Offices in Ottawa and Perth
(613) 722-1500

CONTACT US (613) 722-1500

When Cars and Cyclists Collide

When Cars and Cyclists Collide

By:

Posted May 2, 2018

With the arrival of spring weather, Ottawa’s cyclists are out in force.  Ottawa is a great city for cycling.  We have over 600 km of bike paths in the Capital Region.  However, not everyone can get to where they want to go without resorting to cycling on city streets.  Cyclists, just like drivers, must obey the rules of the road, including signalling, obeying traffic signals, and not riding on the sidewalk or in pedestrian crosswalks.  Even when obeying all the rules of the road, cyclists run the risk of being struck by a motor vehicle.  What legal rights does a cyclist have if they are injured in a collision with a motor vehicle?

The circumstances surrounding each and every car/bike collision are unique.  However, generally speaking, when a cyclist is struck and injured by a car, they can receive financial compensation from one of the following sources:

·     The insurance of any car involved in the crash;

·     The cyclist’s own car insurance, or the car insurance of their spouse, or someone on whom they are dependent; or

·     The Ontario Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund (“The Fund”).

A legal claim for compensation

If a cyclist is struck and injured by a vehicle, they can sue the driver and owner of the vehicle for compensation in the form of monetary damages.  A person bringing a lawsuit usually has the onus to establish that the person they are suing was negligent.  However, a cyclist is considered a pedestrian under the Highway Traffic Act and therefore a “reverse onus” applies.  This means that the driver of the car must prove that the collision “did not arise through (their) negligence or improper conduct”. This reverse onus gives the cyclist an important legal advantage when suing for compensation.

Automobile insurance is mandatory in Ontario and this means that, if a cyclist sues a driver, the driver’s insurance company will pay any damages awarded by the court up to the policy limits, which are a minimum of $200,000 in Ontario and are usually $1 million or more.  Should the at-fault driver be uninsured, or if it is not possible to identify the at-fault driver, then the injured cyclist’s damages are paid by their own auto insurance company or that of their spouse (if the policy includes a Family Protection Coverage OPCF – 44R Endorsement, which is quite common).

If the injured cyclist does not have access to personal or family insurance, then the Ontario Government pays the damages through the Ontario Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund.  Unfortunately, coverage from The Fund is only available to a maximum of $200,000.

 “No-Fault” Benefits

No-fault benefits are part of every motor vehicle insurance policy issued in Ontario.  They are available to everyone who is injured in a collision with a car no matter who is at fault.  This means that an injured cyclist has access to no-fault benefits even if they are responsible for causing the accident.  The benefits include income replacement, payment of medical and rehabilitation expenses, the cost of attendant care and, if optional benefits are included, such things as home maintenance.

If the cyclist has their own insurance then they collect these benefits from their insurer.  If the cyclist does not have car insurance, they may be able to collect from another policy on which they are listed as a driver, or their spouse’s policy.  If these policies do not exist then the cyclist makes a claim against the insurance policy of the involved motor vehicle.  If the involved vehicle is unidentified or uninsured then, once again, the claim is against the Ontario Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund.

Conclusion

A motorist who is injured in a collision can look to their own insurance policy for some forms of compensation.  Because cyclists do not have to be insured, they may need to look to other sources of insurance for access to no-fault benefits.

This blog post was written by Edward (Ted) Masters, a member of the Personal Injury team.  He can be reached at 613-566-2064 or at ted.masters@mannlawyers.com.

More Resources

Blog |
Wills, Trusts and Estates
By: 

Posted March 21, 2024

If someone wishes to make a Will or appoint a Power of Attorney, they must have the requisite capacity. The determination as to whether someone[...]
Blog |
Business Law
By: 

Posted March 13, 2024

A not-for-profit corporation incorporated pursuant to the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (Ontario) (”ONCA”) is required to maintain certain records regarding the corporation, its members, directors and[...]
Blog |
Business Law
By: 

Posted March 5, 2024

With India having touched down on the surface of the moon last year, an impressive achievement by all accounts, we are reminded of the dozens[...]
Blog |
Family Law
By: 
Co-parenting with your ex-partner can be challenging. It involves constant coordination and communication about various aspects of your children’s lives. Whether it is about schedules,[...]
Blog |
Wills, Trusts and Estates
By: 
Over time, individuals could acquire assets in different jurisdictions that are governed by different legal systems. Similar to the consideration of double wills in distinguishing[...]
Blog |
Family Law
By: 

Posted January 31, 2024

In the first part of this series, we reviewed the background, trial, and appeal to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in Anderson v Anderson. This[...]
Ted Masters

Ted Masters

My practice is focused on helping people who have been injured in car accidents or through medical negligence or who have been denied disability insurance benefits. With over 40 years of experience as a personal injury lawyer, I understand how a serious injury or denial of disability benefits affects not just my individual client, but their entire family. I am alert to each client’s individual physical, emotional and financial needs and challenges. I work to achieve an outcome that is client focussed. As a trained mediator, I understand that my client’s personal goals must be met in order to come to a satisfactory resolution of their case, preferably through a reasonable settlement, but by trial judgement if necessary. Although assisting individuals has been the focal point of my legal career, my clients get the benefit of my wide range of litigation experience including disability claims, intellectual property litigation, commercial disputes, Indian... Read More

Read More About Ted Masters

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Consent*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.