How Much Compensation For Bicycle Accident Claims?

The amount of personal injury compensation you may receive depends upon several factors, such as the extent of your injuries and the impact they have had on you financially. In the table below, we have taken some figures from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This document pairs various types and severities of injuries with corresponding compensation guideline brackets.

We have included some more figures from the JCG below. Please note that these figures are no guarantee of the amount of compensation you may receive. Your personal injury claim is unique and will be assessed on an individual basis.

For a better understanding of what your potential compensation payout may cover, we recommend that you contact our advisors for a free case assessment. This will provide you with a more tailored estimate that takes into account the full impact of your injury.

The first figure in the table below was not provided by the JCG.

Type of Injury	Severity	Compensation Amount	Notes
Multiple injuries with financial losses	Severe	Up to £1,000,000+	Multiple injuries and their associated financial losses, such as the cost of medical treatment
Brain	Very severe	£344,150 to £493,000	Claimant has little to no response to their environment and requires full time care
	Moderate (ii)	£110,720 to £183,190	Claims involving impact on intelligence whereby the claimant may not be able to work
Leg Amputations	Loss of both legs	£293.850 to £344,150	Claims involve the amputation of both legs above the knee or one leg lost above the knee with the other leg lost below the knee
Arm	Severe	£117,360 to £159,770	Injuries that do not require amputation but mean that the arm has very little function
Neck	Severe (ii)	£80,240 to £159,770	Injuries may include fractures or damaged spinal discs, resulting in significant disability
Leg	Severe (iii) serious	£47,840 to £66,920	Multiple fractures or injuries to the ligaments/joints
Pelvis and Hips	Severe (iii)	£47,810 to £64,070	Bracket includes a variety of injuries that likely cause the claimant to need a hip replacement
Wrist	Significant disability	£29,900 to £47,810	Claimant will experience considerable disability with some remaining movement

How Is Bicycle Injury Compensation Calculated?

Compensation for bicycle accident claims is divided into two heads of claim, the first of which is general damages. These are awarded to compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by your injury.

Additionally, you may be eligible to claim special damages. These aim to recover the costs you may have suffered due to injury. You can read more information about how these can assist with your recovery in the next section.

How Can Bike Accident Compensation Help Me With My Injuries?

Bike accident compensation can help you by reducing the financial impact of your injuries, allowing you to prioritise your recovery. A cycling accident can result in severe injuries that prevent you from carrying out your usual activities. Therefore, you may have to cover a variety of costs. These could include:

Lost income due to time taken off work
The cost of professional care
The cost of adjustments made to your home
Payments for medical treatment
Expenses made when travelling to/from medical appointments

These are all costs that you may be able to reclaim under special damages. However, you will need to provide receipts or bank statements in order to prove these costs.

Do not hesitate to contact our advisors if you have any questions about how compensation can help you recover your losses.

The Common Causes Of Cycling Injury Claims

There are many causes of cycling accidents which could provide grounds for a compensation claim. Examples include:

A reckless driver does not pay attention to the speed limit. This means that they cannot stop in time at a red light and crash into you. This car accident causes you to severely injure your knee
A motorcyclist does not check the road properly before pulling out onto a junction. As a result, they knock you off your bike, and you break your wrist
A lorry driver fails to check their mirrors while making a turn, causing them to run into you. As a result, you suffer multiple injuries. These include the loss of your leg and a dislocated shoulder

These are just a few examples, so please do not worry if your accident was not covered. You can get in contact with an advisor today to find out whether your accident could qualify you for a claim.

Who Can Make Bike Accident Compensation Claims?

Bicycle accident claims require you to show that:

A road user owed you a duty of care
They failed to use the road in line with this duty
As a result, you were injured

All people using the road owe a duty of care to each other. This includes car drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists. The duty of care means that they have a responsibility to follow the road laws and guidance in place to protect you. These include the Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act 1988.

What If I Wasn’t Wearing A Helmet?

If you weren’t wearing a helmet, you may still be able to start a claim for compensation. Contributory negligence refers to a situation where the claimant’s decisions may have contributed to the injury.

The defending party could argue that a head injury was made worse by your decision not to wear a helmet. This could impact the amount of compensation that you receive.

Claiming Against Uninsured Road Users Or A Hit And Run Accident

In cases involving a hit and run or uninsured driver, you may be able to claim through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). This company provides a route for victims to claim compensation when there is no option to claim from an insurance company.

What If A Pedestrian Caused The Accident?

If a pedestrian caused your accident, you could still be eligible to claim compensation. Pedestrians must follow road laws and guidelines, as all people using the road owe a duty of care to one another.

For example, the Highway Code rules for pedestrians state that they should wear reflective clothing when walking in the dark and look both ways when crossing the road. If they do not take these precautions, they could be liable if an accident occurs.

Accident Caused By Poor Road Conditions

If you suffered an accident due to poor road conditions, you may be eligible to claim compensation. For example, you may have injured your neck and shoulder after falling off your bike while riding over a pothole.

The council should maintain the roads and ensure that they are safe to use. Therefore, you may be able to sue the council for compensation if you have been affected.

You can contact an advisor for an initial consultation to find out whether you may have a valid claim. This is a free service that provides you with the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about bicycle accident claims.

Can I Claim On Behalf Of A Loved One Who Is Injured?

You may be eligible to claim on behalf of a loved one if they are:

Under the age of eighteen
Unable to make decisions for their claim due to incapacity

Under such circumstances, you could apply to act as a litigation friend. This allows those who qualify to represent the interests of people who cannot start bicycle accident claims themselves.

Fatal Bicycle Accidents

If your family member or loved one has passed away due to a cycling accident, you may be able to claim on their behalf. There are laws in place that determine who is eligible to claim compensation in this situation.

Under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934, the estate of the deceased party can make a claim. This could cover the pain and suffering that the deceased person experienced.

If the estate has not made a claim within six months, some relatives or loved ones may be eligible to claim. They cannot claim for the pain and suffering of the deceased. However, they may claim for certain expenses such as funeral costs. This is established by the Fatal Accidents Act 1976.

Please contact our advisors for more information about claiming on behalf of someone else. They can discuss the details of your claim and assess your eligibility to proceed.

How To Begin Bicycle Accident Claims

Bicycle accident claims require claimants to take certain steps in order to proceed. It is essential that you provide evidence of your injury and the situation that caused it. If you are claiming for special damages, you will also need to prove these costs.

Examples of valid evidence include:

A copy of your medical records
Photos of your injury or CCTV footage of your road traffic accident
Contact details of people who witnessed the incident
Bank statements and payslips
A police report (if your accident was reported)

Additionally, you will need to meet the legal time limit that applies to your claim. This is established by the Limitation Act 1980. Typically, you will need to start a claim within three years of the date that the accident occurred.

There are exceptions in cases where the affected person is incapacitated or below the age of eighteen. As stated previously, another person may be able to claim on their behalf under such circumstances.

If you have any questions about the process for bicycle accident claims, you can speak with an experienced advisor today. We understand that you may come across some complicated legal jargon when looking to claim, so reach out to our team for straightforward advice.

Do I Need A Solicitor For Cycling Injury Claims?

Although you are not obliged to use a solicitor to start a claim, it can make the process much smoother. Our panel of expert cycling accident solicitors have decades of combined experience in navigating the legal system and helping people to gain compensation awards.

You may have concerns about using a solicitor due to the associated legal fees. However, our panel works on a No Win No Fee basis. Therefore, you would not need to pay for their work:

Before the bicycle accident claim starts
While the claim is ongoing
If you do not receive a compensation award

Should you receive compensation, you would then need to pay a success fee. This is a percentage of the award that you pay to your solicitor. This can cause people to worry, but there is a legally binding cap in place. As a result, you will retain the largest share of the total compensation.

Our panel of solicitors can handle negotiations with the defending party and argue for your compensation to account for the full impact of your injury. They take a client-focused approach to law, maintaining regular contact so that you are aware of the latest updates for your claim.

Contact Our Advisors

You can contact our advisors to find out whether you are eligible to work with a solicitor from our panel. They have handled many enquiries about bicycle accident claims and can give you the information you need to decide whether to start a claim.

Our advice is offered free of charge and without any obligation to work with our panel afterwards, so why not reach out?

Call us on 0800 408 7826
Contact us online
Use the live chat on this web page

Learn More

Visit our other personal injury guides:

Find out how to claim for a hand injury
Learn about claiming compensation for facial scarring
Read our guide about claiming compensation for an eye injury

External resources

Check the NHS guidance on first aid
Read advice for cyclists from THINK!
Find out how to claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

Thank you for taking the time to read our guide on bicycle accident claims.

Find Out How Much Compensation For Bicycle Accident Claims

Use Our Calculator To Find How Much Compensation For Bicycle Accident Claims

Jump To A Section