Why Hit-and-Run Crashes Involving Cyclists Are So Devastating

A person on a bicycle has no crumple zone, no airbag, and no steel frame around them. When a motor vehicle traveling at speed collides with a rider, the rider’s body absorbs essentially all of the crash forces. The injury pattern Love described — spinal fractures, a dislocated shoulder, a leg break serious enough to require internal fixation with a rod — is typical of what trauma surgeons see when a car strikes a cyclist at arterial speeds.

The national numbers reflect how exposed cyclists are. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) 2023 Traffic Safety Facts, U.S. traffic crashes killed 1,166 bicyclists and other cyclists in 2023, a 4 percent increase over 2022, and injured an estimated 49,989 — an 8 percent increase year over year.

Hit-and-run cases add a second layer of harm. When a driver flees, there is no roadside exchange of insurance information and often no license plate. Investigators must reconstruct the crash from witness accounts, debris, and whatever camera footage happens to exist nearby. Every hour that passes makes vehicle damage easier to repair and evidence easier to lose.

Georgia Law and Leaving the Scene

Under Georgia law, a driver involved in a crash that causes injury or death must stop at the scene, render reasonable assistance, and provide their name, address, and vehicle registration. That duty appears in O.C.G.A. § 40-6-270. Fleeing is a criminal offense in its own right, and when the crash results in serious injury or death the charge escalates to a felony. Those criminal consequences are separate from — and in addition to — any civil liability the driver carries for the harm caused.

Georgia also gives cyclists the legal right to use the roadway. Riders are generally entitled to the lane and are not required to hug the curb when doing so would be unsafe, such as when avoiding debris, potholes, parked cars, or a lane too narrow to share safely. Georgia’s bicycle laws clearly define these rights.

Lee Street itself is a major southwest Atlanta corridor running past the former Fort McPherson army post. Like many wide arterials in the metro area, it carries commuter and commercial traffic at speeds well above what the surrounding neighborhoods were built for, and stretches of it lack protected bike infrastructure. That combination — arterial speeds, residential activity, and little separation for riders — is familiar across the south metro, including on the two-lane highways with narrow shoulders that cyclists use throughout Fayette and Coweta counties.

What Cases Like This Can Mean for the People Involved

When a driver remains unidentified, injured Georgians still have recourse. Many Georgia drivers carry uninsured motorist coverage on their own auto policies. This specifically applies when the at-fault driver cannot be found or has no insurance. In serious-injury cases, that coverage may be the primary avenue for addressing medical bills, lost income, and long-term rehabilitation costs. You can find more information at the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner.

If a fleeing driver is later identified, a civil claim can proceed alongside any criminal prosecution. The two run on separate tracks: a criminal case addresses punishment by the state, while a civil claim addresses the injured person’s losses. Georgia generally allows two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit.

The practical costs in a case like Love’s are substantial and ongoing — multiple surgeries, hardware implanted in a leg, months of physical therapy, and time away from work. Love had a triathlon on his calendar for August 29 and said cycling had been central to his health over the past year, during which he lost 55 pounds.

“God is not done with me, and I’m not done with this world and my life,” he said.

If you have information about the crash or the vehicle involved, please contact the Atlanta Police Department.