Florida Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Florida is the most dangerous state in the country to ride a bicycle
Florida records more than 7,000 bicycle crashes a year and more than 200 cyclist deaths, the highest total of any state, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Hillsborough County alone saw about 750 bicycle crashes and 20 deaths in 2025, and the Tampa Bay region’s long, fast arterials, US-19, Gulf Boulevard, Dale Mabry, Hillsborough Avenue, Fowler Avenue, State Road 54, put riders beside traffic moving at 45 miles an hour or more with a painted line for protection. A cyclist hit by a car has no crumple zone; the injuries are head trauma, spinal and pelvic fractures, road rash and the long rehabilitation that follows. Kemp Law Group has represented injured cyclists across Florida since 2008, including a $1,010,000 recovery for a rider struck by a rideshare vehicle, and in Georgia through our Georgia-admitted attorneys. The firm has recovered more than $400 million for injured clients and holds a 4.9-star rating across more than 950 Google reviews.
Call (727) 847-4878 or contact us online for a free case review. We answer 24/7, in English and Spanish, and you pay no fee unless we win.
Florida law for cyclists hit by a vehicle
A bicycle is a vehicle, and the driver owed you the road
Under section 316.2065, a person riding a bicycle has the rights and duties of a vehicle driver. Drivers must give a cyclist at least three feet when passing under section 316.083, may not turn across a cyclist’s path, and must yield to a rider in a bike lane or crosswalk the same as to any vehicle. Most bicycle crashes are one of a few patterns: the right hook (a driver turns right across a rider going straight), the left cross (a driver turns left into an oncoming rider), the door, the driveway pull-out, and the rear-end strike on an arterial at night. Each has a rule the driver broke, and the crash report usually records it.
The helmet rule
Florida requires helmets only for riders under 16, and section 316.2065 says in terms that not wearing one may not be considered evidence of negligence or contributory negligence. An insurer that argues your injuries are your fault because you rode without a helmet is arguing against the statute, and we say so in the first letter.
PIP applies to cyclists
Florida’s no-fault system covers a cyclist struck by a motor vehicle. If you own a car, your own PIP pays first: 80 percent of medical bills and 60 percent of lost wages up to $10,000, if you are seen within 14 days. If you don’t own a car, the PIP of a relative you live with applies, and if there is none, the PIP on the vehicle that hit you does. After PIP, the claim against the driver for pain and suffering requires a permanent injury under section 627.737, which a serious bicycle crash usually involves.
Comparative fault, and the deadline
Under section 768.81, a rider found more than 50 percent at fault recovers nothing, and insurers reach for that argument in every bicycle case: no lights, wrong side of the road, left the bike lane. The evidence that answers it, the crash report, the driver’s statement, intersection and business cameras, the vehicle’s event data, the bike itself, is gathered in the first days or lost. The deadline to sue is two years from the crash under section 95.11.
Hit-and-run and uninsured drivers
Drivers who hit cyclists leave the scene at a startling rate, and many who stay carry no bodily injury coverage. Your uninsured motorist coverage, or a household member’s, pays in both cases, and it covers you on a bicycle just as it would in your car. Our hit-and-run page explains how that claim works and why physical contact with the vehicle is not required.
E-bikes and scooters
Florida treats an electric bicycle under section 316.20655 like a bicycle, with the same rights, the same three-foot rule and the same PIP coverage when a motor vehicle is at fault. Shared scooters and e-bikes add a question about the rental company’s insurance and its user agreement, which we review before any claim is made.
What a bicycle accident claim can include
- Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization and rehabilitation, past and future.
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering, disfigurement and the loss of the ability to ride, where the injury is permanent.
- The bicycle and equipment.
- Wrongful death damages for a family under section 768.21.
What we do in the first week
- Obtain the crash report and send preservation letters for the cameras along the route, which overwrite in days.
- Photograph and keep the bicycle, helmet and clothing as evidence; do not repair or discard anything.
- Open the PIP claim with the right carrier and make sure you are seen within 14 days.
- Identify every policy: the driver’s, your UM, a household member’s UM, a rideshare or commercial policy if the vehicle was working.
- Request the driver’s policy limits under section 627.4137 and take over every insurer contact.
Results for injured cyclists
Kemp Law Group recovered $1,010,000 for a cyclist struck by a rideshare vehicle, and $2,000,000 for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle who required multiple surgeries; vulnerable-road-user cases are a practice the firm has built. Every case is different and past results do not guarantee an outcome. See our case results.
Where we handle bicycle accident cases
Kemp Law Group represents injured cyclists throughout Florida and in Georgia, from our office at 11567 Trinity Boulevard in Trinity, including New Port Richey and the Pasco trails, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, and our pages for Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties, South Florida, Central Florida, Southwest Florida, North Florida and Georgia. See also our pedestrian accident and car accident pages.
Frequently asked questions about Florida bicycle accidents
I don’t own a car. Does PIP still cover me?
Yes. If you live with a relative who has a car, their PIP covers you; if not, the PIP on the vehicle that hit you does. Either way the first $10,000 of medical bills and lost wages has a source.
I wasn’t wearing a helmet. Does that hurt my case?
Not under Florida law. Section 316.2065 says the absence of a helmet may not be treated as evidence of negligence. The insurer may raise it; it does not reduce your claim.
The driver left. Can I still recover?
Yes, through your own uninsured motorist coverage or a household member’s, which covers you on a bicycle. Report the crash to police immediately and call us; the UM claim has notice requirements.
The driver says I came out of nowhere. What then?
Fault is decided on evidence, not on the driver’s account. Cameras, the crash report, the vehicle’s data and the physical evidence usually settle it, which is why we gather them in the first days.
How long do I have to file?
Two years from the crash under section 95.11 for a negligence suit; and a claim involving a government vehicle or a government-maintained road requires written notice under section 768.28 before suit, so call sooner.
What does a bicycle accident lawyer cost?
Nothing up front. We work on a contingency fee within the Florida Bar’s maximum percentages, paid only from a recovery. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee.
If you were hit while riding a bicycle in Florida, call (727) 847-4878 or request a free case review online. We answer 24 hours a day, and you pay nothing unless we win.
