Insurance After a Cambridge Bike Accident: PIP, Uninsured and Underinsured Coverage, and What You Can Recover

One of the most confusing parts of a bicycle accident is figuring out whose insurance actually pays for what. Massachusetts’s no-fault system was written with cars in mind, but it applies to cyclists too, and it works in layers. Here is how those layers fit together.

Layer One: Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

In Massachusetts, the driver’s own auto policy includes Personal Injury Protection coverage of at least $8,000 per person, and it applies to a cyclist the driver hits regardless of who caused the crash. PIP covers reasonable medical expenses, up to 75 percent of lost wages, and the cost of services you can no longer perform yourself, such as household help while you recover. You do not need to prove fault to collect PIP, and it typically pays out first, before any other coverage.

Layer Two: A Bodily Injury Claim Against the Driver

PIP has limits, and $8,000 does not go far with a serious injury. Once your medical bills exceed $2,000, or you have a qualifying injury such as a fracture, permanent disfigurement, or a loss of sight or hearing, Massachusetts law allows you to bring a claim against the at-fault driver for damages PIP does not cover: pain and suffering, remaining medical bills, remaining lost income, and any permanent impairment. As of July 1, 2025, Massachusetts raised its minimum bodily injury liability limits to $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, up from the previous $20,000 and $40,000. That is a meaningful increase, but it is still a low ceiling for a cyclist with a serious injury, which is part of why the next two layers matter.

Hurt in a bike crash and not sure whose insurance pays? Get a free case review from a Cambridge bicycle accident attorney. Call 617-683-1983.

Layer Three: Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Massachusetts requires every driver to carry uninsured motorist coverage, now at the same $25,000/$50,000 minimum, specifically to protect people hit by drivers who carry no insurance at all or who flee the scene. If you own a car, or live with a relative who does, this coverage extends to you as a cyclist even though you were not in a vehicle at the time. Hit-and-run crashes are common enough with cyclists, since some drivers do not realize they hit someone or panic and leave, that this coverage ends up mattering more often than people expect.

Layer Four: Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Underinsured motorist coverage is optional, but it fills a real gap. Many drivers still carry only the state minimum liability coverage, which may not come close to covering a serious bicycle injury. If your own policy includes underinsured motorist coverage, it can make up the difference between what the at-fault driver’s insurance pays and what your damages actually total. One situation runs the other way. If the car that hit you was working for Uber or Lyft at the time, the rideshare company’s commercial policy can put far more coverage on the table than a state minimum personal policy would.

If You Do Not Own a Car

A lot of Cambridge cyclists do not own a car and have no auto policy of their own. In that situation, you generally still get PIP from the driver’s policy, and you can still bring a bodily injury claim against the driver directly, but you may not have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage to fall back on unless you live with a relative who carries it. This makes it especially important to identify the driver, get a police report, and move quickly if there is any question about whether the driver has adequate insurance. What you were riding matters less than people expect. Massachusetts treats a Class 1 or Class 2 electric bicycle as a bicycle rather than a motor vehicle, so the same coverage layers apply.

Why Insurance Companies Undervalue Bicycle Claims

Adjusters are trained to look for comparative fault arguments, and bicycle claims give them more to work with than the average two-car accident: questions about lane position, visibility, helmet use, and speed all become opportunities to shave down a payout. Insurers also routinely lowball the cost of replacing a damaged bike and gear, treating a $3,000 bicycle like a $300 one. None of this is a reason to accept a first offer.

If you are trying to figure out which of these layers applies to your situation, a Cambridge bicycle accident lawyer at our firm can walk through it with you at no cost. Call 617-683-1983 for a free consultation.