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After suffering a cycling accident, you may be dealing with injuries, financial responsibilities, and emotional trauma. These issues can all leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to start with a case.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a bicycle accident in Michigan, you may have many questions on your mind, such as:

  • Do I need to hire an attorney after being involved in a bicycle accident in Michigan?
  • Who is the best legal team for my bicycle accident?
  • When should I call a lawyer if I have been injured?
  • How do I contact the insurance company after an accident?
  • Am I entitled to compensation after being injured in a bicycle accident?
  • Should I go to the doctor?
  • How do I get the driver’s information at the scene if I am injured?
  • Do I need to file a police report for a Michigan bicycle accident?
  • How much could my case be worth?
  • Can I file a wrongful death case if my loved one died in a bicycle accident?

As Michigan bicycle accident lawyers, we recognize that victims of accidents in Michigan have a lot of questions about their legal rights. Unfortunately, the nuanced legal processes involved with bicycle accident cases can often leave people with more questions than answers.

We try to answer many of your questions below to help guide you in your decision when seeking legal advice for your bicycle accident claim.

The Importance of Questions After a Bicycle Accident

Knowing which questions to ask can be a valuable resource for you when making important decisions about your legal case. We hope that reading our answers to these questions can provide you with some clarity.

Reading answers to the many questions you probably have after a bicycle accident in Michigan can also help reassure you of what you need to know before moving forward with a legal claim.

Along with reading reviews, seeing how a law firm answers these questions can also give you insight into the knowledge they have—and how they might handle your case.

This is crucial, because having a skilled and knowledgeable lawyer by your side is essential to receiving full and fair compensation.

Learn More With Our Michigan Bicycle Accident FAQs

Bicycle accidents can be more common than people may think. Many drivers of motorized vehicles ignore the rights of cyclists or are simply not paying attention, either of which can cause serious accidents. Unfortunately, such an accident can leave a person injured, struggling to deal with medical bills, and fighting with their insurance.

Above all, these accidents can leave a person in significant pain. Fortunately, victims of bicycle accidents do not have to go through this difficult process alone.

The attorneys at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. want to help accident victims navigate their case with ease while they work to heal and return to normal life.

Of course, you probably have a question or concern unique to your own individual case that needs the attention of an experienced Michigan bicycle accident attorney. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a bicycle accident, call us for a free, no-obligation case review to tell us your story.

Yes. You can receive Michigan no-fault insurance benefits after a bicycle accident if there was a motor vehicle involved in the accident. These benefits include payment of medical expenses, lost wages, transportation expenses, attendant care services, and household services.

The key to obtaining your insurance benefits after a bicycle accident in Michigan is determining which no-fault insurance company is responsible for paying your benefits. In Michigan, there is an Order of Priority for determining which insurer must pay benefits. First, if you own an insured vehicle then your own car insurance company will pay those benefits. If you do not have an insured vehicle, then the next source of insurance coverage would be a relative living in the same household as you with auto insurance. If neither of those apply, then the auto insurance company for the motor vehicle that struck you would be responsible for paying your benefits. If that vehicle was not insured, you would be able to make your claim with the Assigned Claims Facility.

Your Application for No-Fault Insurance Benefits must be filed with the proper insurance company within one year of the accident. There is also a deadline for submitting your expenses and for filing a lawsuit. Therefore, you should contact our office immediately so that we can determine which insurance company must pay your benefits after the bicycle accident and so we can assist you in making sure all claims are timely submitted.

The Michigan Vehicle Code does not require bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk in Michigan and we do not recommend it because of safety hazards to the bicyclist and other sidewalk users.

However, Section 257.660c of the MVC says:

(1) “An individual operating a bicycle upon a sidewalk or a pedestrian crosswalk shall yield the right-of-way to pedes­trians and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian.”

(2) “An individual shall not operate a bicycle upon a sidewalk or a pedestrian crosswalk if that operation is prohibited by an official traffic control device.”

(3) “An individual lawfully operating a bicycle upon a sidewalk or a pedestrian crosswalk has all of the rights and responsibilities applicable to a pedestrian using that sidewalk or crosswalk.”

No. In Michigan, the Michigan Vehicle Code no longer prohibits “passing between lanes of traffic,” but it also does not provide for cyclists passing on the right of other vehicles. The purpose of this law is to protect the safety of the bicyclist as well as Michigan drivers, preventing Michigan car-bicycle accidents.

Yes. Section 257.657 of the Michigan Vehicle Code states:

“Each person riding a bicycle in Michigan upon a roadway has all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this chapter, except as to special regulations in this article and except as to the provisions of this chapter which by their nature do not have application.”

If you or someone you know was hit by a car door while riding bike in Michigan, and suffer injuries, you do have legal rights. Under Michigan law, a bicyclist injured in a Michigan car accident is entitled to have all medical expenses paid under the no-fault insurance laws if the injuries arose from an accident with a motor vehicle.

In this type of case, the person who opened the door and the owner of the car can be held liable for the injuries to the bicyclist. It is well-known to all drivers and occupants of vehicles that it is necessary to first look around before opening a car door. The failure to do that is negligence when a bicyclist is injured by the opening of the car door. Many times, the auto insurance company will pay substantial settlements for a bicyclist struck by an open car door.