Bicycle Austin forum

btrettel

Member

Registered: 2013-10-01

Posts: 60

What are typical medical costs for bike crashes?

In a bike crash, what is the typical range of medical costs? I'm more looking for an upper bound, but typical figures or specific cases would be interesting too.

I tried a few Google searches along these lines, but the vast majority of the results were for legal services. I couldn't find many numbers.

The closest I could find was a research paper looking at bicycle crashes in Belgium. The average medical costs for more severe crashes (defined as "minor bicycle accidents with acute body injuries which still have negative consequences even 9 months after the accident") were €369 (about $500). I'm not sure this is so relevant to the US because Europe is usually much safer for bicyclists and their medical costs are much lower.

Also notable is an estimate of the average cost of a non-fatal injury involving a motor vehicle in the US ($52,900). That number includes car-on-car crashes, so I'm thinking it's probably much higher than the average cost of a bike crash, and I'm not sure what fraction of that cost is due to medical costs.

Perhaps some of you all are more knowledgeable about this and could point me in the right direction? I'd be very appreciative.

Last edited by btrettel (2013-10-01 21:40:38)

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: What are typical medical costs for bike crashes?

Interesting question.  I found that for brain injury alone, the average cost for treatment and rehab is $220,000, though it can easily go as high as $3 million.

Insurance might not solve all the problems.  The first source implies that Medicare/Medicaid pays (for those covered) only to save the life of the patient, not for rehab.  Private insurance might cover rehab but limit the payout, treatment time, or number of sessions severely.

I know from experience that a single short trip to the ER with minimal treatment (no surgery) is several thousand dollars.  Though in Japan, my ER visit cost me maybe $60.

btrettel

Member

Registered: 2013-10-01

Posts: 60

Re: What are typical medical costs for bike crashes?

Thanks for sharing these insights.

I had not considered looking at costs for typical injuries. TBI potentially has the highest monetary costs. I'm not sure what the probability of different injuries are, so I'll take a look into that this weekend.

Medical insurance does not seem like the solution, I agree. I recall reading that one cyclist was completely denied their coverage until the driver that hit them was charged. I'm looking at getting my own bike insurance to at least supplement my medical insurance. The costs seem reasonable (~$250/year in the one quote I have), but I'm unsure of how much coverage is necessary.

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: What are typical medical costs for bike crashes?

Why wouldn't your medical insurance cover bike accidents?  Or are you talking about insurance that has higher limits for payout, treatment time, or number of treatments?

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 631

Re: What are typical medical costs for bike crashes?

In general medical insurance does cover bicycle accidents.

However, if they feel that another party was responsible for your injuries (and their costs), they will go after the other party for them.  And if the other party only has so much money (like they only have the state mandated $30k of insurance), that may mean that you get nothing for your pain and suffering (or damage to your bike) because it all went to your medical bills.

But I've never heard of them denying claims because of that.  Instead, from what I understand, they pay up front, and then start asking for who they can send bills to.

I've gotten questionnaires from my medical insurance providers for injuries looking for other parties that might be responsible for them, and they've been quite persistent when I just ignored them.