Average Settlement for Bicycle Accident, 2026 Report

The average paid bodily injury liability claim in the United States reached $28,278 in 2024, the highest figure in a ten-year record that opened at $17,014 in 2015. Bicycle accident settlements follow the same insurance math, because a rider struck by a car draws from the coverage that pays every other bodily injury claim.

Our research team worked from government crash counts and published insurance claim averages, then checked each figure against the New York statutes that decide what an injured rider can collect. The sections below show what moves a bicycle settlement up or down before you ever speak with an attorney.

Note: The figures in this report are averages and do not predict the value of any individual claim. Every bicycle accident case is unique. Only an attorney who reviews the complete file and understands the case’s facts and circumstances can evaluate its potential value.

Key Takeaways

  • The average paid bodily injury liability claim rose to $28,278 in 2024, up 66% from $17,014 in 2015.
  • New York drivers can carry as little as $25,000 in bodily injury coverage for one injured person, which caps many claims far below the injury’s value.
  • A cyclist struck by an insured vehicle collects up to $50,000 in no-fault benefits for medical care and lost earnings, separate from any settlement for pain and suffering.
  • New York rewrote its fault and serious injury rules on May 26, 2026, and a cyclist found more at fault than the driver now recovers nothing.

Important Consideration: An average blends minor claims with catastrophic ones, which makes it a weak predictor for any single rider.

What Bicycle Accident Settlements Start From

Insurers pay bicycle claims out of the same bodily injury liability coverage that funds car and pedestrian claims, and the national average for those payouts rises every year. The table below tracks the average paid bodily injury claim across the five most recent reported years.

Year Average Paid Bodily Injury Claim Claims per 100 Insured Vehicles
2020 $20,769 0.78
2021 $23,592 0.68
2022 $24,681 0.70
2023 $26,178 0.78
2024 $28,278 0.80

Key Insights

  • Average payouts grew 36% between 2020 and 2024 while claim frequency barely moved.
  • An average blends minor claims with catastrophic ones, which makes it a weak predictor for any single rider.

How Injury Severity Sets the Range

Severity drives the number further than any other factor, because the economic loss behind a claim grows with the injury.

Our data shows how sharply average crash costs rise as injury severity increases.

Police-Reported Injury Level Average Economic Cost per Person, 2024
Fatal injury $2,050,000
Suspected serious or disabling injury $174,000
Suspected minor or evident injury $45,000
Possible injury $28,000
No injury observed $7,700

Key Insights

  • A disabling injury costs almost four times what an evident injury costs, and settlement demands follow the same pattern.
  • Economic cost covers medical care and lost earnings only, leaving pain and suffering to be valued on top.

What Coverage a New York Cyclist Can Reach

Coverage limits cap most bicycle settlements long before the injury itself does, because New York sets its required minimums low.

In our analysis below, we lay out what a struck cyclist can recover after a crash.

Coverage Source Amount Available
Driver bodily injury liability, one person injured $25,000 minimum
Driver bodily injury liability, two or more people injured $50,000 minimum
Driver liability for the death of one person $50,000 minimum
No-fault benefits for medical care and lost earnings $50,000 in basic economic loss
Property damage liability $10,000 minimum

Key Insights

  • No-fault pays a cyclist struck by an insured vehicle regardless of what the police report says about blame.
  • A rider facing $300,000 in medical bills reaches only $25,000 from a minimally insured driver unless a second policy applies.

How New York’s 2026 law changes affect a bicycle claim

New York rewrote its motor vehicle injury rules on May 26, 2026, and the amendments narrow what some cyclists recover.

Our analysis below sets out the provisions that reach a bicycle claim:

2026 Change Effect on a Bicycle Claim
Comparative fault bar under CPLR 1411 A cyclist whose fault exceeds the driver’s recovers nothing in a motor vehicle case.
Repeal of the 90/180-day serious injury category Months away from normal activity no longer qualify a rider on that ground alone.
$100,000 cap on non-economic damages Applies to claims against an uninsured or impaired driver, with wrongful death excluded.

Key Insights

  • A fault percentage now decides whether a cyclist recovers at all, not simply how much.
  • A fracture still meets the serious injury standard, which keeps most struck riders eligible to claim pain and suffering.

Where New York City Bicycle Crashes Happen

Bicyclist deaths reached 1,075 nationally in 2024, and 81% of them happened on urban streets. Borough counts show where motor vehicles most often strike riders across New York City, and the table below reports bicyclist injuries and deaths from every crash recorded in 2025.

Borough Bicyclist Injuries Bicyclist Fatalities
Manhattan 1,510 2
Brooklyn 1,428 1
Queens 913 1
The Bronx 464 0
Staten Island 88 0
Citywide 4,403 4

Key Insights

  • Manhattan and Brooklyn together account for two-thirds of bicyclist injuries across New York City.
  • Motor vehicles caused 3,536 of the 4,403 bicyclist injuries recorded in 2025.

Note: This report provides general information, not a valuation of any particular bicycle accident claim or legal advice. Because every case is different, only an attorney who understands the complete file and the claim’s facts and circumstances can assess its potential value.

Further Reading

Readers who want the underlying figures in one place can request a PDF copy of this report.

Sources