Move yourself and your bike out of the travel lane if you can do so safely. On busy St. Louis corridors — Hampton Avenue, Kingshighway, Page Avenue, or I-64 service roads — stay off the roadway and watch for passing traffic. Use your phone's flashlight or keep your bike lights on if it's dusk or dark. Do not move your bike more than necessary; its final position is evidence.

Request police and EMS immediately. A formal crash report from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department or St. Louis County Police is critical — it creates an official record of the collision. Ask the responding officer for the report number before they leave the scene. Without a police report, insurance carriers will often dispute the facts of the crash entirely.

• Driver's full name, phone number, and driver's license number
• Vehicle make, model, color, and license plate number
• Insurance company name and policy number
• Names and phone numbers of any witnesses — bystanders, other cyclists, or nearby business employees
• If the driver is a delivery or rideshare vehicle (Doordash, Uber, FedEx, Amazon), note the company name and any vehicle ID numbers

• Wide shots of the intersection or road corridor showing traffic lanes, bike lanes, signals, and signage
• All damage to your bike — frame, wheels, handlebars, drivetrain
• Your helmet (cracks, impact points), torn or bloodied clothing — photograph before discarding
• Close-ups of the vehicle's damage and license plate
• Skid marks, debris, road defects (potholes, missing paint, broken curb cuts) that may have contributed
• Your visible injuries at the scene and in the days following — bruising, lacerations, and swelling often worsen after 24–48 hours
• Nearby businesses, traffic cameras, or Ring-type cameras that may have captured the crash

Cyclists are especially vulnerable to traumatic brain injuries, internal injuries, and soft tissue damage that don't present symptoms immediately. Go to an emergency room or urgent care that same day. Tell providers it was a bicycle vs. motor vehicle collision so the injury mechanism is documented in your chart — this matters significantly for your claim. Keep all discharge paperwork, imaging results, and follow-up instructions.

Your bicycle and safety equipment are physical evidence. Do not repair your bike or replace your helmet until your attorney or the insurance adjuster has inspected them. Store everything in a safe location. A cracked helmet can demonstrate the force of impact — replacing it before documentation can significantly undercut your claim. Keep your riding clothing as well; launder nothing until photographed.

• If your bike has a computer or GPS device (Garmin, Wahoo, Strava-linked unit), preserve that ride data — it can confirm your speed and route
• Request video footage from nearby businesses along the route promptly; most systems overwrite within 7–14 days

Report the crash to your own auto insurer promptly — your personal auto policy's uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may apply to bicycle accidents even though you weren't in a car. Your health insurance and any personal injury protection (PIP) coverage may also be available. When the at-fault driver's insurer contacts you for a recorded statement, consider consulting an attorney first — adjusters are trained to minimize payouts.

Under Missouri law, cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle operators on public roads. But in practice, insurance carriers routinely argue that cyclists contributed to their own injuries. Missouri's pure comparative fault rules mean your recovery can be reduced in proportion to any assigned fault — making an early, thorough investigation critical to your case. Alvin Wolff Jr. has concentrated in personal injury cases throughout St. Louis City and St. Louis County for over 46 years, handling bicycle accident claims at all levels of the Missouri court system.

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