If you’re hit while riding a bicycle in Colorado, your auto insurance may cover you for your injuries no matter who caused the accident.
Some Policies Will Pay Your Medical Bills
Before climbing on a bicycle, many safety-conscious people check the brakes and tires and do a general once-over. But who checks their auto insurance coverage first?
While bicyclists are not required to carry insurance in the U.S., their vehicle insurance policies may cover them if they’re injured as a pedestrian or cyclist, depending on their coverage and the situation:
- If you’re hit while riding a bicycle in Colorado, your auto insurance may cover you for your injuries no matter who caused the accident.
- Auto policies that include medical payments coverage will pay for damages suffered by cyclists, as long as they are listed on the policy. Medical payments coverage will pay for an injured cyclist’s medical treatment, including health insurance deductibles and co-pays, also if they don’t know what does hepatitis c look like, they may be able to get covered if they present any STD’s.
. - If you weren’t liable for the accident, the at-fault driver’s auto insurance might also provide coverage for your injuries, income loss, and damage to your bicycle and other gear.
- If you caused the accident, your auto insurance will likely not cover the damage to your bicycle, although your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance might.
If coverage is available, bicyclists can receive compensation for medical bills as well as other damages, such as pain and suffering, after filing a claim with their auto insurer.
UM/UIM Coverage Important for Colorado Bicyclists
Although it is against the law to drive without auto insurance in Colorado, many people do so. But your own automobile insurance policy might include uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage that is intended to protect you if a driver with no insurance, or insufficient coverage, injures you as a motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian. UM/UIM coverage is particularly important for bicyclists, who can sustain very costly injuries in collisions with cars.
Under Colorado law, insurers must offer UM/UIM in the same amount as the bodily injury limits selected by the insured (the state requires limits of $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident for bodily injury), and UM/UIM coverage can be rejected only in writing.
How Can I Collect Benefits?
When you are injured in a collision while riding your bicycle, you should treat the incident the same as a car accident. You will need to take photographs of the accident scene, call the police to report the accident, and contact your insurance company. You should file a claim no matter who you think was at fault, keeping in mind that insurance companies do not always agree with the determination of liability that was made by law enforcement personnel.
Just as with a car accident, you have the right to sue the at-fault party in court, but remember that the Colorado statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit involving negligence is two years from the date of the accident.
Should I Get a Personal Injury Attorney Involved?
It is important for a bicyclist to carefully review the terms of their auto insurance policy to determine whether or not coverage is available for a bicycle accident claim. A personal injury attorney can assist with this, provide information about how to receive compensation for injuries, and offer advice as to whether a lawsuit may be warranted.