What to Do if You’re in a Bike Accident

Alanna here with Sixthreezero. Today, I'm going to talk about what to do if you get in a bike accident. Hopefully, you never need this advice, but it's a good idea to have this information in case you ever do get in a bike crash. For this video, I'm going to talk about what to do if you get in a bike crash, meaning you fall. So not necessarily going over what to do if you are hit by a car or collide with another person, but we will work on a video covering that in the future.

The first tip is to slow down. After an accident, your adrenaline is pumping. You might feel great, but your body might not even be in great shape, actually. So it's a good idea to slow down, take your time getting up, and don't feel like you have to jump on your bike right away.

Number two is to check your body. So you want to check your whole body, make sure that you can feel all of your limbs. Make sure that you don't see too much blood, you don't see any exposed bones, nothing is bending in a way that it shouldn't. And if all of that is okay, you feel okay to stand up and move, then get up and move to a place where you're outside of the way, off the road, off the path, but keep moving still to a minimal level. And if you don't feel okay to move, immediately call for help, seek assistance if that's available to you.

Number three is to check for a concussion. If your helmet is dented or broken, then that's a sign that you hit your head. If you're feeling disoriented or dizzy and confused, then those are also signs of a concussion. So in that case, you will not want to get back on your bike. Call for help, have someone take you to urgent care or the ER, to have that treated, but don't get back on your bike.

If you haven't experienced any major injuries, you're pretty sure that you didn't hit your head and are not suffering a concussion, you're able to stand up, you're able to bear weight and walk for a bit, then next we'll want to move on to checking out your bike.

When it comes to checking out your bike after an accident, the first thing you'll want to do is check out your wheels. So you want to make sure that you don't have any broken spokes sticking out. You want to check that your wheel is aligned and true, not warped or bent. You want to make sure that your tire hasn't been punctured and that it's still holding air. And you want to make sure that your brakes are still attached and working properly. So give them a quick squeeze to make sure that they work. Once you've checked your wheels, you can move on to the other components of your bike.

Next, you'll want to check your brake lever. So in an accident, things can get bumped and moved. It's possible that your brake lever could end up not in the position that you're typically used to. So you want to make sure that it is where you would normally have them easily accessible before you start riding.

After checking your brake levers and your shifter, then you'll want to check your derailleur. This is another thing that can bend in an accident. So here, you can see it hangs down. And if it gets bent, it can make shifting gears a little tricky or prevent you from being able to shift gears. So you just want to make sure that this piece is not hitting anything that it shouldn't be hitting.

After checking the derailleur, want to check your chain, make sure that it's intact, no missing pieces, and that it's on your bike, on the crank, and on the shifter back here correctly.

After that, you'll just want to check your saddle and your handlebars. Make sure they're aligned correctly and tightly so that they're not swiveling or moving as you're biking. And if all of everything looks good, then you should be able to hop, and if you're feeling good, you should be able to get back on your bike, continue, or finish your ride.

But that being said, it's a good idea to prepare ahead of time, just in case you do get in an accident.

It's a good idea to bring along on every ride a multi-tool, an extra chain link, an extra tube or even two tubes, and a first aid kit, Band-Aids, maybe an ACE bandage wrap, anything that you might need or might come in handy if you do get any scrapes or bruises. So those are our tips on what to do if you get in a bike accident. Hopefully, it doesn't happen to you. But if it does, hopefully, you have the tools to deal with it correctly and quickly, and you can get back on your bike as soon as possible. Thank you so much for watching. If you have any suggestions for future videos, let us know in the comments below. Don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.