Originally Posted by
treebound
If your doctor said you have bruised ribs then you have medical injuries, this is key to making it worthwhile to talk to a lawyer.
As to the bike, take it in to a reputable local bike shop and have them assess the damage and recommend repair or replacement, and get written quotes from them.
Do not sign any releases (medical or otherwise), or cash any checks from the other person's insurance agency until your own attorney says it is okay to do so.
These are my opinions, I am not an expert, I am not an attorney, ignore everything I just posted.
I was in a bike accident in July. I did not have any problems other than bruises, but those bruises bothered me for about 6 weeks. The chest contusion/bruised ribs were the worst and if I ran into other problems from this after 6 weeks, signing checks or otherwise accepting compensation would have left me without recourse.
I didn't contact a lawyer and luckily the other insurance was pretty reasonable.
But it could have been the other way.