New Orleans Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Were you injured in a bicycle accident in New Orleans?

At Kiefer & Kiefer, we have handled bicycle injury claims for riders across New Orleans and the surrounding parishes since 1982.

If a driver struck you while you were riding, an attorney can investigate the collision and pursue the compensation Louisiana law provides. Our New Orleans, LA bicycle accident lawyer has overturned at-fault findings by proving that a motorist violated the passing rules applicable to cyclists. We have represented injured Louisiana clients since 1982 and handle bicycle claims on a contingency fee. Contact us for a case review at no cost.

Bicycle Accident Lawyer New Orleans, LA

A bicycle accident lawyer represents riders injured by negligent drivers, defective roadway conditions, or dangerous property. Louisiana treats a bicycle as a vehicle with its own set of rules, and applying those rules correctly is frequently what decides liability.

NHTSA crash data recorded 1,166 pedalcyclist deaths nationwide in 2023, a 4 percent increase over the prior year, and 81 percent of those deaths occurred in urban areas. New Orleans fits that profile exactly. Narrow streets, heavy tourist traffic, streetcar tracks, and pavement that shifts underfoot all compound the risk for anyone riding here. The city has expanded its bike network considerably, but painted lanes sit inches from moving traffic on most of those corridors.

Types of Bicycle Accident Cases We Handle in New Orleans

Bicycle claims are not scaled-down car accident claims, and treating them that way costs riders money. Below are the situations our New Orleans bicycle accident attorneys handle most often.

• Unsafe passing collisions. Louisiana requires drivers to give riders clearance when overtaking. Many motorists, and some responding officers, do not know the requirement exists. Measuring the actual clearance from scene evidence has resolved cases in our clients’ favor.
• Right hook and left cross crashes. A driver turning across a bike lane or misjudging an oncoming rider’s speed causes some of the most severe injuries we see. Intersection geometry and sight lines matter enormously here.
• Dooring incidents. A parked motorist opening a door into the travel lane leaves a rider no time to react. Liability usually rests with the person who opened the door, not the cyclist. Insurers still try to argue the rider should have anticipated it.
• Car accidents. When a passenger vehicle strikes a rider, the same coverage questions arise as in any collision, including uninsured motorist benefits under the rider’s own auto policy.
• Truck accidents. Commercial vehicles have blind spots that swallow a bicycle whole. Federal record-keeping rules give us access to driver logs and inspection histories that ordinary claims never touch.
• Garbage truck accidents. Refuse vehicles stop constantly, reverse in traffic, and operate on residential streets where cyclists ride. Municipal and contractor liability both come into play.
• Roadway defect claims. Potholes, sunken utility cuts, and deteriorated pavement cause single-vehicle bicycle crashes with serious injuries. Claims against public entities follow different procedures and shorter notice requirements.
• Motor vehicle accidents. Collisions between a rider and any passenger vehicle raise the same questions of right of way, speed, and available coverage.
• Serious injuries. Riders sustain head trauma, spinal damage, and complex fractures at rates that vehicle occupants do not. These cases need life care planning, not just a medical bill total.
• Wrongful death claims. We recently represented the family of a cyclist killed when a motorist attempted to pass him. The officer found the rider at fault. We proved the driver had not given the required clearance and recovered all available insurance.

Bicycle Accident Infographic

Why Choose Kiefer & Kiefer as my Bicycle Accident Lawyer in New Orleans, LA?

We Know the Rules That Apply to Riders

Many lawyers approach a bicycle claim as though it were a car accident claim, and the results suffer for it. Special rules of the road govern cyclists, and drivers, insurers, and responding officers routinely misapply them. Megan Kiefer earned her law degree at Tulane in 2009 and holds training in mediation and negotiation from Humboldt University of Berlin. Martindale-Hubbell rates Chris Bruno AV for ethics and legal ability, and he sat on the bench for decades before returning to practice. He chaired a section of the New Orleans Bar Association and is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. That combination is what you want from a personal injury lawyer in New Orleans, LA when an insurer disputes who had the right of way.

Results and Fee Structure

Our firm has recovered millions of dollars for injured Louisiana clients. Representative outcomes include:

• $4.5 million for a client struck by a commercial vehicle at work
• $3.3 million jury verdict for an injury requiring neck surgery
• $2.2 million for a client struck by a company vehicle
• $1.2 million for a collision resulting in neck surgery

Bicycle accident claims are handled on a contingency fee, so no attorney fee is owed unless we recover compensation on your behalf.

Understanding Bicycle Accident Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Bicycle Accident Cases

Liability rests on Civil Code Article 2315, which obligates anyone whose fault causes damage to repair it. Proving that a driver breached a duty owed to a cyclist is the core of the case.

Recoverable damages include:

• Medical expenses from the emergency room through rehabilitation and future care
• Lost income and diminished earning capacity where the injury is permanent
• Pain and suffering, often the largest component in a serious injury claim
• Property damage, including the bicycle, helmet, and gear
• Loss of enjoyment, which matters when riding was central to how you lived

Comparative fault deserves particular attention in bicycle cases, because insurers lean on it hard. Article 2323 changed effective January 1, 2026. A rider found 51 percent or more at fault now recovers nothing. Below that line, the award is reduced by the assigned percentage. Incidents before January 1, 2026 remain under the previous pure comparative system.

What Are Important Aspects of a Bicycle Accident Case?

The police report is a starting point, not a verdict. Officers reconstruct these crashes quickly, often without measuring anything.

• Traversing an incorrect at-fault finding with scene measurements and witness accounts
• Preserving vehicle damage evidence and any nearby surveillance before it disappears
• Documenting head injuries properly, since brain injuries frequently present with normal imaging
• Identifying uninsured motorist coverage, which applies to cyclists more often than riders expect
• Establishing the driver’s clearance, speed, and attention through physical evidence rather than testimony alone

Helmet use comes up in nearly every one of these claims. Louisiana does not require adult riders to wear one, and the absence of a helmet does not defeat a claim. Expect the argument anyway, and expect it to be aimed at reducing the value of a head injury rather than at liability itself.

What Is The Bicycle Accident Case Timeline?

Timelines vary based on injury severity and whether the insurer disputes fault.

• Investigation and evidence preservation during the first weeks
• Medical treatment through to a stable prognosis
• Demand package submitted to the carrier with supporting proof
• Negotiation or mediation, where most claims resolve
• Suit, discovery, and trial when the offer does not reflect the harm

Louisiana now allows two years to file suit under Civil Code Article 3493.1 for injuries sustained on or after July 1, 2024. Earlier injuries fall under the prior one-year deadline.

What Should You Bring to Your Bicycle Accident Consultation?

• The crash report or report number, and any citation issued
• Photographs of the scene, the vehicle, your bicycle, and your injuries
• Medical records, imaging, and bills
• Your auto and homeowner policies, which may provide coverage
• Contact information for anyone who witnessed the collision

We’ll review the file, explain how liability looks on your facts, and give you a straight answer about whether the claim is worth pursuing. There’s no charge for that meeting.

Most Dangerous Locations for Bicycle Accidents in New Orleans

Streets and local roads:

• St. Charles Avenue: Streetcar tracks, frequent stops, and turning traffic alongside a heavily used riding route
• Esplanade Avenue: A primary bike corridor with intersections where drivers cross the bike lane
• Canal Street: High vehicle volume, transit traffic, and constant pedestrian movement
• Magazine Street: Narrow lanes with parked cars on both sides, creating dooring risk
• Rampart Street: Streetcar rails and lane shifts that catch narrow tires

Highways and major roads:

• Claiborne Avenue: Wide, fast, and carrying interstate overflow through neighborhoods
• Elysian Fields Avenue: A high-speed connector crossing multiple residential bike routes
• Earhart Boulevard: Limited bicycle accommodation with sustained vehicle speeds
• Chef Menteur Highway: Long stretches with minimal shoulder and heavy commercial traffic

Reach Out to Kiefer & Kiefer to Schedule a Consultation

If a driver hit you while you were riding, a New Orleans bicycle accident attorney at our firm can review the report, examine the physical evidence, and tell you whether the fault determination holds up. The consultation is free and we work on contingency, so you owe no attorney fee unless we recover. Contact us to get started.