- Pompano Beach Headquarters | Serving Broward County & South Florida
BICYCLE CRASH HELP FROM A POMPANO BEACH FIRM
A driver can say they never saw you. That does not answer who had the right of way, whether the turn was safe, or what the crash changed in your life.
Miller & Jacobs can investigate the movement of both road users, identify available coverage, and build a claim around your medical and day-to-day record.
You do not need every record or every answer before calling.
START HERE
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The street, intersection, driveway, or bike lane
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The driver, vehicle, and direction of travel
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Where the bicycle, helmet, lights, and gear are now
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What injuries or medical care followed
HEADQUARTERS
1600 S Federal Highway, Suite 1101
COMBINED EXPERIENCE
Both partners admitted to The Florida Bar in 1995
COMBINED JURY TRIALS
Reported courtroom experience across the firm’s partners
INITIAL CONSULTATION
No attorney fee unless compensation is recovered
THE FIRST HOURS AND DAYS
The first steps are about getting care and protecting what already exists, not proving the entire case at the roadside.
Start With What You Have →01
Describe the collision accurately, follow the treatment plan, and report new headaches, pain, weakness, or limits as they develop.
02
Call law enforcement, confirm the report number, and save any driver, witness, or insurance information you receive.
03
Capture the bicycle, vehicle, damage, road markings, signals, sight lines, debris, and your direction of travel if it is safe.
04
Do not repair or discard the bicycle, helmet, lights, clothing, phone, camera, or other equipment before it is documented.
WHAT A BICYCLE CLAIM HAS TO PROVE
A reliable claim connects the movement of the bicycle and vehicle, the road environment, available insurance, and the effect on health and ordinary life.
CRASH MECHANICS
Turns, passing distance, lane position, speed, braking, visibility, and point of impact should be reconstructed from the full record.
ROAD ENVIRONMENT
Bike lanes, signals, intersections, driveways, construction, lighting, drainage, and road defects may change the analysis.
COVERAGE REVIEW
PIP, driver liability, UM or UIM, commercial coverage, health benefits, and other sources require policy-specific review.
RECOVERY NEEDS
Treatment, work, mobility, transportation, recreation, household support, confidence, and lasting limitations should be documented.
FLORIDA BICYCLE LAW IN PRACTICAL TERMS
Florida gives a person riding a bicycle the rights and duties of a vehicle driver, with rules that recognize bike lanes, road hazards, passing space, and safe turning.
Four rules that often shape the claim
The law is one part of the analysis. Road design, vehicle movement, visibility, and physical records still matter.
Read Florida’s bicycle regulations and three-foot passing rule.
01
Three feet to pass
A motorist overtaking a bicycle must pass at a safe distance of at least three feet and remain clear until safely beyond the rider.
02
Room outside the edge
A rider may leave the bike lane or right edge to turn, pass, avoid hazards, or use a lane too narrow for a vehicle and bicycle side by side.
03
Safe turns across the path
Drivers must account for cyclists before turning through a bike lane, crossing a shoulder, entering a driveway, or merging.
04
Helmet arguments have limits
Florida law says failure to wear a helmet may not be considered evidence of negligence or contributory negligence.
This is general information. The duties that apply depend on the rider’s age, the road, the bicycle, the vehicle movement, and the facts of the collision.
THE LOCAL ROAD CONTEXT
A painted lane, a commercial driveway, bridge work, beach traffic, and a signalized intersection create different questions. Local design belongs in the reconstruction.
STREET DESIGN
New streetscape and protected-bike-lane work can change lane geometry, turning paths, temporary controls, and how road users expect to move.
DRIVEWAY CONFLICTS
Frequent entrances, right turns, parking-lot exits, delivery vehicles, and multiple travel lanes can compress decision time.
BEACH TRAFFIC
Visitors, rentals, pedestrians, parking activity, sun glare, and changing traffic volume may shape visibility and right-of-way questions.
ACTIVE ROADWORK
Construction staging, narrowed lanes, surface transitions, temporary signs, drainage, and detours should be compared with the route in use that day.
INVESTIGATING WHAT CREATED THE DANGER
A bicycle crash may involve a driver’s movement, a hazardous surface, poor lighting, debris, construction, an obstructed sightline, or a defective bicycle component. The investigation should begin with the condition and the duties connected to it, not an assumption about the rider.
Photographs, video, maintenance and inspection records, prior complaints, work orders, witness accounts, vehicle data, and the bicycle itself can show how the danger developed and who knew or should have known.
Discuss the Crash →Turns, lane changes, passing distance, door openings, speed, braking, visibility, and point of impact may need to be reconstructed.
Potholes, debris, drainage, broken pavement, construction transitions, missing markings, and temporary controls may explain the loss of control.
Driveways, parking areas, private paths, gates, poor maintenance, and dangerous surface conditions may involve an owner or operator.
Sun glare, darkness, obstructions, sight lines, bicycle lighting, signs, barriers, and warnings should be evaluated in context.
Traffic cameras, nearby businesses, homes, phones, fitness devices, witness accounts, and damage patterns may preserve the sequence.
A business, property owner, contractor, maintenance provider, vehicle owner, employer, or public entity may have relevant duties and records.
INSURANCE AFTER A BICYCLE COLLISION
Coverage can come from more than one place. The answer depends on who was involved, the policies in force, vehicle use, household coverage, and the treatment received.
COVERAGE SOURCE
MAY ADDRESS
WHAT MUST BE CHECKED
PIP benefits
Initial medical expenses and lost wages when a bicyclist is struck by a motor vehicle
14-day treatment timing, policy access, household status, and applicable exclusions
At-fault driver liability
Bodily injury losses caused by the driver’s negligence
Fault evidence, policy limits, ownership, exclusions, and whether the driver was working
UM or UIM coverage
Losses when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little coverage
Auto policies, household policies, stacking, notice, offsets, and policy language
Other responsible coverage
Commercial vehicles, rideshare or delivery work, road defects, rentals, or defective components
Employment, ownership, contracts, government notice rules, and product evidence
Coverage depends on the facts and the actual policy language. Each potential source should be reviewed before anyone assumes it applies or does not apply.
THE INJURY RECORD
A bicycle collision can affect memory, mobility, work, sleep, independence, transportation, relationships, and confidence on the road. The medical file should connect with daily life.
Headaches, memory changes, dizziness, fatigue, vision problems, mood changes, and concentration limits may develop over time.
Fractures, dental repair, scarring, nerve symptoms, vision issues, and jaw limitations may require multiple specialists.
Bracing for impact can cause fractures, tears, limited reach, reduced grip, surgery, and problems with ordinary tasks.
Radiating pain, numbness, weakness, restricted motion, injections, surgery, and functional limits may change work and movement.
Fractures, cartilage damage, instability, tendon injury, altered gait, and arthritis risk can prolong recovery.
Interrupted sleep, driving limits, fear of riding, family roles, recreation, independence, and confidence may all be affected.
WHEN THE INSURER POINTS BACK AT THE RIDER
The insurer may focus on lane position, lights, speed, visibility, or helmet use. Each point should be tested against the road, the vehicle movement, the statutes, and the physical record.
FACT 01
A rider may lawfully move away from the edge or bike lane to avoid a hazard, turn, pass, or use a lane too narrow to share safely.
FACT 02
Time of day, bicycle lights, road lighting, sun angle, contrast, mirrors, obstructions, and the driver’s lookout all matter.
FACT 03
Medical causation can be examined, but Florida law does not allow helmet nonuse to be treated as evidence of negligence or contributory negligence.
FACT 04
Fault allocation can reduce damages. The percentage should come from the full reconstruction, not an insurer’s early assumption.
Florida generally provides two years for a negligence action under § 95.11. Government claims and other matters may involve added notice rules. Road conditions, vehicle condition, camera retention, and witness detail can change much sooner.
WHAT THE CLAIM SHOULD MEASURE
There is no automatic bicycle-claim formula. Medical records, employment evidence, policy limits, expert opinions, testimony, property loss, and long-term needs shape the value.
LOSS CATEGORY 01
Emergency care, surgery, medication, therapy, equipment, transportation, home assistance, and supported future treatment.
LOSS CATEGORY 02
Missed pay, used leave, lost benefits, reduced hours, job changes, retraining, and diminished earning capacity when supported.
LOSS CATEGORY 03
Physical pain, disability, scarring, disrupted sleep, loss of enjoyment, and limits on independence, riding, and family roles.
LOSS CATEGORY 04
Repair or total-loss value, helmet, clothing, accessories, custom parts, rental transportation, and appraisal issues.
HELP FROM OUR POMPANO BEACH HEADQUARTERS
Miller & Jacobs meets clients at its Pompano Beach headquarters on South Federal Highway and can also speak by phone or video. The firm’s Pompano Beach personal injury lawyers represent injured cyclists across Broward County and throughout Florida.
POMPANO BEACH OFFICE
1600 S Federal Highway, Suite 1101
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
954-784-2277
EXPERIENCE YOU CAN VERIFY
Mark Miller and Rick Jacobs bring backgrounds in prosecution, insurance defense, civil litigation, negotiation, and jury trials.
REPORTED RECOVERIES
COMBINED JURY TRIALS
BOTH ADMITTED TO THE FLORIDA BAR
PARTNER
Former Assistant State Attorney, former insurance-defense lawyer, and more than 70 reported jury trials.
PARTNER
Former Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney with more than 160 reported jury trials.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every matter depends on its facts, injuries, available coverage, and applicable law.
QUESTIONS RIDERS AND FAMILIES ASK FIRST
These answers provide a starting point. Road design, insurance, injuries, fault, vehicle use, and the parties involved can change the analysis.
Get needed medical care, report the crash, photograph what you safely can, identify witnesses, and preserve the bicycle, helmet, gear, phone, and camera.
Generally, a person riding a bicycle has the rights and duties of a vehicle driver, with bicycle-specific rules for lane position, equipment, and safe operation.
That does not automatically defeat a claim. Florida law permits riders to leave a bike lane or right edge to turn, pass, avoid hazards, and use a lane too narrow to share safely.
Florida law says helmet nonuse may not be considered evidence of negligence or contributory negligence. Medical causation and the crash itself remain separate questions.
It may. Florida PIP can cover a person struck by a motor vehicle while not occupying a self-propelled vehicle. Policy access and the 14-day treatment rule should be checked promptly.
UM or UIM coverage may apply depending on the policy. Household policies, vehicle ownership, commercial coverage, and other responsible parties should also be reviewed.
Surface failures, debris, drainage, missing controls, work zones, and dangerous design may involve a contractor, maintenance provider, utility, or public entity with special notice rules.
Florida generally provides two years for a negligence action, but government claims and other matters may have added notice requirements. The exact deadline should be confirmed for the facts.
YOUR NEXT STEP CAN BE SIMPLE
Tell Miller & Jacobs where you were riding, how the driver moved, what changed afterward, and what you have heard from the insurer.
POMPANO BEACH HEADQUARTERS
⌖ 1600 S Federal Highway, Suite 1101
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
☎ 954-784-2277
◷ Free and confidential consultation
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