A person on a bike ran into my car & is now claiming I hit him. No police report was...

  • Thread starter Thread starter toricatjr
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toricatjr

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...filed - am I responsible? Ok... I was basically making a right hand turn out of a gas station, following the flow of traffic. It was after sunset (6:30p) and in the state of Florida, which seems to favor bikers. The bicyclist came from the right side (traffic was flowing left to right, he was coming the OPPOSITE direction) and he was wearing dark jeans and a hoodie with no light or reflective material at all on his bike. I was inching forward to pull into traffic when we made contact at the front right side of my vehicle (passenger side). I immediately got out of my car to check and see if he was ok. I noted that his bike was old and in disrepair and he was walking perfectly, with no visible injury. I provided him with all of my insurance information, name, cell phone, etc.

He has now called me and is claiming that his bike is destroyed, his leg is hurting, and that he is going to a bike repair store for an estimate. We did NOT file a police report at the scene nor did we have ANY witnesses.

Am I legally responsible for this accident? Does the bicyclist have the right to contact my insurance w/o a police report filed and/or insist on my paying the damages? I was literally INCHING and not moving quickly - and it honestly felt like he ran into me versus the other way around.

I have never so much as had a PARKING ticket nonetheless an ACCIDENT with injuries.

I am FREAKING out! Advise, please!!!
 
He can insist on anything he wants and you can tell him to kiss off. No one is liable until a court says so. However, if you have liability insurance you better notify your insurer. Most policies require notice of any potential claim. Then they will handle the defense and, if necessary, hire a lawyer to defend you and if that doesn't work, will pay any judgment. That is what insurance is for.
 
You might be responsible, but if you are, the lack of a police report and the lack of witnesses would make it hard for him to prove that you were. You can chill for now.
 
You might be responsible, but if you are, the lack of a police report and the lack of witnesses would make it hard for him to prove that you were. You can chill for now.
 
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