In Missouri, evidence in bicycle accident claims includes photos from the crash scene, witness statements, medical records, police reports, and any video footage that shows how the accident happened.
This proof is essential for establishing who was at fault and demonstrating the full extent of your injuries and financial losses. Without strong evidence, insurance companies will deny your claim or offer far less compensation than you deserve.
To build a strong bicycle accident claim, it isn’t enough to show you were hurt—you also need to establish that the other party acted carelessly, keep a clear record of all damages, and make sure crucial proof isn’t lost along the way.
This is because insurers often try to blame cyclists and solid evidence becomes your best defense when that happens.
Evidence To Collect After a Bike Accident
If you can move around after the crash, start collecting evidence right away since time matters and some proof can be lost within hours or days. Start by snapping photos of everything around you—your injuries, the bike damage, the other car, and the whole scene.
Be sure to include skid marks, the road surface, and any traffic signs or lights.
Be sure to collect the driver’s details along with names, phone numbers, and insurance from any witnesses, because if you only rely on the police report you might miss things. While you’re at it ask the officer for the report number so you can request the official document later since it often contains key information.
Finally, keep your damaged bike, helmet, and clothing as they are, because repairing or tossing them erases physical evidence that shows the force and impact of the crash.
Video Evidence To Obtain
Video evidence can be critical in bicycle accident cases because it shows exactly how events unfolded, and while traffic cameras at intersections often run nonstop, that footage usually gets erased quickly.
This is why checking nearby businesses with exterior cameras is also important since many capture a clear view of the road, and with more homes now using doorbell cameras aimed toward the street, those can be useful as well.
Other drivers may have dashcams that caught the collision, and if you were wearing a helmet camera or had one mounted on your bike, that video becomes especially valuable, so it’s worth tracking down.
It also helps to ask bystanders if they filmed the crash on their phones, and since clips often end up on social media, our Missouri bicycle accident attorneys know how to find and use that evidence.
Witness Statements and 911 Records
Eyewitness accounts add weight by filling in details of what actually took place. Even when a witness didn’t see the precise moment of impact, they may have noticed the driver speeding, looking down at their phone, or running a red light just before. This all matters for liability.
Passengers riding with the at-fault driver can also provide useful statements, and because they don’t usually have a reason to shield the driver, their version often comes across as honest.
On top of that, the 911 call recordings preserve what people blurted out right after the accident, and those comments may include the driver admitting something or witnesses describing what they saw, with the immediacy of the moment making them more candid than later statements.
Strava Data, Phone Records, and Vehicle EDR Data
Digital sources now play a growing role in proving fault since modern devices track so much, and cycling apps like Strava log your route, speed, and position, which can show you followed the rules and were exactly where you should have been.
Through legal requests, it’s possible to access the driver’s cell phone records, which reveal if they were texting, calling, or using an app at the time of the crash, and that can be powerful evidence.
Vehicles themselves also store information through the Event Data Recorder, sometimes called the black box. This captures speed, braking, and steering in the seconds before the impact, and that data can show the driver either reacted too late or never even saw you until it was too late.
Proving Injuries and Losses
Proving who caused the accident is only part of the process because you also need to show how it changed your life. Medical records from every stage of treatment create the foundation, whether it was the ER, follow-up visits, physical therapy, or continuing care.
Along with that, taking photos of your injuries as they heal provides a timeline that illustrates both the recovery and the pain you experienced.
You’ll also want to keep receipts for anything tied to the crash, including doctor bills, prescriptions, bike repair or replacement, and travel costs for appointments, since all of it adds to the financial impact.
Lost income should be backed up with pay stubs or tax returns, and if you’re self-employed, invoices and bank records can establish what you normally earn.
Preserving Evidence After a Bicycle Accident
Evidence from bicycle accidents can disappear quickly, and insurance companies understand that, which is why they sometimes delay their own review in hopes that proof will be lost. Because of that, acting right away to preserve evidence is critical.
At Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers, one of the first steps our bicycle accident law firm sakes is sending legal notices that stop anyone from destroying materials that could support your claim.
How Fast Do I Need to Act for Video and Records?
The timeline for securing video evidence is extremely short, which means waiting even a few days can make the difference between having strong proof or none at all. Traffic camera recordings are routinely deleted or written over after a set period, and business security cameras generally do the same.
Home doorbell footage tends to be kept for even less time, so moving quickly is essential.
The same urgency applies to 911 call recordings, since agencies don’t hold onto them forever. Requesting them as soon as possible gives you the best chance of obtaining what was said in those critical first moments. Once the deadline passes, the recordings are often gone for good.
How Do Spoliation Letters and Missouri Sunshine Requests Work?
A spoliation letter is a legal notice we send that requires the other side to preserve evidence such as video, electronic records, or even the vehicle involved. We direct these letters to the at-fault driver, their insurer, and any business that may have useful recordings.
If they ignore the notice and destroy evidence, the law allows for serious penalties.
In addition, Missouri’s Sunshine Law gives us a way to access records from government offices. Through this process, we request traffic camera video, 911 calls, and dispatch logs, and we make sure those requests are filed correctly and within the deadlines so that the evidence can be secured before it’s lost.
Proving a Driver Was Negligent
Negligence arises when a driver’s carelessness causes an accident, and we rely on proof to demonstrate that they either ignored traffic regulations or acted in a way that endangered you.
How Do We Prove a Three-Foot Passing Violation?
Missouri law requires drivers to leave at least three feet when overtaking a cyclist, yet many drivers cut that margin short, often while speeding, which creates speeding car accidents that can easily lead to serious injury.
A helmet cam or bike-mounted camera often captures exactly how close the vehicle came, and witnesses can back up that the pass wasn’t safe. Signs like paint rubbed onto your bike, a mirror strike, or sideswipe marks point to direct impact.
Documenting the width of the lane with its markings shows that the driver had space to move over but chose not to.
How Do We Prove Dooring or Unsafe Turns?
Dooring occurs when someone in a parked car opens their door into a rider’s path, and it remains one of the leading causes of urban bicycle crashes. The resting positions of the bike and car door often tell much of the story, while witnesses can confirm that the door was opened without checking for approaching cyclists.
Sometimes the police report records the driver admitting they never saw you, and adding in a violation such as failing to use a turn signal makes the case for negligence much stronger.
How Do We Prove Distraction or Impairment?
Proving a distracted driver accident depends on focused evidence, with cell phone records often confirming that the driver was texting or talking when the collision occurred. Social media posts logged during the crash window may also confirm they were online instead of watching the road.
For impairment cases, police records are key since they include sobriety test notes and blood alcohol results, while witnesses who saw weaving or drunk driving strengthen the claim. Video clips can also capture the driver looking at a phone or engaging in other distracting behavior just before the impact.
When The Problem Was the Road or the Bike
Driver mistakes aren’t the only reason cyclists get hurt. Dangerous conditions on the road or faulty equipment can also be to blame, and in those circumstances, the party held accountable may be a city, county, or the maker of the bicycle.
How Do We Prove a Dangerous Roadway in Missouri?
It is the job of cities, counties, and state agencies to maintain safe roadways, yet when they don’t, cyclists are exposed to hazards that could have been avoided. We support these cases by taking clear photographs and measurements and by highlighting earlier complaints filed with the authorities, showing that the risk was known but not fixed.
When crashes have happened in the same location before, those records add weight by proving the hazard was ongoing rather than isolated. Experts can also explain how the design or upkeep of the road failed to meet accepted standards, which helps establish it was unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians.
Because claims against government entities in Missouri come with very short filing deadlines, quick action is critical or you lose your right to pursue compensation.
How Do We Prove a Bicycle or Component Defect?
Even when drivers follow the rules, defective parts can still cause a crash, which means liability may shift to the manufacturer or the shop that worked on the bike. Defects generally fall into three main categories:
- Design defects – flaws in the original design, shown through expert evaluation and reports of similar failures in the same product line
- Manufacturing defects – mistakes during production, demonstrated by comparing the broken part to the correct specifications
- Maintenance or assembly errors – problems caused during repair or setup, supported by service records or mechanic testimony
We make sure the defective piece is preserved and reviewed by experts, since their evaluation reveals the cause of the failure and the party at fault.
How Evidence Affects Comparative Fault and Damages
Missouri follows a pure comparative fault system, which means you can still recover damages even if you share some responsibility for the accident, although your award is reduced according to your fault percentage.
Because insurance companies often try to assign as much blame as possible to you in order to lower their payout, gathering solid evidence is essential, and it allows us to counter these tactics effectively.
For instance, if you weren’t wearing a helmet, medical records show which injuries were unavoidable. While helmets can reduce head trauma, catastrophic injuries like broken bones or road rash would happen regardless.
Similarly, if you were wearing dark clothing, we demonstrate that the driver still had a duty to watch for cyclists, as street lighting and driver attention matter far more than clothing color. When you rode outside the bike lane, photos can illustrate why—such as parked cars, debris, or construction blocking the lane—making the deviation reasonable.
Evidence plays a key role in figuring out damages, because serious injuries that require long recovery periods often raise settlement amounts, and when we clearly show the driver was negligent, it can lead to extra compensation for reckless actions.
We consider every loss, from ongoing medical care to future earnings you might miss, and by keeping thorough records, we make it much harder for insurance companies to undervalue your claim.
Injured? Contact Our Experienced Missouri Bicycle Accident Law Firm Today
At Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers, we act immediately to secure evidence and build your case, while responding to the tactics insurers use to lower settlements, and because we work on contingency, we pay for investigations and expert witnesses up front and only take fees if we recover compensation.
Having helped clients across Missouri recover after bicycle accidents, we understand the challenges these injuries create, and you can contact us for a free consultation to go over your situation, clarify your rights, and plan the path to fair compensation.
Cities in Missouri where we have assisted victims of bike accident injuries with their claims include St. Louis, O’Fallon, Jefferson City, Independence, Florissant, Springfield, Columbia, Joplin, and more.
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