Milledgeville Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Hit by a car while riding a bicycle in Milledgeville or Baldwin County? Call our Milledgeville office at (478) 254-2665 for a free consultation. You pay no fee unless we recover money for you.

Milledgeville Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Milledgeville has more people on bikes than most middle Georgia towns. Georgia College students ride between campus, downtown and off-campus housing, commuters ride to work, and recreational riders use the Oconee River Greenway and the rural roads toward Lake Sinclair. When a driver hits a cyclist, the rider almost always takes the worst of it: broken bones, head injuries, road rash and long recoveries. Our Milledgeville office represents injured cyclists and their families across Baldwin County and middle Georgia.

Where Bicycle Crashes Happen in Milledgeville

Downtown and around the Georgia College campus, where drivers turn across bike traffic, open car doors into riders, and back out of angled parking.
North Columbia Street (US-441) and the main commercial corridors, with heavy traffic, frequent driveways and fast turning vehicles.
Two-lane rural roads toward Lake Sinclair and neighboring counties, where drivers pass cyclists too closely at highway speed.
Night riding, when drivers claim they never saw the rider.

Georgia Law Protects Cyclists

Under Georgia law, a bicycle is a vehicle, and a cyclist has the same right to the road as a driver. Some of the rules that come up most often in bicycle cases:

The three-foot rule. A driver passing a cyclist must leave at least three feet of space when feasible (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-56).
Helmets. Riders under 16 must wear a helmet (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-296). An adult not wearing a helmet does not lose the right to recover, though insurers may still argue about it.
Lights at night. Georgia requires a front white light and a rear red reflector or light after dark (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-296). A driver’s lawyer will look closely at this, so we do too.

Georgia uses modified comparative fault. Your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and you recover nothing if you are 50 percent or more at fault (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33). Insurers often try to shift blame onto the cyclist, which is why the scene, the lighting, the driver’s phone use and witness statements matter.

Who Pays When a Cyclist Is Hit?

The at-fault driver’s liability insurance is the first source. Georgia’s minimum is only $25,000 per person, which is rarely enough after a serious injury. Many riders do not realize that their own auto policy’s uninsured motorist coverage usually protects them on a bicycle too, and that is often where the rest of the money comes from. If a city or county vehicle or a dangerous road was involved, short government notice deadlines apply: as little as six months for a city claim (O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5). Most other injury claims must be filed within two years (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33).

What to Do After a Bicycle Crash

Call 911 and get checked by a doctor, even if you feel fine. Head injuries often show up later.
Get the driver’s name, insurance and plate number, and the names of any witnesses.
Keep the bike, helmet and clothing as they are. They are evidence.
Take photos of the scene, the vehicle and your injuries.
Do not give a recorded statement to the driver’s insurance company before you talk with a lawyer.

Bicycle Accident Questions

I’m a Georgia College student from out of town. Can you still help?

Yes. The claim is based on where the crash happened, not where you are from, and we can work with you and your family by phone if you go home to recover.

What does it cost to hire you?

Nothing up front. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee, which means you owe no attorney’s fee unless we obtain a recovery for you. The consultation is free.

Our Milledgeville Office

Sessions & Fleischman, LLC
300 E Montgomery St
Milledgeville, GA 31061
Phone: (478) 254-2665

See our Milledgeville office page for directions and the other cases we handle in Baldwin County.

More help in Baldwin County: Milledgeville personal injury lawyer · car accidents · pedestrian accidents · motorcycle accidents.