What To Do If You Witness A Bike Accident?



karebear07

New Member
May 25, 2015
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I just witnessed a bike accident, and noticed that people did not know what to do when the bike rider got hit. Many people started honking (it was rush hour), and people became frustrated at the man laying in the street! I was really taken back. What would you do if you saw a bike rider just get hit by a car?
 
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I would render any assistance I could. I would get the injured party out of traffic or direct the traffic around him if not safe to move him or her. I always have my cell phone on me so I would call for help. I think knowing cpr and basic first aid is a good idea for anybody on the road these days.
 
Jcycle said:
I would render any assistance I could. I would get the injured party out of traffic or direct the traffic around him if not safe to move him or her. I always have my cell phone on me so I would call for help. I think knowing cpr and basic first aid is a good idea for anybody on the road these days.
True, this is what I did, but I did not move the person as I was not sure if he was suffering from any spinal injuries (which would make it dangerous for him to move)! I think many people should remember this step, as even though a person may not feel anything, any trauma to the back can lead to spinal injuries and it is best for the paramedic to stabilize the position of the person before moving the person! He was still responsive so CPR was not needed.
 
I had experienced that once. I was driving a car and when I stopped due to people crossing, a biker hit a girl. The rider and the girl were both sprawled on the ground. I was about to pull over when I saw several people attending to the accident. So maybe it's enough, the reason why I left... still shaking because I saw it happen.
 
I would call 911 immediately, then offer what assistance I can. If I did not have the appropriate skin low for the situation, I would still stay as a witness. Bicycle/vehicle accidents can turn into nasty situations so I would want to make sure I stayed to give a report of what I saw.
 
I have been hit before. The hit and run driver (he hit a telephone pole after me) tried to hitch a ride, but he told the people who stopped for him that he hit a bicyclist. They called 911. I have no idea what else they did. I came to several hours later.

I have fallen and while I sat in the road wondering what happened a car stopped (protecting me from other traffic) and the driver asked if I needed assistance. I walked 100 yds to a convenience store, had some food and called home informing them what had happened and that I would be home late.


I guess I would stop and if the rider appeared hurt, I would call 911 and do what I could. If the rider did not seem hurt, I would offer to get the rider someplace safe - a store or his home.
 
I would try to help this person immediately. I just couldn't see someone get hit and then not do anything to help them. I would call 911 and just do the best that I could do in the situation.
 
I think by law you must help and not ignore. You should never by any chance see a hurting person and not do something about it.
 
You need to find a way of helping the cyclist. If you are in a car you have to stop and attend to him even if other motorists will never stop. If he is not seriously injured you can offer to take him to hospital. If he has serious injuries then you call emergency services.
 
If traffic is already stopped, then you don't want to move the person if he or she seems too hurt. People can honk all they want, but an emergency situation is something that needs to be handled properly. It's important to call the police/paramedics and then tell law enforcement what you saw. Every bike accident is different and calls for a slightly different set of steps, though.
 
Obviously the best situation and action would be to assist in any way. If the accident had happened in the middle of the road, try to help the person feel more comfortable until help arrives. Lend him/her your water because chances are after riding they will be thirsty. If the guy is in the middle of the road maybe help him off the street lay him somewhere softer like a nerby bench or on a soft patch of grass on the side of the road. Traffic would continue moving and everybody would be happier.
 
I've actually witnessed a couple accidents where pedestrians were hit by a car within the past year so I have a little experience of this. Things go a lot better if you can keep yourself calm and take things step by step. If you keep your wits about you, you actually can do a lot of good for the person that got hit.

First, assess the situation. How bad is the accident? How hurt are they? If it's serious, call 9-1-1 immediately and report it. If you're the first person to call in, they'll likely have you go talk to the person who got it and tell them to stay on the ground. Reassure the person that help is on the way and give the best description of your location. They'll tell you to do this on the phone, but it's easier if you're mentally prepared for it. The person might be confused. In one of the accidents I witnessed, a guy got hit by a car and the driver backed over his legs trying to escape. After regaining consciousness, the victim didn't even know he'd been hit by a car and tried to get up even though he had two broken legs. If you're not there to talk to them, they might do something to make their injuries worse.

If it's less serious, try and get the license plate, make and model of the vehicle involved in the accident before calling 9-1-1. Do this even if the driver doesn't leave. You never know if they'll bail when they hear sirens. If the victim is going to have any chance at suing, they'll need this information. If it's a serious accident do this step after calling 9-1-1 while you're talking to the victim. It might not be possible to get this information but it's helpful if you do have it.

If you have to block traffic, do it. People might be annoyed but the safety of the person lying on the ground trumps other driver's needs to get where they're going quickly. You should never move someone who can't move on their volition and it's probably a bad idea to let someone who's been laid out by an accident get up and walk away. It's actually possible to break your neck without knowing it so the act of getting up off the pavement can cause paralysis.

While the EMTs/police show up, start rehearsing the story of what happened in your head. You're gonna want to make the best statement you can because it helps all parties involved. You're gonna be asked your story multiple times. If it's a bad accident, you're likely going to be called by insurance companies down the line trying to trip you up or try and twist your statement towards their side.
 
I would call an emergency hotline immediately. I won't try to help the rider get up because he may have some bones broken. I would just make him stay there in that place and stay around assisting until the ambulance arrives.
 
gavinfree said:
If traffic is already stopped, then you don't want to move the person if he or she seems too hurt. People can honk all they want, but an emergency situation is something that needs to be handled properly. It's important to call the police/paramedics and then tell law enforcement what you saw. Every bike accident is different and calls for a slightly different set of steps, though.
That's also what I know - an injured person should not be moved, just wait for the paramedics. There was a time that I saw 2 cyclists colliding head on right in the main road. They were both sprawled on the ground. The traffic officer moved to re-direct traffic and cordoned a detour. Fortunately the scene of the accident was not in the middle but a little by the side so traffic was not much hampered. That's the SOP (standard operating procedure) according to the traffic officer.
 
Common sense and good decency demands you stop and help the person as well as call the appropriate services (police, paramedics whatever.)
I don't see any reason to not do this.
 
I'd try and assist the guy in any way I could and also call for an ambulance.

Doesn't really surprise me that people ignored it. Here it's against the law to do nothing if you witness a traffic accident and I assume it applies to cyclists as well.
 
I didn't read any previous post but if I did witness a accident, I would offer any assistance that hasn't been already rendered. If you are a witness of a accident, then I think by law you are responsible to report it and/or go to court if need be. But things are different all over the world, and different countries handle things differently.
 
I didn't read any previous post but if I did witness a accident, I would offer any assistance that hasn't been already rendered. If you are a witness of a accident, then I think by law you are responsible to report it and/or go to court if need be. But things are different all over the world, and different countries handle things differently.
 
I should have mentioned this in my first post, but you should consider writing down everything you know about the accident ASAP after it happens. Like I said before, you'll get the police and possibly two insurance companies calling you wanting you to make a statement. The insurance companies often start contacting you over a month after the original accident to get your statement. They'll have access to the police report with your original statement, but if you don't match that statement you gave previously, they might start challenging your claims in your original statement. That can be really stressful. It's a good idea to write down some notes you can refer to since you have a duty to give the most accurate report of the accident. You might think you'll remember everything but you'll be asked specific details that you might not remember.
 

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