Auburndale is mostly quiet side streets and detached houses, which is part of why an e-bike crash here can feel so disorienting. One minute you are gliding past the Auburndale LIRR station or crossing Northern Boulevard; the next you are sitting on the curb trying to remember where your phone landed. When that happens, it helps to have a short list to follow instead of trying to think of everything at once.
What follows is that list: a practical, hour-by-hour guide to the first three days after an e-bike collision. Under each step you will find a few words on why it matters. You do not need to do everything perfectly. Doing most of it, in roughly this order, puts you in a far stronger position.
Your first 72 hours, one step at a time
- Get safe and call 911 (hour 0).
Move out of traffic if you can, and ask for police and, if needed, an ambulance. A police report gives your claim an official starting point. Before the officer leaves, write down the report number. If a driver offers cash to “keep it between us,” politely say no.
- Photograph everything before it changes (hour 0 to 1).
Take pictures of the car and its license plate, the position of your bike, skid marks, the traffic light or stop sign, and the pavement. On a wide road like Francis Lewis Boulevard, a wide shot showing lanes and parked cars can explain the crash better than words.
- Collect names and numbers (hour 0 to 1).
Get the driver’s name, insurance details and plate. Ask anyone who saw it for a phone number. Neighbors who were out front of their houses are often the best witnesses on residential blocks.
- See a doctor the same day (hours 1 to 12).
Head injuries, broken wrists and collarbones, leg fractures, spinal strain, dental damage and road rash are the injuries we see most often after e-bike falls. Some take hours to show. Tell the doctor exactly how the crash happened so the records reflect it.
- Keep the bike and helmet exactly as they are (day 1).
Do not repair, sell or throw out the e-bike, the battery or the helmet. If a brake failed or a battery overheated, the bike itself may be the key evidence in a claim against the maker or seller. New York City’s Local Law 39 of 2023 requires e-bikes sold, leased or rented in the city to meet UL 2849 and batteries to meet UL 2271. If a battery is damaged, store it safely using the FDNY’s lithium-ion battery guidance.
- Ask for video (days 1 to 2).
Stores along Northern Boulevard, passing buses and home doorbell cameras on nearby blocks may have caught the crash. Much of this footage is erased within days, so ask politely and soon.
- Start a short injury diary (day 1 onward).
A few lines a day about pain, sleep, missed work and things you could not do adds up to powerful proof. Our article on keeping an injury and symptom diary has a simple template.
- Begin the no-fault paperwork (days 2 to 3).
If a car hit you, that car’s no-fault insurance generally pays your medical bills and part of your lost wages, since you were not riding inside it (Insurance Law § 5103). The claim generally must be filed within 30 days, so getting it moving in the first few days is wise. The steps are laid out in our no-fault claims guide.
- Call a lawyer before you talk to the other insurer (days 1 to 3).
An adjuster may call quickly and ask for a recorded statement. You are allowed to say you will call back. An e-bike accident lawyer in Auburndale can handle that conversation for you.
A few things to know once the dust settles
Your e-bike is not a car in the eyes of the law. Under VTL § 125, a bicycle with electric assist is not a motor vehicle. The state recognizes three classes of e-bike in VTL § 102-c, and city rules cap speed at 15 mph on every street.
Pain and suffering has its own test. To seek those damages from a driver, New York generally requires a “serious injury,” such as a fracture or significant limitation of a body part.
Being partly at fault is not the end. Pure comparative fault (CPLR § 1411) means a missing helmet or a bit of extra speed may reduce your recovery without erasing it.
Some deadlines are very short. A claim over a pothole or broken roadway against the city generally needs a notice of claim within 90 days. A hit-and-run may involve your own uninsured motorist coverage or MVAIC, with strict early deadlines. Most lawsuits generally must be filed within three years.
Working riders have extra options. Employees generally receive workers’ compensation, while app-based riders may be classified as independent contractors, which affects benefits. See our work injury page. If you were walking and got hit by someone on an e-bike instead, our pedestrian accident team can explain how those claims differ.
Who we are
Yakov Mushiyev & Associates is a Queens personal injury firm that has recovered over $80 million for injured New Yorkers. Our e-bike and scooter accident team represents riders across the borough, and our Queens accident lawyer page describes the neighborhoods we cover. If you are searching for an electric bike accident lawyer or an e-bike accident attorney near Auburndale, we can come to you at home, visit you in the hospital or meet by video, in English, Russian or Spanish.
Friends and family in nearby neighborhoods can find an e-bike accident lawyer in Flushing or an e-bike accident lawyer in Bayside on our site. We also have pages for an e-bike accident lawyer in Fresh Meadows and an e-bike accident lawyer in Whitestone.
Finding our office
You will find us at 1 Cross Island Plaza, Suite 325, Rosedale, NY 11422, and the map shows how to get there from Auburndale.
If you are still inside that 72-hour window, or well past it, a quick call to 718.775.3110 costs nothing. You can also reach an Auburndale e-bike accident lawyer at our firm by writing to us on the contact page. There is no fee unless we win.
This checklist is general information only and does not replace legal advice about your own crash. Attorney Advertising.