One second you were riding. The next, you were on the pavement, and the emergency room bill is already in the mail while an adjuster calls with questions that feel less like concern and more like a trap. You did nothing wrong by choosing two wheels instead of four, and the driver’s insurance company is not on your side.

At Promoting Justice Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, our personal injury attorneys have a long record of securing compensation for people harmed by careless drivers. We know Burlington’s roads, we know the insurers who write policies here, and we know how they try to shrink cyclist claims into something manageable for their bottom line.

Contact us today for a free consultation and discover how our Burlington bicycle accident attorneys can help you recover what you are owed. No fee unless we win your case.

Where Burlington Cyclists Face the Greatest Danger

Burlington’s road network was not designed with cyclists in mind. Heavy commercial traffic, a dense urban grid, and growing ridership on the Greenway put riders in regular conflict with drivers who are not watching for them.

• North Avenue and the Route 127 Beltline: High-speed merging traffic regularly fails to yield to cyclists in the dedicated bike lane, producing severe side-impact collisions.
• Main Street and South Winooski Avenue: Downtown one-way streets create constant dooring risk, a crash that happens when a parked driver opens their door directly into an oncoming cyclist, along with conflicts from delivery vehicles stopped in the bike lane.
• Colchester Avenue near UVM Medical Center: Hospital and campus traffic concentrates distracted drivers in one of Burlington’s most heavily cycled corridors.
• Shelburne Road and Pine Street: Frequent curb cuts and business entrances on this South End commercial strip produce right-hook crashes, where a driver turns across the bike lane in front of a rider who has the right of way.
• Bike Path Crossings and Waterfront Access: Drivers at road crossings connecting to the Burlington Greenway routinely fail to yield, placing cyclists at risk even on dedicated paths.

What Causes Most Burlington Bicycle Crashes

Most of the crashes we handle are entirely preventable, the direct result of driver carelessness, not chance.

• Dooring: A driver or passenger opens their door into a cyclist’s path without checking their mirror.
• Right-hook and left-turn collisions: A driver cuts across the bike lane in front of a rider proceeding straight through an intersection or past a driveway.
• Unsafe passing: Vermont law requires drivers to give cyclists at least four feet of clearance when passing, and violations of this rule can cause serious harm.
• Distracted and impaired driving: A driver who is texting or under the influence cannot react in time to avoid a rider.
• Road defects: Potholes, broken pavement, and improperly placed construction plates are hazardous for cyclists and may make a government entity or contractor legally responsible for your crash.

One pattern we see consistently in Burlington dooring cases is a driver claiming they checked their mirror, when the door’s exact opening angle and the cyclist’s approach speed show there was no way they could have seen in time.

Injuries Cyclists Suffer After a Burlington Bike Crash

There is no frame, airbag, or seatbelt between you and the road. When a vehicle strikes a cyclist, the injuries are almost always severe and sometimes life-changing. We fight for clients dealing with:

• Traumatic brain injury and concussions
• Spinal cord damage, including partial or complete paralysis
• Fractures of the collarbone, wrist, hip, and femur
• Severe road rash requiring surgery and skin grafts
• Internal organ damage and internal bleeding
• Facial and dental fractures
• Fatal injuries requiring a wrongful death claim on behalf of surviving family members

Who Is Liable for Your Burlington Bicycle Accident

To recover compensation in Vermont, we must prove another party owed you a duty of care, breached it, and directly caused your harm. The at-fault driver is usually the primary defendant, but liability often extends further.

• Employers: If the driver was working at the time of the crash, their employer may share liability under respondeat superior, a legal principle holding businesses responsible for their employees’ on-the-job conduct.
• Government entities: If a road defect contributed to your crash, the City of Burlington or the Vermont Agency of Transportation may be responsible. These claims require formal notice to the government within a much shorter window than the standard personal injury deadline.
• Product manufacturers: If a defective brake, faulty e-bike battery, or structurally compromised frame contributed to the crash, the manufacturer may face a product liability claim.

We recovered $1 million for a client struck as a cyclist by a commercial vehicle, the kind of result that comes from identifying every liable party rather than settling for whatever the driver’s personal policy offers.

What Damages Can a Cyclist Recover in Vermont

Vermont law allows injured cyclists to pursue two categories of compensation. Economic damages cover your measurable financial losses. Non-economic damages address the pain, emotional suffering, and loss of quality of life that do not show up on a bill.

Economic damages typically include:

• Past and future medical bills, including surgery, rehabilitation, and ongoing care
• Lost wages during recovery and reduced future earning capacity
• Replacement value for your bicycle, helmet, and damaged gear

Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and the hobbies, activities, and daily routines you can no longer participate in after the crash.

Your own auto insurance may also be a source of recovery, even though you were on a bicycle. MedPay (Medical Payments) coverage pays your immediate medical costs regardless of fault. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage steps in when the driver who hit you has no insurance or not enough to fully compensate you.

Vermont uses modified comparative negligence to determine fault, meaning you can recover damages as long as you are found to be 50% or less responsible for the crash. Your award is reduced proportionally by your percentage of fault.

Call (802) 457-4848 for a free case review, no fee unless we win.

Vermont’s Deadline to File a Bicycle Accident Claim

Vermont imposes deadlines for filing personal injury and wrongful-death lawsuits, so contact us promptly to protect your rights. Claims against a government entity require formal notice well before those standard deadlines. Missing any of these cutoffs permanently ends your right to compensation, no matter how clear the negligence, contact us immediately.

What to Do After a Burlington Bicycle Crash

What you do in the hours after a crash directly shapes your case.

1. Call 911. A police report creates an official record that is one of the strongest pieces of evidence in a bicycle accident case.
2. Get medical attention the same day. Adrenaline masks injuries like concussions and internal bleeding, and delayed care gives the insurer a reason to dispute your claim.
3. Photograph everything. Document the crash scene, the vehicle that struck you, the license plate, your bicycle, and your injuries before anything is moved.
4. Collect information. Get the driver’s name, insurance details, and contact information for any witnesses.
5. Do not talk to the other driver’s insurance company. Adjusters call quickly and ask questions designed to limit your claim, do not give a recorded statement without talking to us first.
6. Call us. We take over all communication with the insurance company so you can focus on healing.

How Promoting Justice Builds Your Case

We prepare every case as if a jury will decide it. Insurance companies track which firms will go to trial and which settle cheap, our preparation is your leverage.

• Securing evidence immediately: We move fast to obtain traffic camera footage, business surveillance video, and vehicle data before it is erased.
• Expert consultation: We work with accident reconstruction specialists and medical professionals to document exactly how the crash happened and the full cost of your recovery.
• Investigating commercial carriers: When a delivery or fleet vehicle is involved, we subpoena maintenance records, driver safety histories, and cell phone data to expose corporate negligence.
• Health insurance lien resolution: We negotiate with your health insurer or Medicare to reduce any reimbursement claim against your settlement, so more of your recovery stays with you.

Why Burlington Cyclists Choose Promoting Justice

We have been plaintiff-side, and only plaintiff-side, since 1991. We do not represent insurers or defend corporations. Every case we take is for an injured person who deserves full accountability from the party that harmed them.

Lead attorney Dennis O. Shillen holds the AV Preeminent rating, the highest possible recognition for legal skill and professional ethics, earned over four decades of fighting for Vermont injury victims. Our team carries over 140 years of combined legal experience and has recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients throughout Vermont. Attorney Linda Fraas spent years as insurance defense counsel and now brings that insider knowledge exclusively to your side of the table.

We advance all litigation costs on your behalf. You pay nothing out of pocket, and we collect no fee unless we win.

Call (802) 457-4848 today, evidence disappears fast, and your deadlines are already running.

Burlington Bicycle Accident FAQ

Can a Cyclist Recover Damages without Wearing a Helmet in Vermont?

Vermont does not require adult cyclists to wear helmets, and an insurer cannot use that fact alone to bar your recovery, though they may raise it in relation to a head injury.

Does My Auto Insurance Policy Cover Me as a Cyclist?

Yes. MedPay and UM/UIM coverages on your auto policy apply even when you are injured on a bicycle and are often critical when the at-fault driver’s coverage falls short.

What Should I Do if the Driver Who Hit Me Fled the Scene?

Report the crash to police immediately. Your Uninsured Motorist coverage protects you in hit-and-run situations, and a police report creates the record your UM claim will need.

Can I File a Claim if a Burlington Road Defect Caused My Crash?

Yes. If a pothole, deteriorated pavement, or improperly placed construction plate caused your crash, the responsible government entity or contractor may be held liable.

Will My Health Insurer Be Repaid from My Settlement?

Health insurers and programs like Medicare have legal rights to reimbursement from your settlement for bills they paid on your behalf. We negotiate those liens down to protect the amount you take home.

Do You Handle E-Bike Crashes and Rental Bike Accidents in Burlington?

Yes. We represent riders on all types of bicycles, including electric-assist bikes and shared bikes like Greenride, and we pursue product liability claims when a defective component contributed to the crash.

What if I Was Riding without Lights at Night, Does That Affect My Claim?

It may affect how fault is apportioned, but it does not bar your recovery. Under Vermont’s modified comparative negligence rule, you can still recover as long as you are found to be no more than 50% responsible.

Do I Need a Police Report to File a Bicycle Accident Claim?

A police report is valuable but not legally required. We can often build a strong case using surveillance footage, witness accounts, and physical documentation from the scene.

Call Now for a Free Consultation

You did not cause this injury, and you should not bear the financial weight of it alone. Our team has spent over four decades pursuing full accountability for Vermont injury victims against powerful insurers, and we are ready to fight for you.

Call (802) 457-4848 or contact us online today for your free Burlington bicycle accident consultation, we do not get paid unless you do.