Your Car Insurance May Cover You as a Bicyclist

, ,
A bicycle near a body of water

If you’ve been injured in a traffic accident while on a bicycle, your car insurance may cover the personal injuries you sustained. When you are out on the roads as either a pedestrian or a bicyclist, injuries from a car striking you or otherwise causing you injuries can be claimed against your car insurance.

Typically, car insurance that covers personal injuries in motor vehicle accidents falls into two general categories. The first is coverage when you strike someone else. This is what many people assume is the entire purpose of car insurance. But the second part of your car insurance is that it covers you when you are injured by someone else’s negligence in a car. This is true even if you are not driving. More surprising still is that your insurance protects you even when you are not in a car if the cause of your injury is someone else’s negligent driving.

There are several examples of how someone’s negligence on the road can cause an injury. The first is when a car hits you on a bicycle. In that case, both the person who hit you and you will have car insurance that should cover that accident. Surprisingly, the insurance of family members that you live with also may cover your injuries. A second example is when you are riding a bike and a car negligently fails to stop in front of you, or even merely goes beyond a stop line, but looks like it might keep going. An action the driver takes that causes you to take evasive action or slam the bike brakes can cause you an injury. In that case, their insurance and yours may provide coverage for your injury.

In all of these cases, insurance should cover:

  • your medical bills,
  • your pain and suffering,
  • your lost wages,
  • and any diminished earning or life capacity you have down the road.

All of this illustrates why it’s so important to call a personal injury lawyer when you’ve been injured. Call Cornerstone Law Firm today to speak with an attorney experienced in dealing with motor vehicle accidents, bicycle injuries, and more. We offer free consultations for injury cases and can help you determine what would be appropriate compensation for your injury.

/by