Ohio Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Ohio

Dooring

A driver or passenger opens a car door into the path of a cyclist riding alongside parked cars. The rider hits the door or swerves into traffic. Ohio law requires people to check before opening a door into traffic, and the person who opened it is usually responsible for the crash.

Right-hook and left-cross turns

Two of the most common car-versus-bike collisions. In a right hook, a driver passes a cyclist and immediately turns right across the rider’s path. In a left cross, an oncoming driver turns left in front of a cyclist going straight. In both, the driver either did not see the rider or misjudged the rider’s speed, and the driver is usually at fault.

Unsafe passing

Ohio requires drivers to leave at least three feet when passing a bicycle. Drivers who squeeze past in the same lane sideswipe riders, clip handlebars, or force them off the road. Even a pass that does not touch the rider can cause a crash when the rider is pushed into a curb or gravel.

Distracted and impaired drivers

A cyclist takes up a fraction of the visual space a car does, and a driver glancing at a phone does not see one. Ohio’s hands-free law makes holding a phone while driving a primary offense, and phone records are among the first things we request in distracted driving accidents. Impaired drivers cause some of the worst crashes we see.

Road hazards

Potholes, storm grates with slots that catch a wheel, unmarked construction, and debris that a car crosses without noticing can put a rider down without any other vehicle involved. When a road authority, contractor, or property owner created or ignored the hazard, they may be responsible.

Ohio Bicycle Laws in Plain Language

Under Ohio law, a bicycle is a vehicle, and a cyclist has the same rights and the same duties as a driver: the right to use the road, and the obligation to obey signals, signs, and the rules of the road. The rules that matter most in a claim:

• Safe passing. Drivers must leave at least three feet when passing a bicycle, and in some situations may cross the center line to do it.
• Riding position. Cyclists generally ride as far to the right as is practical, but “practical” accounts for hazards, parked cars, and narrow lanes, and a cyclist may take the lane when it is too narrow to share safely.
• Lights and reflectors at night. A white front light and a red rear light, plus a rear reflector, are required after dark. A rider without them will be blamed by the insurer, whether or not the lights would have made a difference.
• Signals and stops. Cyclists must stop at red lights and stop signs and signal turns, the same as drivers.

Knowing the Ohio bicycle traffic laws matters because an insurer will look for any rule the rider broke to shift blame.

Who Is Liable in a Bicycle vs. Car Accident

In most of the bike crashes we handle, the driver is liable, because the driver broke a rule of the road: an unsafe pass, a turn across the rider’s path, a failure to yield, a door opened into traffic. Fault is proven the same way as in any crash, with the police report, witnesses, video, and the physical evidence.

Ohio applies a comparative negligence rule. If the cyclist also did something wrong, such as riding without lights at night or rolling a stop sign, the rider’s recovery is reduced by their share of fault, and a rider found more at fault than the driver recovers nothing. Insurers use that rule to argue every rider was partly to blame, and the answer to who is liable in a bicycle vs. car accident often comes down to the physical evidence.

Common Bicycle Accident Injuries

Collisions between bikes and cars often cause catastrophic injuries for the cyclist, because the rider has little protection outside a helmet. Injuries we see after a rider is struck by a car, SUV, or truck include:

• Head and brain injuries, from concussions to severe traumatic brain injuries. A helmet reduces the risk but does not eliminate it, and symptoms can appear days later.
• Broken bones, especially collarbones, wrists, arms, hips, and legs, often from bracing against the fall or from being struck directly by the vehicle.
• Road rash, which strips away skin, invites infection, and can require grafts and leave permanent scars.
• Neck, back, and spinal cord injuries, including herniated discs and, in the worst crashes, paralysis.
• Facial injuries and dental damage from going over the handlebars or being thrown onto the pavement.
• Tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries to the knees and shoulders that can take months of therapy.

What to Do After a Bicycle Accident

1. Call 911. Get police and medical help to the scene, even for a crash that feels minor. The crash report documents the driver, the vehicle, and any citation.
2. Get medical care. Go to the emergency room or see a doctor the same day. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment becomes the insurer’s argument that you were not hurt.
3. Get the driver’s information and witnesses. Name, plate, insurance, and the contact information for anyone who saw the crash. If the driver left, note anything you remember about the vehicle.
4. Photograph everything and keep the bike. The scene, the vehicle, your injuries, and the bicycle and your helmet exactly as they are. Do not repair or replace them until your lawyer says so.
5. Do not give a statement to the driver’s insurer. Report the crash to your own insurer, but refer the other side to your lawyer.

Insurance Coverage for Injured Cyclists

Cyclists are often surprised by where the money comes from. The driver’s liability policy is the first source, and it covers your injuries when the driver was at fault. When the driver has no insurance or too little, or fled the scene, your own auto policy’s uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can apply even though you were on a bicycle, and so can a policy held by a family member you live with. In hit-and-run accidents, that coverage is often the only source. Your health insurance pays the medical bills in the meantime and is reimbursed from the recovery. Finding every policy that applies is one of the first things we do.

E-Bike and E-Scooter Accidents

Electric bikes and rental scooters are involved in a growing share of the crashes we see, and they raise questions of their own: whether the rider was covered by any insurance, whether the rental company’s terms limit its responsibility, and whether a defect in the bike or scooter caused the crash. Our page on electric scooter accidents covers how those claims work.

Why Work With a Lawyer After a Bicycle Accident

Bicycle claims are frustrating for riders because insurers are quick to blame the cyclist. The adjuster will ask whether you were wearing a helmet, whether you had lights, whether you were in the bike lane, and whether you stopped at the last sign, and will use any answer to cut the offer. Many riders also do not realize that their own auto policy may cover them, or that a rental scooter company’s terms can be challenged.

The Ohio personal injury attorneys at Kisling, Nestico & Redick deal with these insurers every day. We investigate the crash, preserve the video and the vehicle data before they are gone, find every policy that applies, document the injuries with your doctors, and negotiate from a position of being ready to file. A cyclist who was hurt through no fault of their own should not have to argue with an adjuster about it from a hospital bed.

Bicycle Accident Lawyers Across Ohio

KNR has offices throughout Ohio and a bicycle accident lawyer near you who knows the local roads and the local courts. Click below to reach an attorney in your area:

• Akron bicycle accident lawyers
• Beachwood
• Canton
• Cincinnati bicycle accident lawyers
• Cleveland bicycle accident lawyers
• Columbus bicycle accident lawyers
• Dayton bicycle accident lawyers
• Independence
• Toledo bicycle accident lawyers
• Westlake
• Youngstown

What Our Legal Team Offers

We have the knowledge and skill to read and understand accident reports, engage accident investigators and expert witnesses, and help you get the fair and correct amount of compensation for your injuries and property damage.

We will also help you get an appropriate medical examination to reveal the full extent of your injuries. Bike crashes can cause serious physical damage, and some injuries are not noticed immediately.

Ohio Bicycle Accident FAQs

Talk to an Ohio Bicycle Accident Lawyer Today

Keep the bike, keep the helmet, and call 1-800-HURT-NOW or contact us online for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win.