A crash on your bike on Hudson Terrace or Sylvan Avenue can change your life in a matter of seconds. Insurance companies love to blame the rider, and when an adjuster decides you were partly at fault, your payout can shrink fast.
A dedicated Fort Lee bicycle accident lawyer helps you pursue money for your injuries so you’re not stuck paying for surgery, therapy, and missed work out of your own pocket.
Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi, P.C. has protected injured clients throughout Bergen County since 1974, and we know how to shut down insurance tactics. Call (201) 585-9111 today or send us a message through our online contact form for a free case review.
Why Choose Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi, P.C. as Your Fort Lee Bike Accident Lawyer
More than 100 years of combined experience, over $300 million recovered for injured clients, and deep roots in Fort Lee give our firm the resources and local knowledge to handle your bike accident claim.
We opened in Fort Lee in 1974 and have spent decades serving people injured on the same roads you travel.
Recognition That Matters
We have earned recognition from Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and a perfect 10.0 AVVO rating. Our attorneys belong to both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Those honors reflect real results for real people.
We Know Fort Lee Roads
Traffic near the George Washington Bridge approach and Henry Hudson Drive creates constant danger for cyclists. We understand how drivers behave on these corridors and where crashes tend to happen. That local insight helps us prove what really occurred.
Trusted Across Bergen County
Our bicycle injury lawyers in Bergen County treat every client with the attention their case deserves. Most claims settle, but insurers pay fairly only when they believe you will go to court. We prepare each case as if a Bergen County jury will decide it.
Ready to talk? Call (201) 585-9111 or complete our online form to speak with a Fort Lee bike accident lawyer today.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for a very satisfying outcome to my recently settled case. I thank you for taking the case and the work you did on it. I really felt like I was in “good hands” with your firm. Everyone was professional and very capable.
I was very pleased to work with Mike Maggiano. He was personable, always on top of things, and made me feel this case was important to him, too. He represented me well, especially at the mediation. I appreciated everything you have done for me and my family during this difficult process. Again, thank you for everything.
I want to express my deepest appreciation to the firm “MAGGIANO, DiIGIROLAMO
& LIZZI P.C. and to Cristopher DiGirolamo, in particular, for professionally and timely manner. The most important result for me is the successful completion of the case.
I also wish to express my thanks to the paralegal Nirelly Echanique and to Katty, the nice lady at the front desk.
Without any hesitation, I would recommend your firm to others.
Many thanks for your fruitful work.
In my Book Chris gets 10+ stars. An Incredibly Talented Attorney. I cannot begin to express my sincere appreciation for all that Chris DiGirolamo has done for me. He took on a most challenging Title59 Immunity Case, against all odds. He always leveled with me as to the complex nature of the case, but with a positive and professional attitude. He was aided in this case, by a fantastic Paralegal, Marisol Suarez. Marisol made a difficult time much easier with her courtesy, humor, and always being responsive. Chris made you feel at all times that he was fighting for you as he would fight for a member of his family. It would not be a trite statement to say that watching him prepare my case was like watching a Maestro conduct a Philharmonic Orchestra. He always kept you informed as to the latest developments in a case that took 3 1/2 years to settle. Chris was able to achieve a settlement that both of us were happy with especially considering the very complex set of circumstances. Simply put, Chris is an Incredible Attorney who is empathetic yet tough and most important ” A Good Guy.”
Do You Have a Valid New Jersey Bike Accident Claim?
You likely have a valid claim if a driver’s careless action caused your crash and left you injured. New Jersey drivers must share the road with cyclists and use reasonable care around them. When a driver falls short of that standard and hurts you, the law lets you seek compensation.
Many riders wrongly assume they have no case after a collision. They worry that skipping a helmet or rolling through a stop sign cancels their right to recover. In truth, a single mistake rarely ends a claim, and only a full review of the facts reveals its real value.
Bike crashes in Fort Lee take many forms, and each raises different legal questions. A left-turning car that cuts across your path is treated differently from a driver who drifts into a bike lane.
An experienced attorney can sort through those details and determine how the driver’s failure to yield affects your claim. Similar right-of-way issues often arise in the pedestrian accident cases we handle.
What To Do After a Bike Crash in Fort Lee, New Jersey
After a bike crash in Fort Lee, you can protect your health and strengthen your claim by getting treatment, preserving evidence, and avoiding mistakes with the insurer. Even if some time has passed, the steps you take now can affect how clearly your injuries and losses are documented.
Focus on the parts of the claim that are still within your control:
- Continue Medical Treatment: Follow your treatment plan and attend recommended appointments. Records from Englewood Hospital or another provider can connect your injuries to the crash and show how they affect your daily life.
- Preserve Available Evidence: Keep your damaged bike, helmet, clothing, photographs, medical records, repair estimates, and any messages about the crash. Don’t repair or discard physical evidence before it has been reviewed.
- Gather Missing Information: Get the Fort Lee Police Department report and collect any witness details, insurance information, videos, or photographs you can still locate.
- Be Careful With the Insurer: Avoid giving a recorded statement, signing broad medical authorizations, or accepting a quick settlement before you understand the full value of your injuries.
- Get Legal Help: A Fort Lee bicycle accident lawyer can investigate the crash, preserve evidence, deal with the insurance company, and build the claim while you focus on your recovery.
Who Is at Fault in a Fort Lee Bicycle Accident?
Fault in a Fort Lee bicycle accident falls on whoever failed to use reasonable care and caused the crash, and it is often the driver. New Jersey follows a modified comparative negligence rule, so you can still recover money as long as you were not more than 50% at fault.
Your award is then reduced by your share of the blame, which is why every percentage point matters.
Dooring is one of the clearest examples of driver fault. When someone flings a car door into your path without looking, that person breaks the standard of care owed to passing riders. Insurers still try to flip the blame, arguing you rode too fast or too close, and a careful crash reconstruction is what defeats that spin.
Several common failures put riders in the hospital, and pinning down the right one shapes your entire case:
- Failure To Yield: Drivers who ignore your right of way at intersections and driveways cause many of the most serious collisions.
- Distracted Driving: A driver staring at a phone often never sees the cyclist until it’s too late.
- Unsafe Passing: Vehicles that squeeze past without enough room clip riders or force them off the road.
This same underlying driver-negligence framework guides how we prove fault in every motor vehicle case.
Verdicts and Settlements
$1,067,000 - Fibromyalgia Caused by Truck Accident
A female truck driver suffered fibromyalgia following a multi-vehicle accident.
$346,000 - Workers Compensation Claims and Hostile Work Environment
Settlement was obtained for a 34 year old schoolteacher who claimed work related injury to her neck, back, shoulders, knees and head suffered during two separate work related accidents.
$2,800,000 - Truck Accident
A man suffered serious knee injuries when a truck pulled out in front of him.
How Do New Jersey’s Helmet and Insurance Laws Affect Your Bike Accident Claim?
New Jersey’s helmet and insurance laws can shape your bike accident claim, but applying them correctly requires a close review of your age, injuries, household coverage, and policy choices. An attorney can determine which rules apply, identify the available insurance, and challenge attempts to unfairly reduce what you can recover.
New Jersey’s bicycle helmet law (N.J.S.A. 39:4-10.1) requires cyclists under 17 to wear a helmet. If you were 17 or older, you broke no law by riding without one, and the driver can’t use that fact to erase responsibility for causing the crash.
An insurer could still argue that the lack of a helmet contributed to a head injury, but medical evidence can help separate the injuries caused by the collision from the harm the insurer claims a helmet would have prevented.
Common Insurance Coverage Challenges
Depending on your household and available policies, Personal Injury protection (PIP) coverage can pay accident-related medical expenses when a motor vehicle hits you while you’re riding a bicycle.
If you don’t have qualifying auto coverage in your household, another policy or New Jersey’s assigned-claims system could apply. Determining which insurer must pay often requires tracing several policies and following strict claim procedures.
The coverage selected on an auto policy can also affect a claim for pain and suffering. A cyclist subject to the limitation on lawsuit option generally must prove a qualifying injury before recovering non-economic damages from the at-fault driver.
That limitation doesn’t eliminate claims for economic losses such as lost income, and whether it applies depends on the cyclist’s insurance status and the facts of the crash.
These overlapping rules give insurers several ways to dispute coverage or narrow a claim. A Fort Lee bike accident lawyer can map out every available policy, determine whether an injury threshold applies, and pursue each source of compensation supported by the evidence.
What Is Your Fort Lee Bicycle Injury Claim Worth?
Your Fort Lee bicycle injury claim is worth the full economic and personal cost of the harm the crash caused you. Your claim’s value depends on your injuries, your recovery, and the strength of your evidence. A crash that leaves lasting damage is worth far more than a minor one.
Cyclists have little protection against a vehicle, so injuries are often severe. The most catastrophic bicycle-crash injuries can affect a rider for the rest of their life. We recently secured $742,000 for a cyclist who was struck and thrown by a driver who failed to yield, leaving him with serious back injuries.
A complete claim covers more than the bills stacked on your kitchen table, and overlooking a category can cost you dearly:
- Medical Expenses: Past and future care, from the first ambulance ride through months of physical therapy.
- Lost Income: Wages you missed while healing, plus reduced earning power if you can’t return to the same work.
- Pain and Suffering: The physical pain and emotional toll that the crash caused have a place in your claim.
- Property Damage: The cost to repair or replace your bicycle, helmet, clothing, phone, and other personal property damaged in the crash.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Compensation for the ways your injuries limit your ability to ride, exercise, travel, care for your family, or take part in activities that mattered before the crash.
How Your Fort Lee Bicycle Accident Lawyer Builds Your Case
A Fort Lee bicycle accident lawyer builds your personal injury claim by preserving evidence, documenting your losses, and negotiating with the insurer. Each stage adds support to your case and makes it harder for the insurance company to dismiss or undervalue what you have suffered.
Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi, P.C. starts by collecting the police report, medical records, witness statements, and available camera footage before the evidence disappears.
Once your condition is clear, we document your medical expenses, lost income, future needs, and personal losses. We then demand fair payment and respond when the insurer disputes fault or minimizes your injuries.
Many New Jersey bicycle accident claims resolve through negotiation. If the insurer refuses to make a fair offer, your Fort Lee bike accident attorney will be ready to file suit in Bergen County Superior Court and take the case forward.
FAQ for Fort Lee Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Why Should I Hire a Fort Lee Bicycle Accident Lawyer?
Working with a Fort Lee bicycle accident lawyer is advantageous because insurers fight hard to pay riders as little as possible. An attorney preserves evidence, handles the adjusters, and shields you from saying something that hurts your claim. Their support levels a playing field tilted against you.
Can I Recover Money if I Was Partly at Fault?
You can recover money as long as you were not more than 50% at fault for the crash. New Jersey’s comparative negligence rule reduces your award by your share of blame. Pinning down that percentage is a fight worth having.
Who Pays My Medical Bills After a Bike Crash?
Your own auto insurance usually pays your first medical bills through New Jersey’s no-fault PIP coverage, even though you were on a bike. If no household policy exists, payment may come from the at-fault driver or a state fund. We track down every source available to you.
What if the Driver Who Hit Me Left the Scene?
You may still have a path to compensation even if the driver fled. Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage on a household auto policy can step in when a hit-and-run driver can’t be found. We investigate to identify the driver whenever the evidence allows.
Is My Fort Lee Bicycle Accident Serious Enough To Need a Lawyer?
Any crash that sends you to a doctor is worth a free consultation. Insurers minimize even significant injuries, and what feels minor today can require surgery months later. A quick call to Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi, P.C. costs nothing and protects your options.
Get Your Fort Lee Bike Case Started Today
Every day you wait, you hand the insurance company more room to build a case against you. Let Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi, P.C. protect your rights while you focus on getting better. Call (201) 585-9111 now or complete our online form for a free consultation.
You can also stop by our office at 201 Columbia Ave, Fort Lee, NJ 07024 to sit down with a lawyer who knows these roads.
Fort Lee Office
Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi, P.C.
201 Columbia Ave
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
Phone: (201) 585-9111
