Two years ago, on a family trip to Switzerland, my wife and I rented two electric-assisted mountain bikes, or e-MTBs, to tackle some steep trails near the Matterhorn. The salesperson said, in no uncertain terms, that the new e-MTBs were the way of the future, and we should give them a try. So we did. …
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From Winner to Advocate: One Cyclist’s E-Bike Journey
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Jury: Bicyclist not an “Obstruction”
Cyclist hit, cyclist injured, cyclist ticketed. Police wrong. Jury right! He had just been launched skyward by the front end of a pickup truck. Now the police were giving him a ticket. Jason was riding his road bike in the travel lane of North River Road in Libertyville, Illinois with his father-in-law and two friends when an…
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GoPro: A Trial Lawyers Best Friend
If a picture is worth a thousand words then a video is worth a million. As every lawyer knows, a crash will have multiple versions of the event; your client’s story, the defendant’s story, and the truth. A video always gets us to the truth. Rarely are we as lucky to have a client with…
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Bike Law at RAGBRAI
Since I have returned home from riding across Iowa, a lot of people have asked, “What’s RAGBRAI like?” Well, it’s a lot like riding your bike for the fun of it with your friends and meeting lots of like-minded folks along the route—kind of like when you were a kid. It’s also like a choose-your-adventure book with…
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Will new North Carolina laws make cycling safer?
On July 12, House Bill 959 was signed into law and it changes a few things for bicyclists. What effect, if any, will these changes have on bicycle safety? A little background, if you haven’t been following along. Last summer, the Legislature passed HB 232 and set up a working group to study North Carolina…
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More Tragedy in Michigan: Please Help.
Post-Kalamazoo, things looked up for Michigan cyclists, but this week saw the death of one cycling leader and serious injuries to another. On June 7, 2016, Charles Pickett, Jr., while under the influence of an unidentified controlled substance, drove his pickup truck into a group of cyclists in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In doing so, he killed 5…
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Bike Damaged in Crash? Make a Claim.
You survived that , but your ride was trashed. Now you ? You can’t believe that just happened. You were cut off. Left hooked. Doored. However your crash occurred, it happened, and thankfully you are walking away, shaken and pissed off. Sadly, you can’t say the same for your bike. Your frame is cracked or…
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Washington, D.C. takes a big step for cyclists!
Today, D.C. Council passes first reading of the Motor Vehicle Collision Act of 2016. July 12, 2016 @ 1 p.m: Washington, D.C. just took a very big step forward in protecting the rights of vulnerable road users. Bike Law’s Timmy Finch was there. Today, Council approved the first reading of the Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act…
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The Nation’s First Bike Share Fatality
The last few weeks of my job as a bike crash lawyer have been a mixture of both exhausting tragedy and a feeling of true purpose. It’s been a brutal start to the summer for cyclists. From New York to Michigan to San Fransisco and everywhere in between we’ve seen a level of carnage unmatched…
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DC to End “Contributory Negligence” for Cyclists?
Today, DC votes on whether to end “contributory negligence” for cyclists and pedestrians. 11:30 am UPDATE: Act pulled from today’s Agenda in last minute move. This means it HAS to come up at the July 12th meeting. We will be there! Today, the DC Council will vote on the “Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act of…
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Hey Canada, it’s time for us to step up!
Although we negatively judge our American neighbours repeatedly over their gun laws, when the weapon is a car (and it is used to seriously hurt or kill a cyclist or pedestrian) they are way ahead of us and find our system appalling. A large number of States have already passed Vulnerable Road User Laws and more are…
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Update On The Kalamazoo Cycling Tragedy
On June 22, 2016, the driver who ran down and killed five Kalamazoo cyclists and injured four others was officially brought into a Kalamazoo courtroom and charged with five counts of second-degree murder and four counts of reckless driving causing serious impairment. At that court proceeding, it was also revealed that the driver, 50-year-old Charles Pickett Jr.,…
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Does Auto Insurance Cover Bicycle Crashes?
Yes, often your car insurance will cover a . Before heading out for a ride most of us intuitively check our air, brakes, chains and cranks and do a once over of our bikes. We confirm our helmets are secure, our cell phones and Garmins are charged, and that we have lights if we think…