Las Vegas has grown into a genuine cycling community, from recreational riders heading out to Red Rock Canyon and River Mountains Loop Trail to commuters and delivery riders on valley streets. Unfortunately, our road network was built for cars, and cyclists pay the price when drivers are distracted, impatient, or simply not looking. A cyclist struck by a car has no protection beyond a helmet, and injuries are often serious: fractures, head and facial injuries, road rash, and worse.
Where Bicycle Crashes Happen in Las Vegas
Most urban bicycle collisions happen in predictable ways: a driver turns right across a bike lane, pulls out of a parking lot or side street without yielding, opens a car door into a rider’s path, or passes too closely on a narrow road. Intersections along busy arterials and the streets around the resort corridor and downtown see more than their share, as do the fast-moving suburban roads where speed limits are high and shoulders are thin.
Your Rights as a Cyclist in Nevada
Under Nevada law, a bicycle on the road is a vehicle: cyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers, and motorists must treat them accordingly. Nevada also requires drivers to move over or pass with at least three feet of clearance when overtaking a bicycle (NRS 484B.270). A driver who crowds, clips, or cuts off a cyclist has usually broken the law — which is strong evidence of fault.
As in other injury cases, Nevada’s comparative negligence rule (NRS 41.141) allows recovery so long as the injured person was not more than 50 percent at fault, and most lawsuits must be filed within two years of the crash (NRS 11.190). Adults are not legally required to wear a helmet in Nevada, but insurance companies sometimes raise the issue anyway; it does not excuse the driver who hit you.
Practical Steps After a Bicycle Crash
- Get medical attention immediately, even if you think you’re “just banged up” — head injuries and internal injuries are not always obvious at the scene.
- Call the police and make sure a report is made; ask for the report number.
- Keep the bicycle, helmet, and torn clothing in their post-crash condition — they are evidence.
- Photograph the scene, your injuries, the vehicle, and its license plate, and get witness names.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the driver’s insurance company before you have legal advice.
How We Can Help
Bicycle claims are often undervalued by insurers who treat them as minor. They are not. We document the full picture — your medical care, lost income, damaged equipment, and the very real experience of being hit by a car — and pursue every available source of coverage, including the driver’s liability policy and your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which generally protects you on a bicycle just as it does in your car.
Consultations are free, and there is no attorney’s fee unless we win. If you’ve been hit while cycling in the Las Vegas Valley, call 702-737-0000.