- Do You Need a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in New York City?
- Who Is at Fault When a Car Hits a Cyclist in NYC?
- Common causes of bicycle accidents in NYC
- Serious NYC bicycle accident injuries
- What Compensation Can You Recover After an NYC Bike Accident?
- How New York No-Fault Insurance Affects a Bicycle Accident Case
- Filing deadlines for a New York bike accident claim
- How Much Does a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in New York Cost?
- Common Bike Accident Injuries We Help Recover Compensation For
- Our Recent Case Settlements
- What to Do After a Bicycle Accident in NYC
- Contact Our New York City Bicycle Accident Lawyers Today
- Get a FREE case evaluation today
Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group represents injured cyclists across New York City, including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and the wider metro area. As a personal injury law firm, we’ve recovered over $1 billion for accident victims nationwide and handle bicycle, e-bike, and e-scooter matters exclusively.
Whether you were hit by a negligent motorist on 4th Avenue, doored in a Manhattan bike lane, or struck in a hit-and-run in Queens, we’ve seen your situation before and we know how to win.
New York law is on your side. Bicyclists have the same rights as motorists, you can recover compensation even if you were partially at fault.
Do You Need a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in New York City?
You can settle minor bicycle accidents yourself once the insurance company has accepted liability.
You need a lawyer when your injury is still under treatment, because signing an early offer closes the claim. You also need one when a road defect put you down, because Administrative Code 7-201(c)(2), the Pothole Law, bars the claim unless the City had written notice of that defect and left it unrepaired for fifteen days. A bike accident lawyer in NYC documents the scene before the repair crew does.
Call 888-521-6377 for a free case evaluation with no upfront costs and no fee unless Bicycle Accident Lawyers Group wins.
Who Is at Fault When a Car Hits a Cyclist in NYC?
Under New York law cyclists on a roadway hold the same rights as the driver of a car and the same duties under New York City’s bicycle laws. The driver owes due care to anyone on a bicycle.
The police report does not settle it. Insurance companies lean on the MV-104, and the entry most often wrong is the one placing you in the lane, an error that hardens into fact if nobody corrects it. The Right of Way Law makes a failure to yield that injures you a misdemeanor. Check whether the driver got one.
Partial fault reduces your recovery by your percentage under New York law, and an experienced bicycle accident attorney argues that number down. See who is at fault for the individual collision types.
Common causes of bicycle accidents in NYC
Dooring and a blocked bike lane put cyclists down in traffic, and each has a statute naming who was responsible, which is what lets you hold negligent drivers accountable. Broadway tops the cyclist-injury corridors at 385 injuries from 2023 to 2025, then Third Avenue at 196 and Bedford Avenue at 171, based on 3,726 bicycle accidents recorded in our NYC crash statistics.
- Dooring. VTL 1214 puts the duty on whoever opened the door, which reaches a taxi or rideshare passenger too.
- A blocked bike lane. The law keeps you near the right edge, and the exceptions usually let you ride around a stopped truck.
- Turning drivers. The right-hook cuts across your lane, and on a left turn the driver must yield to oncoming traffic, you included.
- Hit and run. Reckless drivers who leave the scene do not close your claim. See hit and run claims.
- Road defects. Potholes and sunken grates make the City the defendant once the notice requirement above is satisfied.
Serious NYC bicycle accident injuries
A New York bicycle accident lawyer prices a bicycle accident case on permanence, and three injuries drive the value of serious bicycle accidents more often than any others.
- Head injuries. Cognitive deficits surface months after the imaging looks unremarkable.
- Broken bones. A fracture requiring surgical hardware carries a different value from one that heals in a cast.
- Spinal and joint damage. These leave you with reduced earning capacity, often the largest line in a serious claim.
Get treated and keep going, because the insurance adjuster reads every gap in your medical records as evidence you were not hurt.
What Compensation Can You Recover After an NYC Bike Accident?
Bicycle accident victims can receive compensation in four categories of a personal injury claim, and each category requires different evidence.
Damages you can claim after a New York City bike crash:
- Medical expenses, documented by medical bills and treating records.
- Lost wages, the economic damages proven by pay records or tax returns.
- Pain and suffering, including emotional distress, available when a vehicle was involved and your injury clears New York’s serious injury threshold.
- Your bicycle and gear, the property damage proven by receipts and a repair estimate.
Insurance companies value personal injury claims after subtracting your share of fault, and the policy limits cap the total. Our average NYC settlement page publishes ranges by severity, and the settlement calculator prices the individual variables.
How New York No-Fault Insurance Affects a Bicycle Accident Case
Section 5103 of the Insurance Law puts your medical expenses, lost wages up to the New York State statutory limits, and related costs on the motor vehicle insurer, regardless of fault. That coverage, personal injury protection, requires form NF-2 within 30 days, even if the collision was your fault.
No-fault insurance does not cover pain and suffering unless your injury clears the serious injury threshold, and it does not apply when no vehicle was involved, since NYC DOT recorded 867 bicycle injuries with no vehicle in 2025. Delivery cyclists on e-bikes sit inside no-fault. See how NYC claims work for the filing steps.
Filing deadlines for a New York bike accident claim
Five deadlines can apply to a New York bike crash, and which of them govern your personal injury claim depends on who you are suing.
| Claim | Deadline | Clock starts | Law |
| No-fault notice to the vehicle’s insurer | 30 days | Date of crash | 11 NYCRR 65-1.1 |
| Notice of claim against the City | 90 days | Date of crash | GML 50-e |
| Lawsuit against the City | 1 year and 90 days | Date of crash | GML 50-i |
| Lawsuit against a driver | 3 years | Date of crash | CPLR 214 |
| Wrongful death | 2 years | Date of death | EPTL 5-4.1 |
The two shortest rows end claims. A notice of claim against a government entity goes to the Comptroller, and the City examines you under oath at a 50-h hearing before you may sue. That testimony binds you. The wrongful death row runs from the date of death rather than the crash, which is what applies if you lost a loved one.
How Much Does a Bicycle Accident Lawyer in New York Cost?
Nothing up front, and you pay nothing unless the bicycle accident case recovers. The fee comes out of the recovery.
Court rules cap it. Almost all bicycle cases run on Schedule B, a flat one third of the net recovery. Before you sign, ask whether the fee is calculated before or after case expenses, and whether the law firm carries them if the claim loses. Our fees page answers both.
Common Bike Accident Injuries We Help Recover Compensation For
A bicyclist hit by a vehicle has nothing between them and the impact. No frame, no airbag, no crumple zone. Bicycle accident injuries are severe.
Losses start severe and medical expenses follow fast. Insurance companies push to settle before you know the full extent of your condition. If someone else caused it, you deserve maximum compensation.
-
Traumatic brain injuries
About 33% of non-fatal cycling injuries are head traumas. Even a mild traumatic brain injury can disrupt memory, focus, and daily life. Severe TBI can cause permanent cognitive damage.
-
Spinal cord damage
The back absorbs the worst of a cycling collision. Without structural protection, severe spinal trauma can lead to partial or complete paralysis.
-
Fractures
Broken bones make up 26% of cycling harm. Broken collarbones, wrists, ribs, and femurs often require surgery, hardware, and months of rehab.
-
Lacerations and abrasions
Skin abrasions account for 15% of collisions. Deep abrasions that look minor at the scene can require skin grafts, infection treatment, and ongoing wound care.
-
Internal injuries
Organ damage, internal bleeding, and abdominal trauma may not show symptoms for hours. These injuries are life-threatening and easy for adjusters to undervalue.
-
Muscle and ligament damage
Torn ligaments, sprains, and whiplash can cause chronic pain and emotional distress that outlasts every visible wound.
-
Wrongful death
When a bicycle accident is fatal, surviving families can pursue damages for loss of companionship, financial support, funeral expenses, and pain and suffering endured by the family. In 2024, 24 bicyclist deaths occurred on NYC streets.
Our Recent Case Settlements
What to Do After a Bicycle Accident in NYC
Your case starts at the scene. What you do in the first hours shapes everything that follows.
Contact Our New York City Bicycle Accident Lawyers Today
Whether it was minor or catastrophic, our New York City bicycle accident lawyers fight for the full compensation every client is owed. You pay nothing upfront, and we only collect a fee if we win your case.
Call 888-521-6377 or fill out the form to speak with an experienced New York personal injury attorney the same day.
Share the details of your situation with us so we can begin advocating on your behalf. We customize our approach to fit the unique needs of each client.
