How a Provo Cyclist Recovered $38,500 After a Serious Crash
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- Client: Daniel R.
- Age: 31
- Location: Provo, Utah
- Accident Date: June 7, 2025
- Accident Type: Bicycle and vehicle collision
- Injuries: Wrist injury, shoulder strain, and road rash
- Final Settlement: $38,500
- Resolution: Settled without trial
Daniel R. was riding home in Provo, Utah, on June 7, 2025, on a route he had taken a hundred times before. When a driver pulled out from a side street without checking for cyclists, within seconds the car struck our client.
The crash occurred near the intersection of West 500 North and North 500 West in Provo. The collision threw Daniel onto the pavement and left his bicycle badly damaged.
The crowd surrounded him right after the crash, and the wrecked bicycle was the most visible loss. At first, our client thought that he had minor injuries and that he would feel fine after a bit of rest. But as the adrenaline wore off over the night, he realized that the real damage had happened to his body.
He had road rash down one arm, his wrist wouldn’t bear any weight, and the pain in his shoulder only got worse in the next few days. He sought medical treatment from Intermountain Health Utah Valley Hospital, and eventually he needed physical therapy to recover.
The injuries also made it difficult for him to perform his normal work duties as an HVAC technician. Daniel missed approximately $4,200 in income while he recovered and attended the hospital for his medical appointments.
He didn’t know where to start. He didn’t own a car, so he wasn’t sure whether he even had insurance to call. Therefore, he contacted Cockayne Law and came in for a legal consultation.
PIP Coverage Even Without a Car
One of the first things we explained to Daniel was something many injured cyclists do not even know, and it was that Utah’s no-fault insurance system also protects cyclists.
Under Utah Code § 31A-22-307, the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage on the vehicle that hit him also covered him as an injured cyclist. This gave him at least $3,000 for medical expenses and certain lost wages, even though he did not have his own auto insurance policy.
The PIP coverage helped him start treatment without having to wait for the insurance company to decide who was at fault. But as his physical therapy continued and his medical bills increased, we started looking at the bigger picture.
Under Utah Code § 31A-22-309, an injured person may seek compensation from the at-fault driver when medical expenses go over $3,000. So, when medical costs for Daniel’s injuries passed that limit, Cockayne Law prepared a personal injury lawsuit to demand a fair settlement that will cover money for his pain, vehicle replacement, lost income, and the impact the injury had on his daily life.
Building The Personal Injury Claim
We gathered the police report, his medical records, replacement cost for the bicycle, and documentation of the wages he lost. Daniel’s medical records, the $2,850 replacement cost for his bicycle, and documentation of the $4,200 in wages he lost during his recovery.
Cockayne Law’s paralegal team reviewed the available insurance coverage and the at-fault driver’s responsibility for causing the collision. The insurance company initially offered Daniel $15,000 to resolve his claim. We believed the offer did not adequately account for his medical treatment, lost income, bicycle damage, and the effect of the injuries on his daily activities.
We presented the insurer with the evidence supporting Daniel’s claim and negotiated for a settlement that fully reflected the losses documented in his case.
As a result, the case settled for $38,500 on September 18, 2025, as we helped Daniel in negotiations with the insurance company. We worked on a contingency-fee basis, so he paid nothing upfront to have our law firm represent him as we pursued his personal injury claim.
This settlement covered the cost of his new bicycle, his missed wages, and some acknowledgment of what those months of recovery actually cost him.
