After assessing your injuries and seeking medical treatment, your next thoughts will be how you will make your way to work and get on with your daily life.

But what steps do you need to take to repair or replace your motorbike without being out of pocket?

1. Photographing the damage to your motorbike and clothing

At Vélo Law we will need photographic evidence of the damage to your bike and clothing, or even better, at the roadside where the accident took place. A camera phone image will suffice.

2. Notifying your insurers

You need to formally report your accident to your insurers as soon as possible. You will need to provide them with full details of the accident. They may wish to see the photographs you took at the accident/of damage if the other driver denies liability.

3. Watching out for more subtle damage

There might not be any obvious visible damage to your motorbike but the impact could have loosened one of the components. So be careful if you are attempting to get straight back onto your bike. Or after a bump to the head your helmet is likely to not be in a safe condition.

4. Assessing the damage to your motorbike

If you have comprehensive insurance, once your insurers are aware of your accident they will want an assessor to examine your motorbike. This assessment could be carried out by someone that the insurer sends out to your home or they may ask you to take your motorbike to a local reputable garage/mechanic. The assessor will provide and estimate for repairs or decide whether it is a ‘write off’ if the cost of repairs is too high in relation to its value.

If it is economical to repair the insurers will then provide authority for the garage to proceed or if you are offered a cash sum because your motorbike is a write off at Vélo Law we can help you decide whether the sum is reasonable.

You may be offered a courtesy motorbike, or car, whilst your vehicle is being repaired/assessed. If this is not available through your own insurers we may be able to arrange hire for you.

We may also be able to arrange the hire of a lighter model if your injuries mean that you are unable to ride your usual model. Or in some cases we can also arrange for an automatic car for you to use during your rehabilitation.

5. Making a record of out of pocket expenses

If you don’t manage to get hold of a replacement bike or you need to use other transport (such as a bus and train) then you could be reimbursed for this alternative transport. Any expenses will need to be reasonable though.

We can help you with this process and we will not charge you for taking a look at your case. With Vélo Law you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Simply complete our form and we will let you know if your claim is likely to succeed.