settles with you will likely base their award for "pain and suffering" on a percentage of your medical bills. Legal counsel will likely tell you the same thing.

[chiasticon]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Heal quickly, bikes are replaceable.

this. glad you're OK.

[Mzilliox]

duuuuude, no advice, but best wishes as you figure it all out

[William]

That sucks! Glad you are okay though. Wishing you a speedy recovery!





William

[zap]

Heal fast.

In addition to contacting WABA, you might want to contact someone at Potomac Pedalers or join the pedalers group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/pedalers and ask for recommendations.

[Billybob62]

Originally Posted by tuxbailey

Need advice on how to find a lawyer to protect myself. Any recommendations for DC/MD area? Since I am in the hospital for check up I assume ambulance chasers will contact me.

Any advice are appreciated.


Tux

From the bikelaw network: https://www.bikelaw.com/state/maryla...ident-lawyers/

Edit: I have a local attorney friend who is part of this network. This group was started by Bob Mionske (the guy who writes the legal articles in Velonews). All the attorneys in this network are highly regarded and VERY experienced in handling bike cases.

[thwart]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery headed your way.

[Seramount]

you have my sympathies...btdt twice in the last 18 months.

a cycling-specific attorney is a must, hope you find a good one. mine was excellent.

curious as to whether any citations were issued. wasn't a H/R was it...?

if so, at least some of your medical costs are probably covered by the uninsured motorist clause on your auto policy...without a lawyer, I wouldn't have known this and would have eaten over $50K in expenses.

[dbnm]

So glad you are okay.

As mentioned before, start writing everything down and taking photos of everything including documents that you might sign.

Make sure to photograph the bike, your helmet, scraps, clothes, everything.

And make sure to photograph the bumps and abrasions over the next week or so.

Record every pill you take. Every ache you feel.

Again, glad you are okay.

[tumbler]

Man, glad you made it out ok. Heal up.

[m_sasso]

Sadly most of us have been there, so stay strong and heal at your own pace.

In my situation I contacted all the local cycling advocacy organization and asked for recommendations or who they relied on. Gathered a group of names and made initial contact. Based on their response, picked what I viewed as the fittest three and met with them. From there chose the best working fit and went with an outstanding representative who in settlement attained everything I felt I was entitled to. It could be a long road, be patient and pace yourself for a long term engagement.

[redir]

Welcome to the club. Two times for me, the third is a charm. Glad to hear that you are still among the living. Good luck with your case and remember the Judge, The DA, The prosecutor, the jury, and even the bailiff, they all hate cyclists. So get a lawyer that specializes in our needs and is a cut throat.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by Billybob62

From the bikelaw network: https://www.bikelaw.com/state/maryla...ident-lawyers/

Edit: I have a local attorney friend who is part of this network. This group was started by Bob Mionske (the guy who writes the legal articles in Velonews). All the attorneys in this network are highly regarded and VERY experienced in handling bike cases.

I will second contacting Bob Mionske for a referral or using the bikelaw.com link above.

As an alternative, ask at your local bike shops for attorney referrals. Some attorneys are also cyclists, which is enough to make them understand.

As for unwanted advice, I suggest you DO NOTHING with your damaged equipment and clothing. Save it ALL for possible examination by the insurance adjuster. If you can afford it, you can replace your damaged bike now. It's tempting to take any insurance windfall and buy an upgraded bike, but often you'll find the eventual maintenance/repair part pricing to be onerous, so choose wisely when replacing the damaged bike.

I've been hit three times; nothing surprises me.

[kppolich]

x3 For BikeLaw. They are a good group and have people iN DC/MD too.

[azrider]

Was officer called to scene? Was the drive cited? Record and document every single thing that happens from here on out. Once you are out of the ER, be sure to contact specialist for each area of concern (i.e. hand hurts -see hand doc, shoulder injury- see shoulder doc, concussion- see neurologist) etc.

His/Her insurance company could potentially find out first and may try and contact you. If they do, politely defer to your attorney and give them their contact info.

Start excel spreadsheet of every single thing that was damaged/destroyed and list SRP price.

Reimbursement for items damaged/destroyed in the accident will be settled fairly quickly (within month or two) but for injuries and settlement with insurance company for all other things will get drawn out and take a looooong time. It's better to set that expectation up front than to expect things to be handled quickly.

Most important thing for you to do is get your body, your bike, your life back to the way it was the split second before you got hit.

But sooner you get an attorney the better. I lucked out and got one who is cyclist and specializes in these types of accidents

Lastly, I'd not talk about this anymore on any sort of social media outlet. It's crazy what steps insurance companies take these days to avoid paying anything out.

Ask me how I know.

Rest up.