NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 
Bronx bicycle injury lawyer Glenn Herman of Herman & Herman
Herman & Herman PC released "Insurance and How You Get Paid," the fourth segment of Episode 2 of Pedals to the Courtroom, the firm's New York cycling law series. Partner Robin Herman asks the questions. Founding partner Glenn A. Herman, a cyclist and NYC bike injury lawyer with over 25 years of experience, explains where the money comes from after a rider gets hurt.
Watch the segment here: Insurance and How You Get Paid on Pedals to the Courtroom
The segment covers:
- No-fault benefits for cyclists under New York Insurance Law Article 51, including dooring crashes
- The 30-day deadline to file a no-fault claim with the vehicle's insurer
- What $50,000 in no-fault coverage pays for, and what the coverage leaves out
- The 24-hour police report rule after a hit-and-run
- Coverage through a car owned by the rider or a relative in the same household
- MVAIC claims for riders with no car and no plate number
- Why insurers push back on Class 3 e-bike riders
- New York's eight categories of serious injury
Most riders don't know a cyclist hit by a car qualifies for no-fault benefits, also called personal injury protection. Fault plays no role. "Even if the bicycle rider is 100% at fault, wasn't watching where he was going, crashed into the side of a car, the rider is still entitled to these no-fault benefits," Herman said.
The claim goes to the insurance company for the vehicle involved, and the rider has 30 days to file. Herman explains the coverage runs up to $50,000. Medical expenses get paid in full. Lost wages get paid at 80%, capped at $2,000 a month. Transportation to and from the doctor gets paid up to $25 a day. No-fault does not pay for pain and suffering. A pain and suffering claim in New York requires a legally defined serious injury, so road rash or a few stitches won't qualify.
Hit-and-run crashes carry a strict rule. If police don't come to the scene or don't write a report, the rider or someone acting for the rider must report the crash to police within 24 hours. Herman warns a missed report puts insurance benefits at risk, with limited exceptions for riders too hurt to act.
He also points to coverage most riders overlook. "If you or a relative that you live with owns a car, that car insurance will provide no-fault coverage, even though that car had nothing to do with the crash," Herman said. He adds the insurance companies keep quiet about this coverage, and the firm makes a claim against the household policy in every case, hit-and-run or not.
Riders with no household car still have a path. The state's Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation, known as MVAIC, pays no-fault benefits and up to $25,000 for a serious injury. Herman says MVAIC makes riders prove the severity of their injury, and a claim without the 24-hour police report gets thrown out. New York defines serious injury through eight categories, including fractures, significant disfigurement, dismemberment, death, and significant limitation of use of a body function or system.
The segment also takes on Class 3 e-bikes. "Riding a class three bike doesn't disqualify the rider hit by a vehicle from obtaining the no-fault coverage," Herman said. Insurers still argue a bike capable of going faster than 25 mph falls outside Class 3, and they ask for photos and receipts to deny payment. His advice for any rider on any class of bike after a crash: speak with a lawyer.
Cyclists and e-bike riders injured in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island can reach the firm 24/7 for a free consultation at 212-966-1928. The firm comes to clients at home, at work, or in the hospital, and charges no fee unless the case wins.
About Herman & Herman PC
Herman & Herman PC is a family-based New York City personal injury law firm founded by Glenn A. Herman and Robin S. Herman. The firm has recovered more than $30 million for injured clients across bicycle, auto, construction, and wrongful death cases. Glenn A. Herman is admitted to the New York State Bar, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the Supreme Court of the United States. The firm maintains offices in Manhattan at 620 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200 (Rockefeller Center) and in the Bronx at 2929 Third Avenue, 4th Floor, and serves Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester.
Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Media Contact: Herman & Herman PC Phone: 212-966-1928 Website: hermannyc.com
Sources
[1] Pedals to the Courtroom, Episode 2, Segment 4: "Insurance and How You Get Paid," transcript, Herman & Herman PC, 2026. All legal explanations and quotes attributed to Glenn A. Herman come from this recording.
