Most Philadelphia cyclists assume that only the driver’s insurance matters after a crash. That assumption can cost you real money. If you ride a bicycle in Philadelphia and carry auto insurance, your own policy may be one of the most powerful tools available to you after an accident, and knowing how to use it can make the difference between getting your bills paid and getting left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pennsylvania operates as a “choice no-fault” state under the Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law (MVFRL), Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. This means that certain medical benefits from your own auto insurance policy pay out regardless of who caused the accident. If you own a car and carry auto insurance, that coverage may follow you onto your bicycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under 75 Pa.C.S.A. \u00a7 1711, all drivers must carry a minimum of $5,000 in medical or first-party benefits, often referred to as PIP coverage, which pays initial medical bills before liability is determined. As a cyclist who also owns a car, you are a named insured under your auto policy. That status gives you access to these first-party benefits even when you were not driving at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think about what that means practically. You get hit by a driver near the Schuylkill River Trail on your evening commute. You go to Jefferson Hospital or Penn Presbyterian. The bills start piling up before anyone has determined fault. Your own auto insurance first-party benefits can start paying those bills right away, without waiting for the at-fault driver’s insurer to accept liability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pennsylvania’s Personal Injury Protection law grants injured people the right to receive first-party medical benefits after a qualifying motor vehicle accident, including payment for reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the crash, regardless of fault, as required under 75 Pa. C.S. \u00a7 1712. The accident involves a motor vehicle, and you are the insured. That combination triggers your coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you do not own a car, you may still have access to first-party benefits through a family member’s policy if you live in the same household. A Philadelphia personal injury lawyer<\/a> can review your household’s policies and identify every source of coverage available to you after a bicycle crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First-party medical benefits, also called first-party benefits (FPB) or PIP coverage in Pennsylvania, are the foundation of your own auto insurance’s value after a bicycle accident. These benefits pay for reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to your crash injuries, and they pay first, before your health insurance or the at-fault driver’s liability policy gets involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pennsylvania PIP covers reasonable and necessary medical expenses up to the selected policy limit, with a mandatory minimum of $5,000 under 75 Pa. C.S. \u00a7 1712. That $5,000 minimum is a floor, not a ceiling. Many policyholders carry significantly higher limits. If you were injured on Roosevelt Boulevard, one of the city’s most dangerous corridors for cyclists, or on a busy stretch of Broad Street, your medical costs from a serious crash can easily exceed that minimum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wage loss and other benefits apply only if the policyholder elected optional coverage. This is a critical point. If you opted for only the minimum policy when you bought your car insurance, you may have only medical payment coverage. If you elected optional wage loss benefits, those can also kick in to replace income while you recover from your injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Injured people must notify the insurer promptly and submit medical records, billing statements, and treatment verification. Do not delay. Pennsylvania law places documentation requirements on claimants, and gaps in your records can give an insurer grounds to challenge or reduce your claim. Call your insurer as soon as possible after the crash and keep copies of every bill, treatment note, and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If an insured’s first-party limits have been exhausted, the insurer shall, within 30 days of the receipt of the provider’s bill, provide notice to the provider and the insured that the first-party limits have been exhausted. Once that happens, your health insurance or other coverage steps in. Understanding this sequence matters because it affects how your providers submit bills and how your recovery is structured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage are two of the most valuable protections in your auto policy after a bicycle accident, especially when the driver who hit you has little or no insurance. These coverages allow you to make a claim against your own policy when the at-fault driver cannot fully compensate you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uninsured motorist coverage shall provide protection for persons who suffer injury arising out of the maintenance or use of a motor vehicle and are legally entitled to recover damages therefor from owners or operators of uninsured motor vehicles. A bicycle accident involves a motor vehicle. You are legally entitled to damages from the driver. If that driver has no insurance, your UM coverage steps in as your primary source of recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No motor vehicle liability insurance policy shall be delivered or issued for delivery in this Commonwealth, with respect to any motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this Commonwealth, unless uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverages are offered therein or supplemental thereto in amounts as provided in section 1734. In plain terms, your insurer was required to offer you this coverage. If you did not reject it in writing, you likely have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n UIM coverage matters just as much. UIM coverage is particularly important in Pennsylvania because the state’s minimum liability requirements are relatively low. Pennsylvania requires only $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage. A serious accident can easily generate medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and lost income that far exceed these minimums. If a driver hits you near Kelly Drive or at a busy Center City intersection and carries only minimum coverage, UIM coverage from your own policy fills the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hit-and-run accidents are a real concern for cyclists on Philadelphia streets. If the at-fault driver flees the scene and cannot be identified, your UM coverage can provide compensation for your injuries. This scenario is more common than many people realize, particularly on high-traffic roads like the most dangerous roads in Philadelphia<\/a>, where cyclists face the highest risk of serious crashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you signed up for auto insurance in Pennsylvania, you chose between two tort options: limited tort and full tort. That choice, which most people make without much thought, directly affects what you can recover after a bicycle accident, even when you were on a bike and not in a car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under 75 Pa. C.S. \u00a7 1705, Pennsylvania gives every insured the choice between these two options. Full tort coverage means you retain an unrestricted right to seek financial compensation for all injuries, including pain and suffering and other nonmonetary damages, caused by other drivers. Limited tort, on the other hand, restricts your right to sue for pain and suffering unless your injuries meet the threshold of a “serious injury,” defined as serious impairment of body function or death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you chose limited tort to save money on premiums, you may still be able to recover full damages in certain situations. Under 75 Pa. C.S. \u00a7 1705(d)(1), a limited tort insured can recover as if they had chosen full tort when the at-fault driver was convicted of or accepted ARD for DUI, when the driver was operating a vehicle registered in another state, or when the driver had no insurance at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news for many cyclists is that serious bicycle accident injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, and significant road rash, often qualify as serious injuries under Pennsylvania law. That means even limited tort policyholders may retain the right to sue for pain and suffering after a significant crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst-Party Medical Benefits: What They Cover and How to Claim Them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Protects Cyclists Too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Pennsylvania’s Tort Options Affect Your Bicycle Accident Claim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n