Michigan bicycle accident claims can involve both the state’s no-fault insurance system and a separate claim against the driver who caused the collision. Determining which insurer should pay benefits can be especially complicated when the injured cyclist does not have an auto insurance policy of their own.
Our Lansing bicycle accident lawyers investigate how the collision occurred, deal with the insurance companies, and build a claim that reflects the full effect of the injuries on your health, work, finances, and daily life.
Why Choose Ben Hall Law for Your Bicycle Accident Claim?
A bicycle accident case often depends on understanding what happened in the seconds before the collision. Ben Hall’s experience as a Michigan police officer and former prosecutor gives our firm valuable insight into how crashes are investigated and how the resulting evidence should be evaluated.
When you work with Ben Hall Law:
- We examine the police report with an understanding of how crash reports are prepared and where important details may be missing.
- We look beyond the driver’s account by seeking witnesses, camera footage, vehicle data, photographs, and physical evidence from the scene.
- We understand that cyclists are sometimes unfairly blamed simply because they were riding in the roadway.
- We identify the applicable no-fault coverage and any potential claim against the driver or another responsible party.
- We prepare every case carefully for negotiation or litigation rather than relying on an insurer’s initial version of events.
- We keep you informed and explain your options in clear, practical language.
Insurance companies begin evaluating claims quickly. Getting legal help early can make it easier to preserve evidence and prevent an incomplete or inaccurate account of the collision from controlling the case.
How a Bicycle Accident Can Affect Your Life
Cyclists do not have seat belts, airbags, or a vehicle body to absorb the force of a collision. A person may be struck directly by a vehicle, thrown onto the pavement, or pushed into traffic or another fixed object.
Common bicycle accident injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
- Facial injuries and dental damage
- Spinal cord, neck, and back injuries
- Broken arms, wrists, legs, hips, and ribs
- Shoulder and knee injuries
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Severe cuts, abrasions, and road rash
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Emotional trauma, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress
These injuries can affect much more than your ability to ride a bicycle. You may be unable to work, care for your family, drive, exercise, or complete ordinary daily activities. Some cyclists require surgery, rehabilitation, mobility assistance, or continuing medical care long after the collision.
A properly documented injury claim should account for these broader consequences—not merely the bills that have already arrived.
Do I Have a Bicycle Accident Case?
You may have a bicycle accident claim if a driver, business, government entity, or another party acted negligently and caused or contributed to your injuries.
Examples include:
- A driver failing to yield while turning through an intersection
- A motorist opening a vehicle door into a cyclist’s path
- Distracted driving, including texting or using a phone
- A driver passing a bicycle without sufficient space
- Speeding or driving too fast for road conditions
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Backing out of a driveway or parking space without looking
- Driving while impaired or fatigued
- A commercial driver making an unsafe turn or maneuver
- A dangerous vehicle defect contributing to the collision
Michigan law generally gives bicyclists using the roadway the rights and responsibilities applicable to vehicle drivers, subject to bicycle-specific rules. A cyclist’s presence on the road does not, by itself, make the cyclist responsible for a collision.
Even if you believe you may have made a mistake before the crash, do not assume that you have no case. Michigan’s comparative-fault rules require a careful evaluation of the conduct of everyone involved.
Michigan No-Fault Benefits After a Bicycle Accident
A cyclist injured in a collision involving a motor vehicle may qualify for Michigan no-fault Personal Injury Protection benefits. These benefits can be available even though the injured person was riding a bicycle rather than occupying a car.
Depending on the facts and available coverage, PIP benefits may help pay for:
- Reasonable and necessary accident-related medical treatment
- A portion of lost income
- Replacement services for household tasks the injured person cannot perform
- Attendant care when medically necessary
- Transportation to medical appointments
The insurer responsible for paying benefits is not always the driver’s insurer. Michigan law uses priority rules to determine where an injured cyclist’s PIP claim should be filed. Relevant policies may include the cyclist’s own auto insurance, coverage held by a spouse or resident relative, or insurance associated with the owner or operator of the vehicle involved. If no applicable policy is available, a claim through the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan may need to be considered.
Because the correct source and amount of coverage depend on the policies, household circumstances, and facts of the accident, this should be investigated promptly.
A Claim Against the At-Fault Driver
No-fault benefits and a negligence claim against the driver are separate matters.
When a cyclist suffers injuries meeting Michigan’s statutory threshold, the cyclist may be able to pursue a claim against an at-fault driver for damages that PIP benefits do not cover. Depending on the case, compensation may include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Excess medical expenses
- Legally recoverable lost income or diminished earning capacity
- Damage to the bicycle and other personal property
- Loss of companionship or consortium
- Wrongful-death damages when a cyclist is killed
The value of a claim depends on the nature of the injuries, the effect on the cyclist’s life, the evidence of fault, and the insurance coverage or other assets available.
Who May Be Liable for a Lansing Bicycle Accident?
The driver who struck the cyclist is often the primary responsible party, but an investigation may identify others whose conduct contributed to the collision.
Potentially liable parties can include:
- A negligent driver
- The driver’s employer, when the collision occurred during work
- The owner of the vehicle in circumstances where Michigan law permits an owner-liability claim
- A delivery, rideshare, trucking, or other commercial company
- A vehicle or bicycle manufacturer when a defective component contributed to the accident
- A repair business responsible for negligent maintenance
- A government entity in limited cases involving a government vehicle or legally actionable road defect
Claims against public agencies are governed by Michigan’s governmental-immunity laws and can involve special procedures and unusually short notice requirements. If a government vehicle or road condition may have contributed to the crash, the case should be reviewed immediately.
Evidence That Can Help Establish What Happened
Drivers sometimes claim they never saw the cyclist or that the bicycle appeared unexpectedly. Neither statement necessarily answers the legal question of who caused the collision.
Useful evidence may include:
- Police reports and diagrams
- Photographs and video from the scene
- Traffic, security, doorbell, or dashboard-camera footage
- Statements from witnesses
- Damage to the bicycle and vehicle
- Skid marks, debris, and roadway evidence
- Mobile phone records
- Vehicle event data
- The cyclist’s lights, reflectors, helmet, and clothing
- Medical records documenting the injuries
- Testimony from accident-reconstruction or medical professionals when needed
Some evidence can disappear quickly. Video may be overwritten, vehicles repaired, and witnesses become harder to locate. Early investigation can therefore make a meaningful difference.
What to Do After a Bicycle Accident
If you are able to do so safely:
- Call 911 and report the collision.
- Seek medical attention, even if you are unsure how seriously you have been hurt.
- Obtain the driver’s name, contact details, registration, and insurance information.
- Photograph the vehicle, bicycle, roadway, traffic controls, injuries, and surrounding area.
- Ask witnesses for their contact information.
- Preserve your damaged bicycle, helmet, clothing, and other equipment without repairing or discarding them.
- Avoid posting details about the accident or your recovery on social media.
- Speak with an attorney before giving a recorded statement to another party’s insurance company.
If your injuries prevented you from gathering evidence, that does not mean you have lost your opportunity to bring a claim. An attorney can obtain reports, contact witnesses, and seek other available evidence.
Mistakes That Can Hurt a Bicycle Accident Claim
Common problems include:
- Assuming you cannot receive no-fault benefits because you do not own a car
- Accepting the driver’s or insurer’s version of the collision without further investigation
- Repairing or disposing of the bicycle before it can be examined
- Delaying medically appropriate treatment
- Giving a recorded statement without understanding how it may be used
- Posting photographs or recovery updates publicly
- Accepting a settlement before the long-term effect of the injuries is known
- Waiting too long to identify the applicable filing and notice deadlines
Different portions of a bicycle accident case can be governed by different deadlines. Michigan’s no-fault rules include time restrictions affecting PIP claims, while negligence actions and claims involving government entities may have separate requirements. The safest approach is to determine the applicable deadlines as early as possible.
How Our Lansing Bicycle Accident Lawyers Can Help
Ben Hall Law can:
- Investigate the collision and preserve available evidence
- Examine the police report and challenge unsupported assumptions about fault
- Identify the insurer responsible for no-fault benefits
- Determine whether the driver, an employer, a vehicle owner, or another party may be liable
- Document your injuries, medical needs, lost income, and other losses
- Handle communications with insurance adjusters
- Evaluate settlement proposals
- Prepare the case for litigation when a fair resolution cannot be reached
We offer free consultations, and there are no upfront attorney fees. If we accept your personal injury case on a contingency-fee basis, attorney fees are tied to the recovery rather than billed hourly in advance.
FAQs about Lansing Bicycle Accident Claims
Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often from people involved in car accidents in the Lansing area.
Possibly. Michigan’s priority rules determine which insurer is responsible. Coverage held by a spouse or resident relative, insurance associated with the involved vehicle, or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan may become relevant.
A driver’s failure to notice a cyclist does not automatically excuse the collision. Drivers must maintain an appropriate lookout and operate with reasonable care. The complete circumstances and available evidence must be examined.
The absence of a helmet does not automatically prevent a claim. The effect it may have depends on the injuries, how the collision happened, and whether the insurer can establish that it is legally relevant to particular damages.
Michigan follows comparative-fault rules. Any fault assigned to you may affect the damages available, and being more than 50% at fault can prevent recovery of noneconomic damages. Fault should not be accepted without a careful investigation.
Report the hit-and-run immediately. No-fault benefits may still be available, and uninsured-motorist coverage may provide another potential source of recovery depending on the policy language.
The initial consultation is free. If the firm accepts your personal injury case on a contingency-fee basis, you do not pay an attorney fee unless compensation is recovered for you.
Talk to Our Lansing Bicycle Accident Lawyers
If you have been injured while cycling in Lansing or elsewhere in the surrounding area, you do not have to work through Michigan’s insurance system alone.
Ben Hall Law combines practical law-enforcement experience with careful legal preparation. We investigate what happened, explain your options, and pursue the compensation available under Michigan law while you focus on recovering.
Contact us today for a free and confidential consultation.
