Chicago Bike Accident Lawyer

Yes, an experienced Chicago bicycle accident lawyer ensures your rights are defended and helps you get the compensation you deserve, especially since insurers routinely undervalue cyclists’ claims.

A lawyer preserves evidence, documents your injuries, deals with the insurance company, and proves the driver’s fault under Illinois law. Because the work is on a contingency fee, it costs you nothing upfront and no fee unless we win.

Yes, and here’s why. Georgia’s insurance system is adversarial. Insurers use trained adjusters to minimize what they pay you, and anti-motorcycle bias is real. Riders who hire an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in Atlanta consistently recover significantly more than those who handle claims alone. With our contingency fee model, hiring us costs you nothing unless we win.

You may recover medical bills, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, and bicycle/property damage — and in fatal cases, wrongful death damages for the family.

Catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and multiple fractures can support substantial claims. We calculate every current and future cost so nothing is left on the table.

Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule (735 ILCS 5/2-1116): you can still recover damages as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, with your award reduced by your percentage of fault.

Insurers often try to inflate a cyclist’s share of blame — claiming you ‘came out of nowhere’ or weren’t visible. We push back hard with the crash report, witness statements, and the rules of the road.

Dooring is when a parked motorist opens a door into the path of a passing cyclist. It is specifically illegal in Illinois under the Dooring Law (625 ILCS 5/11-1407), and the driver who opens the door is typically at fault.

Dooring is one of the most common Chicago bicycle accidents, especially along streets with on-street parking next to bike lanes. As your Chicago bicycle dooring accident lawyer, we use the statute to establish liability quickly.

Yes. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1502, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers of motor vehicles, including the right to use the road and the right of way where applicable.

That means a driver who fails to yield to a cyclist, passes too closely, or turns across a bike lane can be held liable just as in a car-vs-car crash.

No. Illinois has no law requiring adult cyclists to wear helmets, and not wearing one does not bar you from recovering compensation.

Insurers may still try to use it to argue comparative fault, but an experienced Chicago bike accident lawyer counters that tactic. Your right to recovery turns on the driver’s negligence, not your helmet.

Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage can compensate you — cyclists are generally covered by their auto policy even while riding a bike, including in a hit-and-run.

As your Chicago hit-and-run bicycle accident lawyer, we identify every available policy, including UM/UIM and any household coverage, so a fleeing or uninsured driver doesn’t leave you paying for someone else’s mistake.

Dooring, right-hook and left-hook turns, unsafe passing and sideswipes, distracted driving, failure to yield, and road rage are the most frequent causes in Chicago.

Many happen on streets with heavy parking and bike-lane conflicts. Our Chicago bicycle accident attorneys know these patterns and the corridors — Milwaukee Avenue, the Lakefront Trail crossings, and the downtown protected lanes — where they cluster.

Yes. Whether you were on a personal bicycle, an e-bike, or a Divvy bike-share cycle, you can pursue a claim against the at-fault driver, and potentially other responsible parties.

As a Chicago electric bicycle accident lawyer and Chicago bike share accident lawyer, we handle the added insurance and liability questions these cases raise, including equipment and program coverage where it applies.

Nothing upfront. The Wilson PC handles Chicago bike accident cases on a contingency fee — you pay no attorney fee unless we win or settle your case.

Your free consultation costs nothing, and we advance case costs so you can focus on healing. You only pay if we recover for you.

Usually the driver’s. A motorist who turns across a bike lane and hits a cyclist who has the right of way is typically at fault — these are the classic right-hook and left-hook crashes.

Illinois drivers must yield to cyclists lawfully proceeding in a bike lane (625 ILCS 5/11-1502). We use the crash report, witness statements, and any camera footage to prove the turning driver failed to yield.

Yes. Dooring is specifically illegal in Illinois under the Dooring Law (625 ILCS 5/11-1407), and the person who opened the door into your path is almost always at fault.

You can pursue the at-fault person’s liability insurance for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and bicycle damage. As your Chicago bicycle dooring accident lawyer, we use the statute to establish liability quickly.

Not automatically, but in the majority of Chicago bike crashes the motorist is at fault — and even if you were partly to blame, you can still recover as long as you were 50% or less responsible (735 ILCS 5/2-1116).

Fault turns on who breached their duty of care. Insurers often try to shift blame onto the cyclist; we counter with the evidence and the rules of the road that give cyclists equal rights.

Often, yes. Your auto policy’s uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage generally protects you even while you’re on a bicycle, including in a hit-and-run.

This surprises many cyclists. If the driver who hit you had no insurance, not enough insurance, or fled, your own UM/UIM coverage — and sometimes a household member’s policy — may pay your damages. We identify every policy that applies.

Yes. The repair or replacement value of your bicycle and damaged gear (helmet, lights, electronics) is recoverable property damage, on top of your injury claim.

Keep your damaged bike and gear, and don’t throw anything away — it can be evidence as well as a recoverable loss. We document it as part of your full claim.

You can still recover. Illinois cyclists are entitled to use the full roadway, not only bike lanes, and being outside a bike lane does not automatically make you at fault.

Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1502, cyclists have the same rights as drivers. Riding in a travel lane — to avoid the door zone, debris, or a blocked lane — is lawful, and a driver who hits you can still be liable.

There is no single figure — it depends on your injuries, medical bills, lost wages, and the available insurance, but catastrophic cases involving traumatic brain injury or spinal cord damage can reach into six or seven figures.

Illinois places no cap on compensatory damages. A free case evaluation, after a review of your records and the at-fault driver’s coverage, gives you a realistic range — be wary of anyone quoting a flat ‘average.’

Yes. A traffic ticket is not required to bring a civil claim — fault in your injury case is decided separately from whether the police issued a citation.

Officers don’t always cite a driver, especially when they didn’t witness the crash. We build fault independently with the crash report, witness accounts, camera footage, and reconstruction — so a missing ticket does not sink your claim.