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Bicycle Accident Lawyer
If you were hurt riding a bicycle in New York — struck by a car, doored by a parked vehicle, cut off by a truck or taxi, or injured on an e-bike or conventional bike — get medical care first. Then preserve what you can: photographs of the bicycle, the other vehicle, the roadway, and your injuries; the plate and insurer if given to you; witness names; and the police report number if officers came. Call The Frankel Law Firm. There is no fee to speak with us or for us to evaluate a potential case.
Bicycle accidents in New York
Cyclists share New York City avenues, bridges, bike lanes, and neighborhood streets with cars, taxis, buses, trucks, and pedestrians. When a driver turns across a rider’s path, opens a door into a lane, drifts into a bike lane, or fails to yield, a bicycle offers little protection. Riders can suffer fractures, head and neck trauma, road rash, spinal injury, and lasting impairment. Pedestrians and people in other vehicles can also be hurt when a bicycle or e-bike is involved.
Fact patterns vary. A commuter may be doored beside parked cars. A delivery rider on an e-bike may be cut off by a box truck. A weekend rider may be struck from behind in traffic. Protected lanes, shared streets, construction zones, and night riding all appear in real cases. Visibility, right of way, and the other driver’s attention are factual questions — not slogans.
This page focuses on bicycle and e-bike crashes in New York — for riders and for people hurt in a bicycle incident. For a practical what-to-do guide, see NYC bicycle accident guide. For a car crash without a bicycle, see car accidents. For a motorcycle crash, see motorcycle accidents. Broader questions live under personal injury and other injury. Call The Frankel Law Firm to talk through what happened.
Bike-versus-car, dooring, and e-bike themes
Many New York bicycle matters involve a motor vehicle: a left turn across a rider’s path, a right hook, a sideswipe, a rear-end impact, or a failure to yield from a driveway or parking space. Those facts often raise insurance and evidence questions that look different from a fall without another vehicle. Say clearly, when you call, whether a car, taxi, bus, truck, or van was involved — and whether you were on a conventional bicycle or an e-bike.
Dooring — a vehicle door opened into a cyclist’s path — is a recurring New York pattern. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1214 addresses opening the door of a motor vehicle on the side available to moving traffic until it is reasonably safe, and leaving that door open longer than needed to load or unload. Whether that section applies depends on the facts: which side of the vehicle, whether traffic was moving, how long the door stayed open, and what the evidence shows. It is not accurate to say that every dooring crash makes a driver automatically liable, or that liability is always absolute. Ask The Frankel Law Firm about your facts before assuming who may be responsible.
E-bikes appear often on New York streets for commuting and delivery. Speed, class of e-bike, helmet rules, and how the rider was using the bike can be raised as factual issues. It is not accurate to say that every e-bike rider can never recover, or that every e-bike rider always recovers. Describe the bike and how you were riding when you call. That distinction helps the firm ask the right first questions. It does not decide the outcome of any claim.
Insurance, no-fault, and third-party themes — qualified
When a motor vehicle is involved in a New York bicycle crash, cases often involve questions about no-fault (Personal Injury Protection) benefits and, separately, a liability claim against another driver or other third party. No-fault can cover certain medical expenses and lost wages under policy rules when coverage applies. A liability claim is a different track: it may turn on fault, serious-injury thresholds under Insurance Law § 5102(d) and related law, available policy limits, and the evidence. Whether both tracks are available and which insurers to notify are fact-dependent.
Third-party themes can include another private driver, a taxi or car-service operator, a commercial vehicle, an employer if the other driver was on the job, a vehicle owner who lent the car, or, in some fact patterns, a public corporation. Construction vehicles on or near a job site can raise separate questions. Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1), and 241(6) are not the default for an ordinary bicycle crash with a private car. Those statutes may matter only when the facts are construction-related — for example, a construction vehicle or site operation. For that overview, see construction accidents. Do not assume Scaffold Law applies to a typical bicycle accident.
Insurers may ask for a recorded statement early. You are not required to give one before you have spoken with counsel. Do not guess at facts you do not know. Call The Frankel Law Firm before you assume which coverage applies, which notices are due, or whether a serious-injury analysis is in play.
Evidence to preserve after a bicycle crash
Evidence fades. Bicycles are repaired or discarded, scenes are cleared, and cameras are overwritten. When it is safe to do so, these steps often help:
- Get medical care and keep every discharge paper, imaging report, and follow-up note.
- Photograph the bicycle (including damage and any e-bike markings), the other vehicle and plate if any, the roadway, traffic controls, bike-lane markings, skid marks if visible, weather or lighting, and your injuries — date-stamp if you can.
- Write down the other driver’s name, license, plate, and insurer if given to you, and the names and phone numbers of witnesses.
- If police came, keep the report number and ask how to obtain a copy of the accident report.
- Keep the bicycle rather than discarding or repairing it until you have spoken with counsel — store it safely.
- If you have GPS, a bike-computer file, helmet-camera video, or phone footage from the ride, keep that too.
- If you were on a rental or shared bicycle, keep the rental or app record.
- Save texts, emails, and any early messages from insurers; do not give a recorded statement before you have spoken with a lawyer.
This checklist is not legal advice and is not a substitute for an evaluation of your facts. Safety comes first — do not stand in traffic or return to an unsafe roadway solely to take photographs.
Time limits — ask before you assume
CPLR § 214 sets a three-year period for many personal-injury actions. Exceptions and other statutes can change the analysis. No-fault benefits have their own notice and filing windows under the Insurance Law and policy terms; those can be shorter than a lawsuit deadline. When a public corporation is involved — for example a city vehicle or certain public roadway claims — General Municipal Law § 50-e generally requires a Notice of Claim within ninety days after the claim arises. Late-notice relief under § 50-e(5) is discretionary, not automatic.
Always ask The Frankel Law Firm. Do not compute a deadline from this page, and do not assume that a private three-year period, a no-fault window, or a ninety-day public notice period applies to your matter.
Talk through what happened
If a bicycle or e-bike crash in New York left you hurt, call The Frankel Law Firm. There is no fee to speak with us or for us to evaluate a potential case.
Free evaluation of a New York bicycle crash
Describe the crash, who was hurt, and which vehicles were involved. Calling is enough — you need not fill out a form first. Call The Frankel Law Firm at (212) 888-5100.
Questions about bicycle accidents in New York
What kinds of bicycle accidents does this page cover?
This page focuses on New York bicycle and e-bike crashes — including bike-versus-car collisions, dooring, intersection failures, and related injuries. Call The Frankel Law Firm for a free evaluation of your situation.
Is the other driver always liable after a bicycle crash?
No. Responsibility may turn on how the crash happened, right of way, evidence from the scene and vehicles, and applicable insurance rules. It is not accurate to say that every crash makes another driver automatically liable or that liability is always absolute. Ask The Frankel Law Firm before assuming who may be in the case.
What if I was doored by a parked car?
Dooring is a common New York bicycle fact pattern. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1214 addresses opening a vehicle door into moving traffic under certain conditions. Whether that section applies depends on the facts. Preserve photographs of the door, the bicycle, and the scene when it is safe. Call The Frankel Law Firm; this page is general information, not legal advice.
How do no-fault benefits and a serious-injury analysis fit a bicycle crash?
When a motor vehicle is involved, no-fault (PIP) can cover certain medical expenses and lost wages under policy rules when coverage applies. A liability claim may involve Insurance Law § 5102(d) serious-injury questions. Whether those tracks apply turns on the facts. Always ask The Frankel Law Firm; do not assume coverage or thresholds from this page.
What evidence helps after a bicycle crash?
Photographs of the bicycle, other vehicle, scene, and injuries; plate and insurer information; witness names; the police report number; medical records; GPS or camera files; and the preserved bicycle can all matter. Preserve what you can when it is safe. Do not give a recorded statement before you have spoken with counsel. Call The Frankel Law Firm.
Does Labor Law § 240 apply to ordinary bicycle crashes?
No — not as a default. Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1), and 241(6) may matter only when the facts are construction-related, such as a construction vehicle or site operation. Ordinary bike-versus-car crashes are not Scaffold Law cases by label. See construction accidents. Ask The Frankel Law Firm before assuming which theory — if any — fits.
How soon should I call if a city or public vehicle is involved?
When a public corporation is involved, General Municipal Law § 50-e generally requires a Notice of Claim within ninety days after the claim arises. That period can be short. Always ask The Frankel Law Firm promptly; do not compute a deadline from this page, and do not assume the ninety-day period — or a private three-year period — applies to your matter.
What does it cost to call The Frankel Law Firm?
There is no fee to speak with The Frankel Law Firm or to evaluate a potential bicycle accident case. If the firm takes a matter, fee terms are explained in writing before anything is signed. Ask on the first call.
More information
Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This page is general information about New York bicycle accidents. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Whether no-fault benefits, a liability claim, a serious-injury analysis, Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1214, Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1), or 241(6) in construction-vehicle facts, or a Notice of Claim applies depends on the facts. It is not accurate to say that every crash makes another driver automatically liable, that liability is always absolute, or that Labor Law § 240 applies to ordinary bicycle accidents. A telephone call or online inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship. The firm represents a client only if it agrees to do so.