Staten Island’s quieter, more suburban streets can lull cyclists into a false sense of security. But wide arterial roads like Hylan Boulevard and Richmond Avenue, high-speed approaches to the Staten Island Expressway, and limited protected bike infrastructure across much of the borough create real dangers for anyone riding a bicycle. That’s why so many injured riders turn to a Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney who understands these local road conditions and how they contribute to serious crashes.
At Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. P.C., we represent Staten Island cyclists who have been injured because of another party’s negligence. Our firm also represents cyclists injured throughout the rest of New York City — you can learn more on our New York City bicycle accident attorney page.
Michael J. Redenburg has spent more than 15 years representing injured New Yorkers and personally handles bicycle accident cases from start to finish rather than handing clients off to a case manager. You can read more about his background and approach on our Meet Michael page. The firm offers free consultations and takes personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you owe nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
If you or a loved one was hurt while riding a bicycle in Staten Island, call 212-240-9465 to discuss what happened and learn what options may be available to you.
Why Bicycle Accidents Happen So Often on Staten Island Roads
Staten Island has fewer cyclists than the other boroughs, but that doesn’t make its roads safer for the ones who do ride. In fact, wide, high-speed corridors with limited bike lanes can be more dangerous per rider than the more congested — but slower — streets of Manhattan or Brooklyn.
Cyclists on Staten Island commonly face:
- Vehicles turning across traffic without checking for approaching bicycles
- Drivers merging onto or off the Staten Island Expressway at high speed
- Cars stopped in bike lanes along Hylan Boulevard, Forest Avenue, and Victory Boulevard
- Distracted or impatient drivers on residential streets
- Poorly lit intersections and roadway defects
- Limited or disconnected bike lane networks that force cyclists into mixed traffic
- Delivery vehicles and buses with large blind spots
- Drivers opening car doors into a cyclist’s path
Because Staten Island’s bike network remains less developed than other boroughs, cyclists frequently have no choice but to share a travel lane directly with cars, trucks, and buses. That proximity to fast-moving vehicles is often what turns a routine ride into a serious injury case. A Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney can help you determine whether a road design flaw or a driver’s negligence played the larger role in your crash.
What Are the Most Common Bicycle Accident Injuries in Staten Island?
Bicycle crashes can leave a rider with anything from minor bruising to a permanent, life-altering disability. Because cyclists have no metal frame or airbags protecting them, even a moderate-speed collision can cause serious harm. A Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney sees the full range of these injuries firsthand, from short-term soft tissue damage to permanent disability. Injuries our firm frequently sees in Staten Island bicycle accident cases include:
Traumatic brain injuries. A fall from a bicycle can send a rider’s head into the pavement, a curb, or another vehicle, resulting in a concussion or a more severe traumatic brain injury.
Fractures and broken bones. Cyclists often suffer fractures to the wrists, arms, collarbone, hips, ribs, and legs when they’re thrown from the bike or pinned beneath a vehicle.
Spinal cord and back injuries. The force of impact can cause herniated discs, vertebral fractures, or, in the most severe cases, permanent spinal cord damage.
Road rash and lacerations. Sliding across asphalt can cause deep abrasions that lead to scarring, infection, or the need for skin grafts.
Internal injuries. Blunt-force trauma to the chest or abdomen can cause internal bleeding or organ damage that isn’t immediately obvious.
Facial and dental trauma. Cyclists who strike the ground or a vehicle windshield may suffer broken teeth, facial fractures, or permanent scarring.
Torn ligaments and joint damage. Knees, shoulders, and wrists frequently absorb the shock of impact and can require surgical repair.
Some of these injuries aren’t obvious right away. Adrenaline can mask pain for hours or even days after a crash, which is one of the reasons prompt medical evaluation matters — both for your health and for building a record that connects your injuries to the accident.
Drivers Are Often Responsible for Bicycle Accidents on Staten Island
When a car and a bicycle collide, the question of why the crash happened is usually the question that determines who pays for the resulting harm.
A driver’s negligence may involve speeding on a residential street, failing to yield when turning, following too closely, texting or using a phone behind the wheel, opening a car door into a bike lane, or entering a cyclist’s lane without properly checking mirrors and blind spots.
Depending on the facts, responsibility for a Staten Island bicycle accident could potentially fall on:
- The driver who struck the cyclist
- The registered owner of the vehicle, if different from the driver
- An employer, if the driver was working at the time
- A delivery or trucking company, or a rideshare company
- A contractor responsible for a work zone or roadway hazard
- A property owner whose land contributed to a dangerous condition
- A government entity responsible for maintaining the roadway
A thorough investigation looks beyond the obvious and examines the full chain of events, because more than one party can share fault for a single crash. A Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney can identify which of these parties may share responsibility before evidence and insurance deadlines slip away. The same investigative approach applies when a cyclist is struck by a car, which is why our Staten Island car accident attorneys work closely with our bicycle accident team on overlapping cases.
What If You Were Partially at Fault?
Being told you may have contributed to your own accident does not automatically bar you from recovering compensation in New York. The state follows a comparative negligence rule under CPLR §1411: a cyclist’s own conduct can reduce the compensation ultimately recovered, but it generally does not eliminate the claim entirely.
An insurance adjuster might argue that a cyclist was riding too fast, weaving between lanes, or not using a marked bike lane. Those allegations don’t end the case. Evidence may still show that a driver made an unsafe turn, failed to yield, or was otherwise the primary cause of the crash. Fault should be determined by the evidence, not by assumptions made against the person on the bicycle.
Cases a Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney May Be Able to Help You Build
Bicycle accident cases can turn on evidence that disappears quickly. Staten Island is filled with home security cameras, business surveillance systems, and traffic infrastructure that may capture how a crash occurred — but footage is often overwritten within days or weeks.
At Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. P.C., building a Staten Island bicycle accident case may involve gathering and reviewing:
- NYPD accident reports
- Photographs and video from the scene
- Surveillance footage from nearby homes and businesses
- Dash-camera or bike-camera footage
- Statements from witnesses
- Damage to the bicycle and the vehicle involved
- Medical records documenting the injury and treatment
- Wage and employment records
- Insurance policy information for every potentially liable party
- Roadway design, lighting, and maintenance records where relevant
The goal isn’t just to prove that a crash happened. It’s to show how it happened, who bears responsibility, and how the injury has affected your life going forward.
Losses Recoverable After a Staten Island Bicycle Accident
Every case is different, and the value of a claim depends on the severity of the injury, the available insurance coverage, and the strength of the liability evidence. A Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney can walk you through which of the following categories may apply to your specific case. Depending on the circumstances, a claim may seek compensation for:
Medical Expenses
Ambulance transport, emergency room treatment, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, medication, and the cost of any future medical care your injury requires.
Lost Wages and Earning Capacity
Time missed from work during recovery, and — for more serious injuries — the long-term impact on your ability to earn a living going forward. For a general sense of how these losses factor into a claim’s value, see our breakdown of how much a car accident settlement is worth in New York
Pain and Suffering
Compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and disruption to daily life that often follows a serious injury.
Property Damage
The cost to repair or replace a damaged bicycle, helmet, phone, or other property involved in the crash.
Future Care Costs
Ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, assistive equipment, or in-home care that a severe injury may require for months or years.
New York’s No-Fault insurance system may also apply to certain economic losses when a bicyclist is struck by a covered motor vehicle, depending on the specific facts and coverage involved. For a closer look at how these benefits work and what they do and don’t cover, see our guide on New York No-Fault insurance coverage
Sorting out which insurer is responsible — and what additional claims may exist outside the No-Fault system — can get complicated fast, particularly in hit-and-run cases or crashes involving a commercial vehicle.
Recent Bicycle Accidents in Staten Island
Staten Island consistently reports the fewest cyclist injuries and fatalities of any New York City borough, largely due to lower ridership and a more suburban layout. But that doesn’t mean the risk is small for the people who do ride.
According to NYC Department of Transportation data compiled in the Bicycle Crash Data Report – 2024, which compiles NYPD-reported collisions:
- Staten Island recorded 99 traditional bicycle injuries in 2024, along with 128 injuries involving e-bikes and other motorized two-wheelers.
- The borough reported zero cyclist fatalities in 2024, continuing a pattern of low bicycle-fatality counts compared to the rest of the city.
- Staten Island’s motorized two-wheeler crashes resulted in 4 fatalities in 2024, a reminder that e-bikes and mopeds present a distinct and growing risk alongside traditional bicycles.
- Borough-wide, Staten Island logged 2,612 total traffic injuries and 12 traffic fatalities in 2024.
Earlier NYPD-reported data shows the risk isn’t new: Staten Island logged roughly 1,750 crashes in 2023, including two cyclist fatalities among the borough’s traffic deaths that year. Citywide, the trend has been moving in a positive direction. NYC DOT reported 205 total traffic fatalities in 2025, a 19% decline from 253 in 2024 and the lowest total since the city began keeping records. Staten Island’s own fatality count stayed roughly flat over that same period, underscoring that borough-level progress hasn’t always tracked the citywide numbers.
Fatality statistics only tell part of the story. Behind every reported injury is a person who may be facing emergency treatment, surgery, missed work, and a long recovery — even when a crash never makes the news. If you’re one of them, a Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney can help you understand the legal options available to you
What Should You Do After a Bicycle Accident in Staten Island?
The steps you take in the hours and days after a crash can affect both your recovery and any later claim. A Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney often hears the same question after a crash: what should I be doing right now to protect myself?
Seek medical attention, even if you feel capable of walking away from the scene. Some injuries, particularly head and internal injuries, don’t show symptoms right away.
Report the accident to the police and get the responding officer’s information along with a copy of the accident report.
Document the scene with photos of the vehicle, your bicycle, the roadway, any relevant signage, and your visible injuries.
Collect witness information before people leave the scene, since contact details can be difficult to track down later.
Avoid repairing or discarding your bicycle until its condition has been documented — damage to the frame or components can be important evidence.
Be cautious with insurance company statements. A recorded statement given before you understand your rights can sometimes be used against your claim later.
How Long Do You Have to File a Bicycle Accident Claim in New York?
Most New York personal injury claims are subject to a three-year statute of limitations under CPLR §214, though exceptions apply depending on the facts of the case.
Claims involving a city or state entity — for example, a crash tied to a roadway defect or dangerous condition on public property — can carry much shorter deadlines. Under General Municipal Law §50-e, a notice of claim against a municipality is generally required within 90 days of the incident.
Even when a legal deadline is still months or years away, waiting rarely helps. Surveillance footage can be overwritten within days, and witnesses become harder to locate the longer a case sits.
Talk to a Member of Our Bicycle Accident Team Serving Staten Island
A serious bicycle accident can leave you dealing with medical bills, missed paychecks, insurance adjusters, and a long list of questions about what comes next. You shouldn’t have to sort through all of that on your own.
At Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. P.C., clients work directly with an experienced New York personal injury attorney — not a rotating cast of case managers. Michael has spent more than 15 years representing injured New Yorkers and handles every personal injury matter on a contingency-fee basis, so there’s no upfront cost to find out where you stand. As a dedicated Staten Island Bicycle Accident Attorney, Michael is ready to review the details of your crash and explain what your case may be worth.
The firm represents injured cyclists throughout Staten Island and the surrounding area, including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Westchester County.
If you or a family member was injured in a Staten Island bicycle accident, call Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. P.C. at 212-240-9465 for a free consultation. You can also reach out anytime through our contact page to schedule your free case review.