Cycling Accidents

Can I Claim Compensation?

You may have a good claim if you have had an accident that was the fault of another person or organisation and it has caused you an injury. If the accident was more than 3 years ago you may be too late to claim, but this can be a complex legal issue and our specialist team will be able to advise you if you still have a claim even though it is outside the 3-year period.

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Types of Cycling Claims

Collisions with cars or other vehicles.
The most common cause of injury, often caused at junctions by being cut up or drivers “not seeing” the bike. Motor vehicles are supposed to overtake bicycles giving them as much room as they would a car! Opening car doors are another particular hazard
Collisions with other cyclists or pedestrians
It is not just motor vehicles that can knock you off. These claims can be difficult and perhaps non-starters if the guilty party is not insured, but speak to us anyway. Sometimes the accident was due to the poor planning or construction of the roadway. Shared cycle/pedestrian paths can be hazardous if not properly laid out and we have won this type of claim for cyclists.

Road defects: Pot holes, debris, obstacles and oil
Local authorities, public utilities and private contractors are constantly digging up and filling in our roads. They must do so safely and not leave unmarked, unlit holes, stones, bricks etc as traps for unwary riders. Roadways can turn into skidpans after oil splillage. You may have a good claim if you hurt yourself or your bike in this type of accident.

Defective equipment
Frames, brakes, rims, forks and accessories can all fail for a number of reasons. Wear and tear or your own poor maintenance must be put down to experience, but what if a nasty accident happens because of an inherent design or construction defect or substandard materials? If you think this may have happened, speak to us. You may have a claim under the Consumer Protection Act. At Barcan Woodward we understand the mechanical issues and can find the right experts to win these cases.

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Why Use Barcan Woodward?

Our Personal and Medical Injuries department is headed by Richard Barcan and Marina Van Vessem who are both members of The Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme. We have many years experience of dealing with a wide variety of personal injury claims. We also handle clinical negligence claims. We are supported by a dedicated team of lawyers and the department only does this type of work, so we are true specialists.

We are experts in cycling injury claims. We have handled many such claims over the years and have a proven track record in winning proper compensation for our clients

We are keen cyclists ourselves and between us have a lot of experience of all types of riding – touring, home and abroad, commuting, road, mountain biking and cycling with children - so we understand how your bike works and the problems cyclist face.

We work from modern offices in the centre of Bristol. They are fully wheelchair accessible. We can also see you at our other offices in Horfield and Bedminster. We offer home or hospital visits if you cannot get to us.

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Worried about Legal Costs?

Don‘t be! The first interview is completely free.

We will find out what happened, tell you if we think we can help and give you a preliminary guide to how much you may get, how long it may take and whether it is worth pursuing a claim.

We will also explain about the options for covering the legal costs involved, including Legal Expenses Insurance and our No win – No fee scheme. If the insurance company will not settle the claim we are very experienced at taking cases to Court.

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Our Objective

We want to see you (and your bike) back in once piece and have your claim sorted as quickly as possible. Wherever possible we will try and work with the insurance company involved to achieve that object. Where the injuries are serious finalising the claim can take some time, but we will try and get you interim payments and the best medical treatment and therapy to speed up your recovery.
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