- I used to cycle to work every day, but was involved in a bicycle crash and broke my leg
- Eoin P. Campbell, LL.B., Solicitor, Editor in Chief
Question:
I used to cycle to work every day, but was involved in a bicycle crash and broke my leg. Now that my leg has started to heal, I have returned to work, but have to use public transport which is expensive and I wondered if I can include my travel expenses in my bicycle crash compensation claim?
Answer:
In normal circumstances, you would be able to claim special damages within your bicycle crash compensation claim to cover any out of pocket expenses you incur due to injuries sustained in an accident for which you were not to blame.
However, there are several issues that are not covered in the question, and the most important one is have you already submitted your claim for bicycle crash compensation to the Injuries Board Ireland for their assessment? If you have, and a settlement for your bicycle crash claim has been agreed, you cannot go back and ask for more.
One of the reasons that most victims of any accident choose to use a solicitor when making an application for a personal injury assessment is that a solicitor will have experience of the consequences of a personal injury, and integrate any special damages – in this case, travel expenses following a bike crash – into a bicycle crash compensation claim.
According to statistics published by the Road Safety Authority, road safety in Ireland continues to improve. However, the number of bicycle crashes and serious injuries that are sustained by cyclists are on the increase, and the main reason for this is negligent car drivers failing to pay full attention to other road users.
If you feel that you have been injured in a bike crash due to the negligence of any other road user, it is important that you speak with a solicitor at the earliest possible opportunity.
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