Bike Law Georgia

Case Study 2 of 30

Cyclist v. Luni Trucking, Inc.

A cyclist was riding on GA 3 in Pike County when a truck driver swerved across the fog-line and struck the cyclist. The driver tried to blame the cyclist and told the investigating police officer that the cyclist "darted quickly into traffic". In reality, the cyclist had moved even further to the right onto the shoulder of the road to keep himself safe.

The cyclist was airlifted from the scene of the crash and suffered extensive facial, skull, and lumbar fractures, loss of consciousness, and a TBI.

Our legal team investigated the truck driver and his employer. We discovered that the driver had a history of commercial vehicle violations including one for using a cellphone while driving. He had a recorded history of propensity for distracted driving that his employer ignored. We also uncovered that the FMCSA had revoked the trucking company's interstate operating authority in at least 2 instances. This was now a case that extended beyond the driver's negligence.

Our team also created an animation of the crash using 3d laser mapping to prove that the driver had a clear line of sight of almost half a mile over 37 seconds at 55 miles per hour. He didn't just have an unobstructed view, the cyclist was also wearing high visibility clothing.

Conducting an investigation early on that went beyond the scene of the crash was key along with making sure that the attorneys representing the liable parties knew without a doubt that we would present our findings to a jury at trial.

THE FINAL RESOLUTION: $1M settlement for the cyclist without filling a lawsuit.

💪 The legal team behind this case:
Bruce Hagen - Personal Injury Lawyer for 🚴
Dan Pruitt - Pre-Litigation Case Manager
Amie Risley - Negotiations Paralegal

🪖The helmet may have saved the cyclist's life. We have used the photo of his helmet in hundreds of educational classes and clinics all over GA.

Case Study 1 of 30

Cyclist vs. City of Sandy Springs, et al

In July 2019 a cyclist lost control of his bike when his front tire caught a 1.50" ridge between the road and the entrance to his apartment complex on Morgan Falls Rd.
He suffered several pulverized ribs, a broken collarbone, and had surgery. His medical bills were $359k.

⚠️The timeline before the bike crash is important in this case.

2014: Morgan Falls Road had been assessed a grade of "F" in terms of its Bicycle Level of Service.

An Open Records Request we submitted revealed that:
1. A large engineering firm that bid for the job indicated that some redesign was necessary for that section of the road.
2. The City rejected outside engineering and construction management and chose instead to keep costs down by handling the project in-house.

2016 - 2017: Improvements were completed including resurfacing, designating some short segments of bike lanes and marking bicycle sharrows.

On its website, City of Sandy Springs proudly proclaimed that bike infrastructure improvements for Morgan Falls Road had been successfully installed but unfortunately it also allowed a dangerous condition to persist, specifically, the severe lip at the entrance to the apartments.

By August 2020, we filed a lawsuit and retained 2 different engineering experts in road design and construction to build our case. Through extensive discovery and multiple depositions, and using Google Maps aerial imaging it became clear that:
A. the City had responsibility for the area where the crash occurred,
B. there was sufficient evidence to show that the City had knowledge of the hazard since at least 2007 and failed to do anything to fix the problem,
C. that the City had a duty to fix problems on its roads that create dangers to cyclists,
D. the City did not have the protections of Sovereign Immunity for this type of negligence.

The fight continued with a failed mediation at which NOTHING was offered to the cyclist. We made it clear that we would seek accountability in the courtroom and requested a trial date.

THE FINAL RESOLUTION: A substantial settlement sum was reached before trial.

💪🏽The legal team:
Kendrick McWilliams and Bruce Hagen - Personal Injury Lawyers for cyclists
Dan Pruitt - Litigation Paralegal
Amie Risley - Negotiations Paralegal
Herman Hill & Daren Marceau - Engineering Experts

Thank you Brookhaven Bike Alliance and Grind Heart Fitness for hosting a great community event last week.

We discussed laws relating to cyclists in Georgia and what to do after a bike crash.

We also appreciate the law enforcement officers who attended the presentation.

This Atlanta Cycling Festival team deserves a special shout and a huge thank you!!

The bike community would not the be the same without the

Mark, Kevin and LaMiiko THANK YOU for all your hard work with . We ❤️ you guys!

And a big thank you as well to all the volunteers who support ACF and make all the festival events possible.

Congrats on an amazing ACF 2026!!

Lock this guy up and throw away the key. Aggravated Assault and Battery, Terroristic Threats, the list of Felonies goes on and on.

https://www.times-herald.com/news/man-arrested-after-threatening-cyclists-striking-bicycle/article_b0f5cfed-8896-4225-93d0-20987779a298.html?

Man arrested after threatening cyclists, striking bicycle A man was arrested Wednesday after reportedly threatening to shoot a cyclist and striking one of their bicycles with his car during a road rage incident on Joe Stephens Road.

So awful. Our hearts go out to the family. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/cyclist-killed-suspected-hit-and-run-left-middle-street-die-father-says/ADNJ5TKS5ND5DPD2SODR3GWD6Q/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZnRzaAR8gy1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEewwXCOSYU0DjRihzysHtaLz7TcgI9Urww8HtG1WUacIIeVr744PSxundnKEo_aem_vJnkehhKYtw2yjhHUi_Dvw =1779396203

Cyclist killed in suspected hit-and-run left ‘in the middle of the street to die,’ father says “Anybody that met her, they would just see how electric her smile was and just how deeply she cared about people.”

Our hearts are with the family and friends of Darnell Hodges.

Darnell lost his life in a crash on Pulaski Road in Register, GA on May 7, 2026.

His obituary shares that Darnell had a passion for helping anyone who needed help, along with riding his bicycle throughout the community.

According to news reporting, he had fallen off his bicycle and then was hit by a driver who also fled the scene. The driver was later identified and detained. We are not aware of any charges brought against the driver at this time.

We hope that a through investigation is conducted and that there is justice for Darnell and his family.

Tonight is the Ride of Silence. Tonight we ride for Darnell.

The International Ride of Silence is tomorrow May 20. If you lost a loved one in a bike crash, this ride is for you. If you ride bikes, this ride is for you.

There are 3 locations in Georgia. Please consider joining one of them.

📍Decatur/Atlanta - hosted by Bikefriendlyatl, Inc and Bike Law Georgia - **In Special Memoriam of Ken Rosskopf**
6:45 pm - poem and words of remembrance
7:00 pm - wheels down
8:00 pm - Annual Bike Law GA Lawn Party

📍Peachtree City/ Senoia - hosted by Bike-Walk Fayette and SouthSide Cycling Club
7 pm - wheels down

📍Columbus - hosted by Bicycle Columbus
6 pm - wheels down