Hit while riding your bike in New York? Our award-winning bicycle accident lawyers in New York City help injured victims seek the compensation they deserve.

Cyclists are outnumbered and outweighed on every block in this city. Delivery trucks block bike lanes. Rideshare drivers stop short in the middle of a run. Distracted motorists fling doors open on Bedford Avenue, blow through stop signs in Astoria, and drift into painted lanes on the Grand Concourse.

When any of that ends with a cyclist on the pavement, the law puts real rights in your hands, and the insurance company on the other side will spend the next several weeks trying to shrink them.

Grigor Law Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers fights those cases. Our New York City bicycle accident attorneys have handled bicycle crash claims across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester since 2015.

We know how to preserve intersection footage before it loops over, how to trace a company vehicle back to the employer who owns the risk, and how to push a No-Fault carrier off a lowball number and into a real settlement.

When they refuse to move, we try the case. Contact us today for a free consultation.

How We Build Your Case

We treat every bicycle accident file as if it is going to trial from the moment we take it on. That preparation is exactly what makes insurance companies take our demands seriously.

We file No-Fault immediately: We handle the NF-2 application so your bills are covered while we build the rest of your case.
We lock down evidence before it disappears: Surveillance footage overwrites within days. We send spoliation letters, written legal demands requiring all parties to preserve critical evidence, and file FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) requests to obtain city camera footage and official crash records.
We build an expert-backed file: Our New York City bicycle accident lawyers retain accident reconstructionists, medical experts, and economic analysts to prove who caused your crash and calculate the full value of your losses.

Who Is Liable for Your Bicycle Accident?

The driver is not always the only party responsible for your injuries. We investigate every angle to identify everyone who can be held accountable.

Potentially liable parties include:

The at-fault driver: Any motorist whose negligence, texting, speeding, or running a red light, directly caused your crash.
The driver’s employer: If the driver was on the job when the crash occurred, the company may share liability under a legal doctrine called respondeat superior.
New York City or NYSDOT: A pothole, broken sewer grate, or deteriorated road surface can make a government entity responsible for your injuries.
A product manufacturer: A defective bike component or faulty helmet that contributed to your harm may support a separate product liability claim.

New York follows comparative negligence, which means even if you share some fault for the crash, you can still recover compensation, with your award simply reduced by your percentage of fault.

One pattern our New York City personal injury attorneys consistently see in bicycle liability claims across New York City is that fault is rarely limited to the driver alone.

When we pull NYPD Collision Investigation Squad reports on crashes near Flatbush Avenue or Queens Boulevard, we often find delivery vehicles or commercial fleets involved that never made it onto the initial police report.

Adjusters routinely try to close the file around the named driver alone, and claims filed in Kings County Supreme Court or Bronx County Supreme Court tend to settle for meaningfully more once an employer or a second responsible party is identified.

Common Causes of NYC Bicycle Crashes

City streets force cyclists and motor vehicles to compete for the same narrow space. The crashes we handle most often involve:

Dooring: A driver or passenger swings a car door into the path of an oncoming cyclist.
Right-hook and left-cross turns: A motorist turns across a bike lane without checking for cyclists already moving through it.
Blocked bike lanes: Delivery trucks and double-parked vehicles force cyclists directly into traffic.
Distracted driving: Texting and GPS use are among the leading causes of preventable collisions.
Failure to yield: Drivers who ignore red lights or stop signs at intersections cause some of the most catastrophic crashes.
Road defects: Potholes, cracked pavement, and uneven sewer grates can send a cyclist to the ground with no vehicle involved at all.

Across the bicycle crash claims we handle throughout New York City, dooring and blocked bike lane incidents near corridors like Flatbush Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, and Queens Boulevard follow a familiar pattern.

Cyclists treated at Bellevue Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital, or Kings County Hospital frequently present with injuries that look minor on the initial discharge paperwork but worsen over the following weeks.

What we see repeatedly is that insurers seize on that gap between the emergency room visit and the follow-up diagnosis to argue the injury was not caused by the crash.

Building the medical record early, before that argument takes hold, is one of the first things we do on a case like this.

Injuries Bicycle Accident Victims Suffer

A bicycle provides no barrier between you and a multi-ton vehicle. The injuries our clients sustain are frequently severe and can require surgery, months of rehabilitation, or lifelong care.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Concussions and serious brain damage can occur even with a helmet, causing lasting cognitive and physical effects.
Spinal Cord and Disc Injuries: Damage to the spine can produce chronic pain, restricted movement, or paralysis.
Fractures: Broken collarbones, wrists, and lower-leg bones are among the most common outcomes when a cyclist is thrown from their bike.
Internal Injuries: Blunt-force trauma can damage organs and cause bleeding that is invisible from the outside.
Permanent Scarring: Deep road rash often requires skin grafts and leaves disfiguring scars.
Wrongful Death: When injuries are fatal, surviving family members can pursue a wrongful death claim.

The severity of your injuries directly determines the value of your claim. Our NYC bicycle accident lawyers document every medical record, specialist report, and lost-wage calculation to build a demand that reflects everything you have lost.

Can You Recover Compensation Beyond No-Fault?

No-Fault is New York’s system that pays your initial medical bills and lost wages through the driver’s insurance policy, regardless of who caused the crash. As a cyclist struck by a motor vehicle, you are covered under that driver’s No-Fault policy.

No-Fault does not cover pain and suffering. To sue the driver for those damages, your injuries must meet the serious injury threshold under New York Insurance Law § 5102(d). Qualifying injuries include:

A bone fracture
Significant or permanent limitation of a body organ or member
Permanent consequential limitation of use
An injury that prevents you from performing most daily activities for 90 of the first 180 days after the crash.

We review your medical records immediately to confirm your eligibility and explain every legal option available to you.

In our experience handling No-Fault claims for cyclists struck by motor vehicles across New York City, insurers frequently dispute whether an injury meets the serious injury threshold under Insurance Law Section 5102(d) even when the medical evidence is strong.

Clients treated at NYU Langone or Jacobi Medical Center often need follow-up imaging that surfaces weeks after the initial visit, and carriers use that lag to argue the injury does not qualify as permanent or significant.

A tactic we see repeatedly from adjusters handling these claims is offering a quick No-Fault medical payout while pushing back hard on the separate pain and suffering claim.

What Damages Can You Recover?

We pursue two categories of compensation, special damages for your financial losses and general damages for the non-economic impact on your life.

Special Damages (Economic)	General Damages (Non-Economic)
Medical bills, past and future	Pain and suffering
Lost wages and reduced earning capacity	Mental anguish
Rehabilitation and home care costs	Loss of enjoyment of life
Bicycle, helmet, and gear replacement	Permanent disfigurement

Every demand we make is benchmarked against comparable verdicts and settlements in New York courts. Insurance companies know we take cases to trial, and that reality changes what they put on the table.

How Long Do You Have to File a Claim?

These deadlines, called the statute of limitations, are absolute. Miss one and the court can permanently bar you from any recovery.

Claim Type	Deadline
Personal injury lawsuit against a private party	3 years
Wrongful death lawsuit	2 years
Notice of Claim against NYC or a municipality	90 days
Lawsuit against NYC after Notice of Claim	1 year and 90 days
No-Fault application (NF-2)	30 days

If a city vehicle or road defect caused your crash, the deadlines are shorter and the procedural rules are far stricter. Do not delay.

Can You Sue NYC for a Road Defect or City Vehicle?

Yes, but different rules apply. Any lawsuit against New York City or another government entity requires a Notice of Claim to be filed within 90 days of the accident before a lawsuit can proceed.

For road-defect cases, you must also show the city had prior written notice of the specific hazard before your crash. City repair crews often fix defects quickly after an accident, destroying the evidence you need. We act immediately to document the site and dig through city maintenance records before that window closes.

What to Do After a Bicycle Accident in NYC

Your actions in the first hours after a crash shape your entire case. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with us, since adjusters are trained to gather information that limits your payout.

Step 1, Call 911 and Get Medical Help
Report the crash and secure an official police report number. Accept an EMS evaluation even if you feel fine, because serious injuries often produce no immediate symptoms.

Step 2, Document the Scene
Photograph the vehicle, its plate, your bicycle, visible injuries, and the road conditions where the crash occurred. Collect names and contact information from any witnesses. Note the location of any security cameras on nearby buildings, storefronts, or traffic signals.

Step 3, Contact Grigor Law Before Talking to Insurers
We take over all communication with the insurance company from day one. We also file your No-Fault application, Form NF-2, within the mandatory 30-day window so your medical bills are covered while we investigate.

Why Choose Grigor Law for Your NYC Bike Crash?

Trial-ready on every case: Insurers know we go to court when they refuse to pay what a case is worth.
Contingency fee: You pay no attorney fee unless we win, no upfront cost, ever.
We come to you: If injuries prevent travel, an attorney meets you at home or at the hospital.
Full geographic coverage: Three offices in Ridgewood, the Bronx, and Hempstead serve cyclists across all five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester County.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Pays My Medical Bills After a Bicycle Accident in NYC?

The No-Fault insurance carrier of the vehicle that struck you is responsible for your initial medical bills and lost wages. We file the required NF-2 application on your behalf to make sure that deadline is met.

Can I File a Claim if an Unidentified Driver Hit Me?

Yes. New York’s Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC) is a state fund that compensates hit-and-run victims when the responsible driver cannot be identified. Strict filing deadlines apply, so contact us immediately.

Does Not Wearing a Helmet Affect My Bicycle Accident Claim?

Adult cyclists are not legally required to wear a helmet in New York, and not wearing one does not bar your claim. The defense may argue it worsened a head injury, but it does not eliminate your right to compensation.

Who Is Liable When a Car Door Causes a Bicycle Crash?

The person who opened the door is typically the liable party. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1214 prohibits opening a vehicle door into moving traffic unless it is safe to do so.

Do E-Bike and Citi Bike Riders Have the Same Rights as Cyclists?

Yes, e-bike and Citi Bike riders have the same legal protections as traditional cyclists and can bring claims against any negligent driver who injures them on a New York City street.

Can You Recover the Cost of a Damaged Bicycle and Gear?

Your bicycle, helmet, and other personal property damaged in the crash are recoverable through a property damage claim against the at-fault driver’s liability insurance.

Do You Charge Upfront Fees, and Will You Come to Me?

We work on a contingency-fee basis, no upfront costs and no attorney fee unless we win your case. If your injuries make travel impossible, we send an attorney to you. Contact our law firm today to get started.

New York City Bicycle Accident Attorney