JONES LAW GROUPYour Lawyers for Life! Personal Injury Law Firm in St. Petersburg
Reviewed by Bobby Jones, Personal Injury Attorney, Jones Law Group | Published | Updated .
A car door swinging open without warning along Bayshore Blvd, or a driver turning right across the bike lane in Ybor City without checking a mirror, can turn a routine ride into an emergency room visit in seconds. If you were hurt while cycling on the Riverwalk, the Selmon Greenway, or anywhere else in Tampa, a Tampa bicycle accident lawyer can help you sort out who pays for your medical care and hold the driver accountable for what happened. Jones Law Group has represented injured Florida cyclists for years and takes bicycle accident cases on contingency, so there’s no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover money for you.
Most injured cyclists assume that because they weren’t behind the wheel of a car, Florida’s no-fault insurance system has nothing to offer them. That assumption is often wrong, and it can cost you thousands of dollars in unpaid medical bills if you don’t understand the rule. Florida law generally treats an injured cyclist the same way it treats a pedestrian for PIP purposes, which means the driver’s PIP coverage — or the cyclist’s own auto policy, if they carry one — can pay the first $10,000 of medical bills after a crash, regardless of who caused it. Understanding how that coverage works, on top of Florida’s rule guaranteeing cyclists full rights to the road, matters from the very first call with an insurance adjuster.
Yes — in most cases. Although Florida’s no-fault insurance system was built around drivers and their passengers, Fla. Stat. § 627.736 extends PIP protection to cyclists hurt in collisions with motor vehicles by treating them, for insurance purposes, much like a pedestrian struck by a car. That means a cyclist doesn’t need to own a car, or even have a driver’s license, to have PIP coverage available after being hit by one.
The order of priority generally works like this: if the injured cyclist owns a vehicle themselves, or lives with a resident relative who carries an auto policy, that policy’s PIP benefits typically apply first and can pay 80% of reasonable, necessary medical expenses up to $10,000. If the cyclist has no such policy of their own, the PIP coverage on the vehicle that struck them can step in and pay those same benefits instead — again, regardless of who caused the crash. Either way, the same 14-day rule that applies to car accident victims applies here too: initial treatment generally has to begin within 14 days of the crash, and a provider must find an emergency medical condition for the full $10,000 to be available rather than a $2,500 cap.
PIP is rarely the end of the story for a seriously injured cyclist. Because bicycle crashes tend to produce more severe injuries than routine fender-benders, medical bills often exceed the $10,000 PIP limit quickly. Once that threshold is met and the injury is significant enough under Fla. Stat. § 627.737, an injured cyclist can pursue the at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability coverage for the remaining medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering that PIP doesn’t touch.
Tampa’s most popular cycling routes are also where many of its worst crashes happen. Bayshore Blvd draws runners and cyclists to its long waterfront path, but the intersections where side streets cross it are a recurring source of failure-to-yield collisions. The Selmon Greenway, an elevated multi-use path running alongside the Selmon Expressway, keeps cyclists separated from traffic for much of its length, but conflicts still occur where the path connects back down to street level. Downtown, the Riverwalk mixes pedestrians, cyclists, and increasingly scooters and e-bikes moving through Tampa’s Shared Micromobility Program, which raises the chance of a sudden collision in a crowded space. In Ybor City, dedicated bike lanes run alongside street parking, and dooring — when a parked driver or passenger opens a car door directly into a passing cyclist’s path — is a common cause of serious injury there.
Away from these dedicated routes, cyclists in Tampa often have to cross or briefly share space with high-traffic arterials like Dale Mabry Hwy, Nebraska Ave, and Florida Ave. Drivers making a right-hook turn — turning right across a bike lane without checking for a cyclist coming up alongside them — are a frequent cause of crashes at these intersections. So are drivers failing to yield when turning left across oncoming traffic, or simply not looking for a bicycle before pulling out of a driveway or side street. When we investigate a Tampa bicycle crash, we look closely at the intersection design and witness accounts to establish exactly how the driver failed to yield the right of way a cyclist is legally entitled to.
Hurt while cycling on Bayshore Blvd, the Selmon Greenway, or anywhere else in Tampa? Call (727) 571-1333 today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Tampa bicycle accident lawyer.
Cyclists have little to protect them in a collision with a car, which is why bicycle accident injuries tend to be more severe than typical car accident injuries. Tampa General Hospital on Davis Islands is Tampa Bay’s only ACS-verified Level I trauma center for both adults and children, meaning it’s equipped to treat the most severe head injuries, fractures, and internal injuries around the clock. St. Joseph’s Hospital, part of BayCare, operates as a Level II trauma center for adults and children and also treats a substantial share of the region’s serious bicycle accident cases. Cyclists with road rash, less severe fractures, or soft-tissue injuries are frequently seen at urgent care clinics or by their primary care doctor in the days following a crash.
Wherever you’re treated, the records matter. Emergency room notes, imaging results, surgical reports, and physical therapy logs all become part of the paper trail supporting both your PIP claim and, if your injury is serious enough, a liability claim against the driver who hit you. Gaps in treatment or inconsistent descriptions of your symptoms give insurance adjusters an opening to argue your injury isn’t as serious as you say, or wasn’t caused by the crash at all. Keeping every appointment and following your provider’s treatment plan protects both your health and your claim.
A bicycle accident claim generally breaks down into economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the costs you can point to a bill or invoice for — medical expenses, a totaled or damaged bicycle, lost wages, and future medical care if your injury requires ongoing treatment. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, permanent impairment, and loss of enjoyment of life, and are recoverable from the at-fault driver once your injury meets the threshold described in Fla. Stat. § 627.737.
Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule, set out in Fla. Stat. § 768.81, also shapes the value of a claim. If you’re found more than 50% responsible for the crash, you’re barred from recovering damages from the driver. If you’re found 50% or less at fault, your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurance adjusters sometimes try to shift blame onto an injured cyclist for riding too far from the curb or failing to signal, even when the cyclist was riding lawfully under Fla. Stat. § 316.2065, which is why documenting exactly what happened matters from day one. For a closer look at how these factors combine, see our guide on how much a Florida injury settlement is worth and our overview of the two-year deadline for filing suit.
Not sure what your Tampa bicycle accident claim is worth? Dial (727) 571-1333 to speak with a Tampa bicycle accident attorney about your specific case, free of charge.
Attorney Bobby Jones is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a graduate of Stetson University College of Law who has spent more than 20 years representing injured Floridians, including cyclists hurt in crashes throughout Tampa and Hillsborough County. Over the course of his career, Jones Law Group has recovered more than $50 million for injured clients and maintains a 4.9-star client rating. The firm handles Tampa bicycle accident cases on contingency, so there’s no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover compensation for you. To learn more about how the firm handles injury cases across the Tampa Bay area, visit our Tampa personal injury lawyer page.
Often, yes. Florida treats an injured cyclist similarly to a pedestrian for Personal Injury Protection purposes under Fla. Stat. section 627.736. If the cyclist or a resident relative carries an auto policy, that policy’s PIP typically pays first. If not, the PIP coverage on the driver’s vehicle can pay up to $10,000 toward the cyclist’s medical bills, regardless of who caused the crash.
Under Fla. Stat. section 316.083, a driver overtaking a bicycle must leave a safe distance of not less than 3 feet between the vehicle and the cyclist before passing. Drivers who violate this rule and cause a collision can be held liable for the cyclist’s injuries.
In most cases, Florida law gives you two years from the date of the crash to file a bicycle accident lawsuit under Fla. Stat. section 95.11, which was shortened from four years by House Bill 837 in 2023. Missing this deadline generally bars you from recovering compensation through the courts.
Florida law only requires a bicycle helmet for riders under 16 years old, so an adult riding without a helmet is not violating any statute. An insurance adjuster may still try to raise it, but it generally has little bearing on a driver’s fault for causing the crash in the first place.
Bicycle accident lawsuits arising from crashes in Hillsborough County are typically filed at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse at 800 East Twiggs Street in Tampa, which is the civil filing venue for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida.
Possibly. Florida follows a modified comparative negligence rule under Fla. Stat. section 768.81. If you are found 50% or less at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found more than 50% at fault, you are generally barred from recovering damages from the driver.
Jones Law Group handles Tampa bicycle accident cases on a contingency fee basis, which means there is no upfront cost to hire the firm and no fee unless money is recovered on your behalf. The initial consultation to review your case is free.
If you’re dealing with medical bills, an insurance adjuster, and a damaged bicycle after being hit by a car in Tampa, you don’t have to sort it out alone. Jones Law Group reviews Tampa bicycle accident cases at no cost and works on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. Contact Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 to talk through what happened and what PIP coverage means for your specific situation.
Jones Law GroupThis page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this page or contacting Jones Law Group does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results, including any reference to $50M+ in recoveries, are cumulative figures from prior cases and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.
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Jones Law Group is a dedicated personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg, FL, serving the Tampa Bay area since 2006. Our experienced attorneys specialize in car accidents, slip and fall cases, employment law disputes, construction law issues, and overtime wage claims, fighting for maximum compensation on a contingency fee basis. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case.
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