Kansas City Bicycle Accident Attorney

Kansas City Bicycle Accident Attorney — Protecting Riders’ Rights After a Crash

Bicyclists in Kansas City share the road with cars, trucks, and buses on streets that were not designed with cyclists in mind. Missouri law (MO Rev Stat § 307.188) requires drivers to give bicyclists at least three feet of clearance when passing. Many drivers do not. They clip cyclists while passing, turn right across bike lanes without checking, open car doors into the path of oncoming riders, and blow through stop signs at intersections where cyclists have the right of way.

The result is broken collarbones, fractured wrists, traumatic brain injuries, road rash that requires skin grafts, and spinal injuries that can change a rider’s life permanently. Kansas City’s growing network of bike lanes on Main Street, Grand Boulevard, and the Trolley Trail has increased ridership, but the infrastructure has not kept up with the safety needs of people who ride.

At GroverLawKC Injury & Accident Lawyers, we are a Kansas City personal injury firm with more than 21 years of experience. Bicycle accident cases require proving the driver was negligent and overcoming the bias many insurance adjusters have against cyclists. We do both.

You pay nothing unless we win. Call 816-533-3969 for a free case review.

Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents

• Right-hook collisions where a driver turns right across a bike lane or the cyclist’s path without checking their mirror or blind spot.
• Dooring when a parked driver opens their door into the path of an approaching cyclist. At even moderate cycling speed, a dooring crash produces severe injuries.
• Failure to yield at intersections and driveways. Drivers often look only for cars and do not see bicyclists approaching from the side.
• Unsafe passing where the driver passes too close, clips the cyclist, or forces them off the road. Missouri’s three-foot passing law exists because drivers routinely fail to give cyclists adequate space.
• Distracted driving where a driver looking at their phone does not see a cyclist sharing the road.

Missouri vs. Kansas: Bicycle Accident Laws

Missouri treats bicyclists as vehicles with the same rights and responsibilities as cars. Drivers must yield to cyclists the same way they yield to other vehicles. Missouri uses pure comparative fault, so even if the cyclist was partly at fault (riding without lights at night, for example), they can still recover damages. The statute of limitations is five years. Missouri does not cap pain and suffering damages.

Kansas similarly treats bicyclists as vehicle operators. Kansas uses modified comparative fault with a 50% bar. If the cyclist is found 50% or more at fault, recovery is barred. The statute of limitations is two years. Insurance companies in Kansas bicycle accident cases aggressively argue cyclist fault to reach that 50% threshold.

Compensation for Bicycle Accident Injuries

You can recover medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage to your bicycle and equipment, and wrongful death damages. Catastrophic bicycle injuries involving brain damage or spinal cord injuries can result in claims worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still recover if I was not wearing a helmet?

Yes. Neither Missouri nor Kansas requires adult cyclists to wear helmets. The absence of a helmet cannot be used as a basis for comparative fault in Missouri. In Kansas, the defense may try to argue that a helmet would have reduced your head injury, but not wearing one does not bar your claim.

What if the driver says they did not see me?

That is not a defense. Drivers have a duty to watch for all road users, including bicyclists. Failing to see a cyclist who had the right to be on the road is negligence, not an excuse.

How much does a bicycle accident lawyer cost?

Nothing up front. We work on contingency. If we do not win, you owe us nothing.