If a driver hit you, doored you, or ran you off the road while cycling in the Richmond area, Collier & Collier can push back against an insurance company already looking for a reason to blame you. Case reviews are free, and you pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
No Recovery,
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80+ Years Combined
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Practicing Personal Injury Law
Since 1973
If You Were Hurt While Riding
Getting hit by a car, doored, or run off the road while cycling can leave you with serious injuries, and it usually happens too fast to see coming.
If you’re dealing with road rash, broken bones, a head injury, or worse after a crash near The Fan, Forest Hill, the Virginia Capital Trail, or anywhere else in Richmond, you’re probably already fielding calls from an insurance adjuster looking for a reason to blame you instead of the driver. That’s a common tactic, not a sign your case is weak, so don’t accept the first offer.
Bicycle Accidents Are a Real Risk in Virginia
Bicycle safety is a growing concern across the state. In 2025, 15 bicyclists died on Virginia roadways, part of 153 total pedestrian and bicyclist deaths statewide that year, according to DRIVE SMART Virginia.
Richmond is one of the more bike-heavy cities in the state, with growing cycling infrastructure and routes like the Virginia Capital Trail drawing riders from across the region, which also means more opportunities for cyclists and drivers to collide. If you were hurt while riding, you’re far from alone, and you have options.
When You Need a Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Under Virginia Code § 46.2-800, a cyclist riding on a highway has the same rights and duties as a driver, and under § 46.2-839, drivers must leave at least three feet of space when passing a bicycle. Drivers routinely ignore this, and insurance companies often argue the cyclist was riding somewhere they shouldn’t have been, even when that isn’t true.
Getting “doored” is also common on Richmond streets with parked cars near bike lanes. Under Virginia Code § 46.2-818.1, a driver or passenger can be held responsible for opening a car door into a cyclist’s path without checking for traffic first. Virginia’s contributory negligence rule still applies here: being found even slightly at fault can bar you from recovering anything at all. One thing works in your favor, though. Under Virginia Code § 46.2-906.1, not wearing a helmet can’t be used as evidence against you.
Who Can Be Held Responsible
The driver who hit you is usually the most obvious party at fault, but not always the only one. When the vehicle belongs to someone other than the driver, the owner could share responsibility. A driver on the job at the time, say, making a delivery, can make their employer liable too. And if a defect in the bicycle itself, like faulty brakes or a failing frame, contributed to the crash, the manufacturer could be responsible instead.
If the driver who hit you didn’t have insurance, or didn’t have enough, you may still be able to recover compensation through your own auto policy’s uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, even though you were riding a bike and not driving. We check every policy that might apply before assuming there’s nothing to work with.
If a bicycle accident took the life of someone you love, we also handle wrongful death claims under Virginia’s Wrongful Death Act.
Our Bicycle Accident Claims Process
We start by pulling the evidence that proves what happened: witness statements, the police report, and any available camera or dash-cam footage, before any of it disappears. If you ride with a GPS or fitness tracker, like a Garmin, Wahoo, or phone app, that data can help pin down your speed, route, and the exact time of the crash, so hold onto it if you have it.
From there, we identify every party who may share responsibility, not just the driver, and handle every conversation with the insurance company so you’re not negotiating your own claim while trying to recover. We prepare every case as if it’s heading to trial, which puts us in a stronger position to negotiate a fair settlement.
What Compensation May Include
Compensation may include medical expenses (past and future), lost income while you’re recovering, and pain and suffering for what the injury has cost you physically and emotionally. Damage to your bike and gear can factor in too, especially if a repair or replacement adds real cost.
We won’t promise a number here, since every case is different, but these are the categories we build a claim around once we’ve reviewed what happened to you.
No Recovery, No Fee
We handle bicycle accident claims on a contingency-fee basis: no upfront cost to hire us, no hourly bill while your case is pending, and no fee unless we recover money for you.
What your claim is worth depends on factors like the severity of your injuries, lost income, and long-term medical needs, so we won’t guess at a number here. What we can promise is a straightforward answer once we’ve reviewed your case.
Other Accident Types We Handle
Why Choose Collier & Collier
Our attorneys bring more than 80 years of combined legal experience to bicycle accident claims, but we’re still a small, family-operated firm, so you’ll talk directly with the attorneys and staff handling your case.
We know Virginia’s bicycle laws, including the three-foot passing rule and the dooring statute, and how local insurance adjusters try to use the contributory negligence rule against injured cyclists.
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Talk to Us Before Time Runs Out
You generally have two years from the date of your accident to file a claim under Virginia Code §8.01-243, but the sooner you talk to us, the sooner we can start protecting your case. Call Collier & Collier at (804) 364-5200 for a free, no-obligation case review.
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