Long Island Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Experienced Long Island Bicycle Accident Attorneys Representing Riders in Nassau and Suffolk Counties

Cyclists all over Long Island share the road with cars, trucks, buses, and commercial vehicles every day. When drivers fail to pay attention or ignore traffic laws, bicycle crashes happen and result in serious and life-altering injuries. Unlike occupants of motor vehicles, cyclists have no protection to absorb the force of impact.

If you were injured while riding a bicycle on Long Island, whether commuting to work or cycling recreationally, you may be entitled to compensation under New York law. A bicycle accident claim allows a person struck by a motor vehicle to obtain compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Bicycle accident cases involve many liability issues that often differ from pedestrian or traditional car accident claims, including unsafe passing violations, dooring incidents, and roadway design concerns.  You can read about all the other types of claims our Long Island Personal Injury Practice handles, where the goal is to hold negligent parties accountable and secure compensation for the harm caused.

At Palermo Law, we understand that a serious bicycle crash can change your routine, your independence, and even your sense of safety on the road. Recovery may involve surgery, rehabilitation, time away from work, and difficult adjustments for you and your family. Our role is to bring structure and steady advocacy during a time that can feel uncertain. We prepare each case as if it will go to trial to protect your rights, and we never charge a fee unless we recover compensation for you.

Why Hire Palermo Law for a Bicycle Accident Case?

Bicycle accident claims require immediate investigation and information gathering. From the moment a case is opened, we assign a dedicated team to move it forward. Our firm represents injured cyclists throughout Nassau County and Suffolk County, helping riders pursue compensation after serious crashes caused by negligent drivers.

Every case is handled by:

• A highly trained legal assistant who manages documentation, medical records recovery, and insurance communications.
• An associate attorney focused exclusively on personal injury law, who oversees the day-to-day litigation issues.
• Steven Palermo, a trial attorney with more than twenty-five years of experience settling and trying multimillion-dollar cases, who is responsible for case direction and trial.

Our team structure allows us to move cases efficiently without sacrificing attention to detail.

Our core focus is simple: resolve claims for maximum compensation, with as little stress on our clients as possible, and as quickly as possible, without sacrificing value. Files do not sit waiting for insurance carriers to act. We push cases forward, apply pressure, demand timely responses, and prepare every matter as if it will proceed to trial.
We also emphasize communication. Clients are kept informed, calls are returned right away, and questions are answered clearly. You should never feel left in the dark about your case.

How Bicycle Accidents Happen on Long Island

Bicycle crashes on Long Island often occur when drivers fail to recognize that cyclists have the same right to use the roadway as motor vehicles. Many accidents happen during routine traffic movements that should be predictable and preventable.

• Common causes include:
• Drivers turning right across a cyclist’s path
• Drivers making left turns in front of oncoming cyclists
• Unsafe passing
• Dooring incidents
• Distracted driving
• Speeding in mixed-use commercial corridors
• Poorly marked or obstructed bike lanes

If You Were Not in a Bike Lane

Many bicyclists worry that riding outside a marked bike lane prevents them from recovering compensation. In New York, that is not the case. Cyclists are generally permitted to use the roadway, and drivers still owe a duty of reasonable care.

Even if you were partially at fault, you can still recover compensation under New York’s comparative negligence rules. Your recovery may be reduced by your percentage of fault, but it is not automatically barred.

In bicycle accident cases, fault is commonly disputed. Insurance companies like to argue that a cyclist failed to signal, rode outside a bike lane, or was difficult to see. These arguments do not necessarily prevent recovery. Each case depends on the specific facts and available evidence.

Dangerous Roadways for Cyclists on Long Island

For many Long Island riders, cycling is part of daily life, commuting, training, or simply enjoying the outdoors. But certain roadways carry heightened risk due to traffic volume, speed, limited shoulder space, and constant turning movements. These corridors often blend fast-moving commuter traffic with recreational riders, leaving little margin for error.

Roadways frequently associated with serious bicycle collisions include:

• Ocean Parkway– A popular recreational route with long, open stretches and higher vehicle speeds.
• Montauk Highway – A heavily traveled Suffolk corridor with narrow or inconsistent shoulder space.
• Sunrise Highway service roads – Dense traffic, merging vehicles, and frequent turns.
• Route 110 – A busy commercial artery with multiple signals and turning lanes.
• Jericho Turnpike – Heavy cross-traffic and limited cyclist protection.
• Hempstead Turnpike – Retail congestion and constant access-point turning.
• William Floyd Parkway (Route 46) – A high-speed corridor in the Mastic and Shirley areas with limited protected space for cyclists.

Whether on a scenic parkway or a crowded commercial strip, riders are vulnerable when drivers fail to provide safe passing distance or turn without yielding. When a serious crash occurs, determining fault often requires careful analysis of the facts of the case, including witness statements, photos, maps, and video. Each case turns on the specific conditions present at the moment the incident happened.

What To Do After a Bicycle Accident

The steps you take immediately after a crash can affect both your recovery and your legal rights.

Early legal involvement allows us to secure surveillance footage, preserve vehicle data, and protect key evidence before it disappears.

Understanding No-Fault Benefits for Cyclists

Cyclists struck by motor vehicles in New York are generally entitled to no-fault benefits through the insurance policy covering the vehicle that caused the crash.

No-fault benefits typically include:

• Medical expenses
• A portion of lost wages
• Transportation to medical appointments

If the driver was uninsured or left the scene, you still have options through a household member’s uninsured motorist coverage or, in certain circumstances, through the Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation (MVAIC).

If your injuries meet the serious injury threshold under New York law, you may also pursue a claim for pain and suffering and additional economic damages against the driver.

How We Prove Fault in Bicycle Accident Cases

In bicycle accident cases, we must show that the driver failed to use reasonable care toward a cyclist lawfully using the roadway.

This often involves:

• Measuring passing distance in unsafe passing claims
• Analyzing vehicle turning patterns in right-hook or left-turn collisions
• Evaluating door positioning in dooring cases
• Reviewing camera footage
• Inspecting bicycle damage
• Examining road conditions and lane markings
• Retaining accident reconstruction experts when necessary

New York law requires drivers to pass cyclists at a safe distance under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1122-a which establishes a three-foot minimum passing requirement. When that rule is violated, it can form the basis for liability.

Insurance companies sometimes argue that cyclists were difficult to see or were riding unpredictably. We counter those claims with objective evidence and thorough investigation.

Compensation in Long Island Bicycle Accident Cases

Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may recover:

Bicycle accidents frequently result in collarbone fractures, shoulder injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and significant road rash. The value of a case depends on injury severity, liability strength, and available insurance coverage.

Related Long Island Accident Cases

Bicycle accidents often occur in traffic situations that also lead to other serious roadway injury claims. Drivers who fail to yield, drive while distracted, or violate traffic laws can cause harm to cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and other motorists alike. If your injuries resulted from a traffic collision, you may also find helpful information on these related pages:

• Long Island Car Accident Lawyer
• Long Island Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
• Long Island Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
• Long Island Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer

Each of these pages explains how New York personal injury law applies to different types of roadway accidents and what injured individuals can do to protect their legal rights.

Why Cyclists Choose Palermo Law

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