Car/Bicycle Accident in Crosswalk

Thank you in advance for any help that anyone can give. This happened in madison, wi. I was in a car going across an intersection, and as I got through the light turned yellow. Other cars were trying to get into a parking garage and I could not move all the way through the intersection. My car was in the middle of the pedestrian crosswalk. Every time the car ahead of pulled up a little i tried to squeeze in so i was out of the crosswalk while avoiding the people walking through. My front end was out of the crosswalk when a bike tried to breeze through in between my front end and the car in front of me from the left. I did not see him coming, and as i inched forward he ended up on my on my windshield. He got up right away. Immediately I asked if he was ok. At this point the traffic had cleared and I pulled over to asses the situation. He said he thought he was fine his arm and leg just hurt a little. No blood, no damage to the bicycle either. No damage to my car. The cops were not called, and he rode away on his bike. I gave him my name, address and phone #. Another man called him over and had taken down my liscence plate number, but he must not have taken it because a couple hours later he texted my phone asking for my plate #. I am reluctant to give out any more information that could cause me problems. I do have insurance but did not give him the information. I have not contacted him back as of the present.

Was I in the wrong? Even if I was in the wrong, can anything be done since he fled the scene and didn't call the police? In general, I just want to know what my next step should be or if I should just forget it happened. Thank you again for any advice.

You and the bike collided.
You both left the scene without calling the police.
That was a very poor decision.
You may end up paying dearly for that choice.

You could hightail it to police HQ and file a belated report. He may already have filed one, too.

Or, speak with a lawyer and discuss your legal options.

You might also wish to relate this to your insurance carrier.

It isn't smart to avoid calling the police when you are involved in any accident!!!!

If there was no damage and no injury, and the two of you exchanged info to the other's satisfaction, there was no need to call for police. You did everything appropriately.

Remember, bike riders are supposed to follow the same rules of the road as other vehicles. As you describe it, the bike rider was in the wrong and was crossing the street improperly. You would not necessarily be at fault in this situation.

You are not obligated to respond to a text message. He has your number and your address. He can call or write a letter. Personally, I would not acknowledge anything other than written correspondence.

You did nothing wrong. Don't sweat it too much. If he is resourceful then he might follow through with some kind of action, but unless he is dishonest, he will have difficulty explaining why you were at fault.

Your being stuck over the crosswalk is not significant.

mightymoose said:

If there was no damage and no injury, and the two of you exchanged info to the other's satisfaction, there was no need to call for police. You did everything appropriately.

Remember, bike riders are supposed to follow the same rules of the road as other vehicles. As you describe it, the bike rider was in the wrong and was crossing the street improperly. You would not necessarily be at fault in this situation.

You are not obligated to respond to a text message. He has your number and your address. He can call or write a letter. Personally, I would not acknowledge anything other than written correspondence.

You did nothing wrong. Don't sweat it too much. If he is resourceful then he might follow through with some kind of action, but unless he is dishonest, he will have difficulty explaining why you were at fault.

Your being stuck over the crosswalk is not significant.

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Blocking the crosswalk is very significant in most jurisdictions, especially Madison, WI.

In Florida it is illegal to block an intersection. Many people glide through an intersection only to get stuck halfway through because of a backup.

Wouldn't it be in the OP's best interest to file a police report after-the-fact? If the bicylist does so first, then I would think this could be bad for the OP.

FlaRiptide said:

In Florida it is illegal to block an intersection. Many people glide through an intersection only to get stuck halfway through because of a backup.

Wouldn't it be in the OP's best interest to file a police report after-the-fact? If the bicylist does so first, then I would think this could be bad for the OP.

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I will never understand why people don't want their accidents documented by an independent arbiter, the police.
Well, I do understand, I just don't get the illogical reasoning they use to support their foolish decision to trust the other person NOT to screw them after the fact!

army judge said:

Blocking the crosswalk is very significant in most jurisdictions, especially Madison, WI.

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The crosswalk is for pedestrians, not bicycle riders. Bicycles are to follow the same rules of the road as other vehicles. The bike rider is not totally innocent here. The bike rider did not yield the ride of way and was crossing in front of oncoming traffic.

FlaRiptide said:

In Florida it is illegal to block an intersection. Many people glide through an intersection only to get stuck halfway through because of a backup.

Wouldn't it be in the OP's best interest to file a police report after-the-fact? If the bicylist does so first, then I would think this could be bad for the OP.

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It doesn't require a police report if there was no injury or property damage. All that matters is that they exchanged information. It is a matter for civil court at this point, if anything.