A Georgia bicycle accident lawyer can help if you were injured when a driver, business, or another party caused your crash. An attorney can investigate what happened, preserve important evidence, identify available insurance coverage, deal with the insurance companies, and pursue compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses.
If your injuries are serious, fault is disputed, or an insurance company is trying to blame you, you should have the claim reviewed before giving a recorded statement or accepting a settlement. Brodie Law Group offers free case reviews, and you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you.
After a bicycle crash, the injuries are often only the beginning. You may be dealing with medical treatment, time away from work, damage to your bicycle, and an insurance company already looking for reasons to pay less. The driver may claim they never saw you or accuse you of being somewhere you should not have been. That does not mean their version of the crash is correct.
Brodie Law Group represents injured cyclists across Georgia. Our Georgia personal injury lawyers investigate what happened, determine which laws and insurance policies apply, and handle the claim while you focus on your recovery. If you or someone you love was injured while riding a bicycle, contact us to learn what options may be available.
Call our team at (478) 239-2780 today for a free consultation with a Georgia bicycle accident lawyer to discuss your options.
A cyclist has no seat belt, air bag, or vehicle around them to absorb an impact. Even a low speed crash can cause a head injury, broken bones, or other lasting harm.
Bicycle cases also tend to involve disputes about visibility and right of way. A driver may claim the cyclist appeared suddenly or was riding in the wrong place. The cyclist may have a very different account but they don’t have a passenger or dashboard camera to support it.
That makes physical and digital evidence especially important. The location of damage to the vehicle and bicycle, marks on the road, nearby video, witness accounts, and the driver’s phone records can help show what occurred.
Most bicycle accident claims focus on the actions of the driver involved. A driver may be responsible for failing to yield, passing too closely, driving while distracted, speeding, or turning across a cyclist’s path.
The insurance company may try to shift some or all of the blame to the cyclist. It may claim the cyclist was difficult to see, ignored a traffic signal, or was riding in the wrong part of the road. Those arguments should be evaluated against the physical evidence, witness accounts, any available video, and Georgia traffic laws.
Under Georgia’s modified comparative fault rule, an injured cyclist’s compensation may be reduced based on the cyclist’s percentage of fault. A cyclist who is found 50 percent or more at fault generally cannot recover damages. See O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33.
Georgia traffic laws generally give people riding bicycles the same rights and duties that apply to motor vehicles. Cyclists must follow traffic signals, signs, and right-of-way rules when those laws apply to bicycles. Georgia law also allows cyclists to use a paved shoulder but does not require them to do so. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-291.
These rules matter when a driver or insurance company claims the cyclist should not have been on the road or should have been riding somewhere else.
Georgia law requires a driver approaching a bicycle to use due caution. When road and traffic conditions allow, the driver should move into a lane that is not next to the bicycle.
If changing lanes is impossible, illegal, or unsafe, the driver must slow to a reasonable speed and leave at least three feet between the vehicle and the bicycle while passing. The required speed must be at least 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit or 25 miles per hour, whichever is greater. See O.C.G.A. § 40-6-56.
A driver doesn’t have to strike the bicycle to cause a crash. A close pass may force a cyclist off the road or cause the rider to lose control.
No. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-294 generally directs cyclists to ride as near to the right side of the road as practicable. The word “practicable” matters. A cyclist may move away from the right side to avoid debris or rough pavement, prepare for a left turn, pass a stopped vehicle, or travel through a lane that is too narrow to share safely with a car.
Road position must be judged based on the conditions the cyclist faced at the time. Riding away from the far-right edge does not automatically mean the cyclist caused the crash.
Georgia law requires bicycle riders and passengers under age 16 to wear helmets in public bicycle areas. State law does not impose the same general requirement on riders age 16 or older.
The law also states that a violation of its helmet requirements is not negligence by itself and cannot be used as evidence of negligence or liability. See O.C.G.A. § 40-6-296.
Evidence from a bicycle crash can disappear quickly. A vehicle may be repaired, nearby video may be erased, and the road may look different within days.
Evidence that may help establish what happened includes:
Do not repair or throw away the bicycle, helmet, or damaged gear before it has been photographed and evaluated. An attorney may also be able to request video and send notices requiring certain evidence to be preserved.
A cyclist can suffer several injuries in the same crash. Common injuries include:
Some injuries may not be obvious immediately following the accident. Getting medical care promptly protects your health and creates a record of the symptoms and treatment that followed the crash. A rider who suffers permanent or life-changing harm may also have a catastrophic injury claim.
The driver’s liability insurance is often the first source of coverage when a driver caused the crash. That coverage may pay for the cyclist’s injuries and other losses up to the policy limits.
The cyclist’s own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may also apply. This coverage can become important when the driver has no insurance, does not have enough coverage, or leaves the scene. A policy belonging to a resident family member may provide coverage in some cases. Coverage depends on the policy language, the people insured under it, and the facts of the collision. See O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11.
Health insurance should be used for medical treatment when it is available. The health insurer may seek repayment from a later recovery, depending on the plan and the law. Brodie Law Group can review the available policies and address valid reimbursement claims as part of resolving the case.
Do not assume there is no coverage because you were riding a bicycle or because the driver was uninsured. Each potentially applicable policy should be reviewed before a claim is resolved.
The value of a bicycle accident claim depends on the injuries, medical treatment, time away from work, available insurance, and evidence of fault. There is no reliable average settlement calculator that can tell you exactly what a particular case may be worth.
Depending on the facts, compensation may include:
When a bicycle collision causes a death, certain family members and the rider’s estate may have separate claims. Our Georgia wrongful death lawyers can explain who may bring those claims and what losses may be included.
If you are able, take these steps after the crash:
Georgia law generally gives an injured person two years from the date of the incident to file a personal injury lawsuit. O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. Missing the applicable deadline can prevent an injured person from recovering compensation through the courts.
However, the deadline can change based on the facts of the case and the parties involved. Some claims also require notice well before the two-year period ends. It is safer to have the deadline reviewed early instead of assuming that two years applies every case.
Waiting can also weaken a claim before the filing deadline arrives. Video may be erased, the bicycle or vehicle may be repaired, and witnesses may become harder to find.
You should not have to manage an insurance claim while you are trying to recover from an accident. When Brodie Law Group takes your case, we handle the calls, paperwork, investigation, and deadlines.
Our team can:
We explain what is happening, keep you updated, and help you make informed decisions as the case moves forward.
Not wearing a helmet does not decide who caused the crash. Georgia requires riders and passengers under age 16 to wear qualifying headgear, but the statute says a violation of that requirement cannot be used as evidence of negligence or liability. See O.C.G.A. § 40-6-296.
Yes. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage from your auto policy or an applicable household policy may cover injuries caused by an uninsured, underinsured, or hit-and-run driver. The answer depends on the policy and the facts of the crash.
Use your health insurance for accident-related treatment if it is available. A liability claim does not pay medical bills as they arrive. Your health plan may later seek repayment from a settlement, depending on the plan and applicable law.
Call 911, get medical care, and preserve any information that may help identify the vehicle. Look for witnesses, nearby cameras, paint transfer, and pieces of the vehicle left at the scene. Notify any insurer that may provide uninsured motorist coverage because policy notice requirements can apply.
Injury consultations are always free. Brodie Law Group handles personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis. You do not pay any upfront attorney’s fee, and we receive attorney’s fees only if we recover money for you.
Brodie Law Group is based in Macon and represents injured cyclists throughout Georgia. If your crash happened in Macon or Bibb County, learn more about working with our Macon bicycle accident lawyer.
If you or someone you love was injured while riding a bicycle, call (478) 239-2780 or complete our online form below. We will review what happened, answer your questions, and explain your options going forward.
