Georgia bicycle accident lawyer.

Legally reviewed by Zachary Taft, Georgia trial attorney · Updated August 2026

A bicycle is one of the most vulnerable ways to travel on a Georgia road. When a two-ton vehicle hits a person on a bike, there is no crumple zone, no airbag, no steel cage — just the rider. What might be a fender bender between two cars can leave a cyclist with broken bones, a traumatic brain injury, or worse. And the aftermath is often just as brutal: the pain, the surgeries, the time off work, and the sinking feeling that the driver's insurance company is treating you like the problem.

If a driver's carelessness put you in the hospital, you deserve a lawyer who takes your case as seriously as you do. At Taft Trial Law, we investigate bicycle crashes, hold negligent drivers accountable, and pursue the full compensation you are owed under Georgia law. We prepare every case for trial — and you owe us no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.

The bias against riders

Cyclists face a bias — and we push back on it.

Here is something injured riders learn quickly: after a crash, people rush to blame the cyclist. Insurance adjusters, and sometimes even witnesses and police, assume the person on the bike must have done something wrong — swerved, ran a light, "came out of nowhere." It is the same unfair blame-shifting that injured pedestrians face, and it costs vulnerable road users real money if no one fights it.

We do not accept those assumptions. We gather the evidence that tells the true story — traffic-camera and doorbell footage, the driver's phone records, skid marks and vehicle damage, witness statements, and the physical layout of the road. When an insurer tries to shift the blame onto you, we are ready with facts, not excuses.

Why crashes happen

How Georgia bicycle crashes happen.

Most bicycle collisions are not "accidents" in the sense of being nobody's fault. They happen because a driver failed to do something the law requires — most often, failing to look for and respect a cyclist who had every right to be there. The patterns that appear again and again include:

• Drivers who simply do not look for cyclists — motorists scan for other cars and miss the smaller profile of a bike, pulling out of driveways and parking lots, or rolling through stop signs, directly into a rider's path.
• Unsafe passing — a driver squeezes past too close and too fast, clipping the rider or forcing them off the road.
• "Dooring" — someone parked at the curb flings a door open without checking, and a passing cyclist slams into it with no time to react.
• Right-hook and left-cross turns — a driver turns right across a cyclist traveling straight, or turns left through an oncoming rider they never saw — two of the most common and dangerous intersection crashes.
• Distracted driving — texting, scrolling, or reaching for something takes a driver's eyes off the road for the exact seconds a cyclist needed them.
• Impaired and aggressive drivers — DUI, speeding, and road-rage behavior turn a shared road into a deadly one.

Know the law

Georgia bicycle laws that matter after a crash.

A handful of Georgia traffic laws come up in almost every bicycle case, because they define what the driver owed you — and because insurers often misread them to shift blame onto the rider. These are the ones that matter most:

The injuries

The injuries cyclists suffer are often severe.

Because a rider absorbs the force of a crash with almost no protection, bicycle injuries tend to be serious and long-lasting. In the cases we handle, we frequently see:

• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions — even when a helmet was worn.
• Spinal cord injuries — herniated discs and back and neck trauma.
• Broken bones — collarbones, wrists, arms, hips, and legs.
• Road rash and deep lacerations — requiring stitches or skin grafts.
• Facial and dental injuries — often needing reconstructive care.
• Internal organ damage and internal bleeding — life-threatening if not caught quickly.
• Permanent scarring, disfigurement, or disability — losses that last a lifetime.

These injuries often mean emergency surgery, months of physical therapy, and time away from work and the activities you love. The most severe crashes cause catastrophic injuries that change a rider's life permanently — and the compensation you pursue should reflect not just today's bills, but everything the injury will cost you going forward.

Protect your claim

What to do after a bicycle crash.

If you are reading this soon after a collision, here are the steps that best protect your health and your claim — and if the crash already happened and you missed some of them, don't panic. Call us and we'll work with what you have.

1. 1 · Get medical care right away

   Some serious injuries — including brain injuries and internal bleeding — do not show obvious symptoms at first. A prompt exam protects both your health and the record of your injuries.

2. 2 · Call the police and get a report

   An official report documents the crash and the driver's information, and helps counter the "blame the cyclist" narrative later.

3. 3 · Document everything you can

   Photograph the scene, your bike, your injuries, the vehicle, the road, and any traffic signals. Get names and numbers for every witness.

4. 4 · Don't repair or throw away your bike or gear

   Your damaged equipment and helmet are evidence. Keep them exactly as they are until your case is resolved.

5. 5 · Be careful what you say — and sign

   Do not admit fault, and do not give a recorded statement to the driver's insurer or accept a quick settlement before talking to a lawyer.

6. 6 · Call Taft Trial Law

   The sooner we start, the more evidence we can preserve — before footage is erased and memories fade. The consultation is free.

The coverage fight

Who pays — and the role of UM coverage.

Georgia is an at-fault ("tort") state, which means the driver who caused the crash — and that driver's liability insurance — is generally responsible for your losses. But bicycle cases carry a hard reality: the at-fault driver may carry only the minimum required coverage, or may have fled the scene, or may have no insurance at all.

This is where your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage can become critical. Many riders do not realize that the UM coverage on their own auto policy can apply when they are hit while cycling — even though they were not in a car. If the driver who hurt you was uninsured, underinsured, or a hit-and-run, we look at every available source of recovery so you are not left holding the bill for someone else's mistake.

What you can recover

Compensation you may be able to recover.

No honest lawyer can promise you a number before reviewing your case — and you should be cautious of anyone who does. What we can tell you is the kinds of damages Georgia law lets injured cyclists pursue:

• Economic damages — emergency care, hospital and surgical bills, future medical treatment and rehabilitation, lost wages, lost future earning capacity, damage to your bicycle and gear, and out-of-pocket costs.
• Non-economic damages — physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment of life when an injury keeps you from the activities that matter to you.
• Punitive damages — in cases of especially egregious conduct — like a DUI or a hit-and-run — Georgia law may allow additional damages meant to punish and deter (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1).

Case value

How much is my bicycle accident case worth?

The value of any case depends on the severity of the injuries, the strength of the evidence, the impact on your life, and the available insurance coverage. We build your case to capture the full picture — not the lowball figure an adjuster hopes you will accept.

What we offer is a straight assessment: after we review the details, we'll tell you what your case may be worth and why.

Shared fault

Georgia's comparative negligence rule.

Blamed partly for the crash? You may still recover. Under Georgia's modified comparative negligence rule (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33), you can still recover damages as long as you were less than 50% at fault — your recovery is simply reduced by your share of fault. This matters enormously for cyclists, because insurers love to assign blame to the rider. This is general information, not legal advice; how fault is apportioned depends on your specific facts, so let us review them.

The clock is running

Georgia's filing deadlines.

Deadlines are real, and they can be short. In Georgia, most personal injury claims must generally be filed within two years of the injury (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33) — and some claims have much shorter deadlines. Evidence like camera footage and vehicle data can disappear far sooner.

This is general information, not legal advice — deadlines and rules vary by case; contact us right away to confirm what applies to you.

What we do

How Taft Trial Law helps injured cyclists.

When you hire us, you get a team that treats your recovery as the priority and handles the fight so you do not have to. You can walk through each stage on our step-by-step process page — here is what it looks like in a bicycle case: