Services
Document a loss
Support a claim
For carriers and employers
Service areas
Middle Tennessee
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Smyrna
- Spring Hill
- Gallatin
- Lebanon
- Columbia
- Brentwood
- Mount Juliet
- La Vergne
- Cookeville
East Tennessee
West Tennessee
Bicycle Accident Documentation for Tennessee Claims
Neutral documentation of collisions between motor vehicles and bicycles, including e-bikes. Delator Claims Division photographs the bicycle, the rider's equipment, the vehicle and the roadway for cyclists, insurers and attorneys across Tennessee and delivers a factual record.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
A bicycle records a collision in its own way. A wheel folds in the direction of the force, a fork bends back from a frontal strike, a frame tube creases, and paint from the vehicle transfers to a pedal, handlebar end or seat stay. The chain position shows which gears the rider was using, and scraped brake levers and shifters show which side met the ground. Read together by the parties' experts, these details indicate the direction of impact.
The road matters in ways that do not arise for cars. A cyclist rides at the edge of the lane, where drainage grates, broken pavement, gravel and parked car doors are found. Bike lanes begin and end, and turning vehicles cross them. Delator documents the bicycle and equipment, the vehicle and the edge-of-road conditions from a cyclist's position, without deciding who was at fault.
Cases where the bicycle and road need recording
- A turning vehicle and a cyclist traveling straight collided and each says the other moved into their path.
- A cyclist struck an opened door of a parked car and the parking lane and bike lane widths need measuring.
- A rider was hit from behind at dawn or dusk and the bicycle's lamps, reflectors and the rider's clothing are in question.
- A driver's carrier wants the bicycle photographed before the owner has it repaired, replaced or discarded.
- A crash on a greenway crossing or shared-use path involves signs and markings unlike those on an ordinary street.
Bicycle, rider equipment and road edge
- Frame, fork and wheel deformation
- Bends, cracks and creases in the frame and fork, wheel shape and broken spokes, photographed from each side and from directly above.
- Paint and material transfer
- Vehicle paint or plastic on pedals, bar ends, saddle or frame, and tire rubber or bar tape on the vehicle, with heights measured on both.
- Lamps, reflectors and bell
- Front and rear lamps, their mounting and switch position as found, wheel and pedal reflectors, and any reflective tape on the frame.
- Helmet, clothing and shoes
- Helmet shell and liner damage, clothing color and reflective panels, gloves and shoes, photographed with scale if the rider or counsel provides them.
- Bike lane and road edge surface
- Lane line and symbol markings, lane width, gutter pan, drainage grates, seams, gravel and pavement breaks within the area where a cyclist rides.
- Drivetrain and control positions
- Chain position on the front and rear gears, brake lever and shifter condition, and for e-bikes the motor type, display and labeled class if marked.
From request to delivered record
- RequestCall dispatch or submit the request form with the location, loss type and urgency.
- DeployDispatch assigns the nearest available licensed field investigator through the statewide network.
- DocumentPhotographs, video, measurements and factual notes are captured once the scene is safe to work.
- PreserveFiles are timestamped, organized and kept in their original form with a record of who captured them.
- ReportThe package is delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day.
The bicycle is evidence and it rarely stays intact
After a crash a damaged bicycle is usually taken home, to a shop or to a relative's garage. A shop may true the wheel, replace the fork and return the old parts to a scrap bin. A cracked carbon frame may be cut up for disposal. Riders understandably want to be riding again or want the wreck out of sight. Each of those steps removes the deformation and transfer marks that show how the bicycle and the vehicle met.
Delator photographs the bicycle in the condition found, on a neutral background with scale, and records component positions before anything is moved. If the rider's cycling computer or phone app logged the ride, the device is photographed and noted; retrieving and interpreting that data is left to the owner and the parties. The record lets a driver's carrier, a cyclist's attorney or a reconstruction professional examine the bicycle long after it has been repaired or scrapped.
Lane position, doors and turning conflicts
The common disputes are about position. In a right-turn collision, the driver says the cyclist came up on the inside; the cyclist says the vehicle passed and turned across. In a door strike, the question is where the parked car sat and how much room remained. In a same-direction collision, it is how far from the edge the cyclist was riding and what the surface there was like. Measured lane widths and marking positions frame each of these.
Delator measures the travel lane, bike lane, parking lane and shoulder, locates where markings start and stop relative to the intersection or driveway, and photographs the approach from both the driver's eye height and a seated rider's eye height. Surface defects near the edge are measured for size and depth. The report does not say where the cyclist was required to ride or which party held the right of way; those are legal questions outside its scope.
On this assignment Delator field personnel record what is physically present: photographs, video, measurements and factual notes. They do not adjust, appraise or value the loss, do not determine coverage, cause or fault, and do not represent any party to the claim.
Delator Claims Division is not a law firm, an insurer or an engineering firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Common questions about this service
My bike is already at the shop. Can it be documented there?
Yes, if the shop has not started work and gives permission. An investigator can document the bicycle and any removed parts on site. If repairs are complete, the replaced parts may still be available to photograph, and the scene, lane markings and road surface can be documented in any case.
Do you document e-bikes and electric scooters?
Yes. For e-bikes the motor location, battery, controller display and any class or wattage label are photographed along with the same frame, wheel and equipment details. Electric scooters are handled the same way. Delator does not test motor output or state whether a device fits a legal classification.
Can you download my ride data to show how fast I was going?
No. Delator photographs the device and notes that a recording may exist. The data belongs to you and can be exported and shared by you or your attorney. Interpreting speed or position from that data is work for a qualified expert, and Delator offers no conclusion about it on neutral assignments.
Who requests bicycle crash documentation?
Cyclists and their attorneys, auto insurers for the driver, and counsel on either side. For cyclists and their attorneys the service is neutral documentation only: Delator does not value the bicycle or the claim, negotiate with an insurer or determine fault. Flat-rate pricing for each deployment tier is published on the pricing page.
Available statewide, including
Every Tennessee county is covered. See the deployment map for typical response tiers by county.
Request documentation anywhere in Tennessee
Dispatch is staffed around the clock. For time-sensitive scenes, calling is fastest; the request form works for routine and scheduled assignments.