Bike Accidents and the Value of Garmin/Strava Ride Data

On June 11, 2025, our cyclist client was finishing a long ride outside of Ottawa. Next thing he knew, he was being loaded into an ambulance and then lying in a hospital bed followed by 4 weeks of intensive care.

As a result of being hit by a motorist, he underwent surgery having suffered a head injury, broken collarbone, broken scapula, 9 broken ribs, punctured lung and the usual road rash associated with serious collisions like this. Terrifyingly, on account of the head injury, he could not remember being hit. The details of the crash were vague and sparse in his mind.

He was heavily sedated, and family members dealt with the Ottawa Police.

Ottawa police told the family that the driver said she was at a stop sign or slowing rolling up to one when the cyclist came from behind her on the left side and cut in front of her at the intersection at the last minute. She couldn’t avoid the crash! From what the driver told the police she and the cyclist were on the same road, the cyclist pulled a dangerous maneuver and so she was not responsible for the crash. At least, this is what was relayed to the family who pursued Ottawa Police for any information.

The diagram contained in the Motor Vehicle Accident Report, an official document pertaining to the crash confirms the driver’s version of events and attributed fault to the cyclist (police never interviewed our client and initially ignored the Strava data sent by our client’s family directly to police):

This didn’t sit right with us, the injured cyclist, his family and his similarly hardcore cycling friends. He is an experienced rider, with years and miles under his belt. He’s aware of his responsibilities on the roadway, always cycles safely and follows the rules of the road. Why on earth would he have jumped around the car and cut her off as suggested by the driver? Though he couldn’t remember exactly, it didn’t track.

The Biking Lawyer LLP team and his family got to work.

We pulled his Garmin and Strava data, sending his Garmin computer to our forensic tech engineer. A report is on its way.

However, with our client’s Strava ride record alone we were able to confirm via GPS signature that he was travelling on the roadway intersecting the roadway the driver was on:

The cyclist was never on the same road as the driver (until the last minute when she turned into him). He never cut around in front of her while she was stopped. He was on a through road, with no stop sign. The driver instead was the one in the wrong, she ran a stop, failed to yield the right of way and turned into our client. Striking him at speed and causing him significant lifelong injuries.

With the consent of our client and his family, we are sharing his story.

We want other cyclists to know the benefits of tracking their rides and using GPS (in lieu of video recordings – the gold standard) to create a receipt of your cycling behaviour in the moments before, God forbid, a crash occurs.

This case, like many others we have succeeded in initially had fault attributed to the cyclist. No liability on the part of the drivers and therefore no chance for these people on bikes to proceed with civil claims to cover extensive damages and losses associated with their injuries. Time and time again, we’ve used Strava and Garmin data to prove fault as against the motorists involved.

With no witnesses on scene, no cameras, Garmin and Strava data files are essential.

Not only can you gain kudos and KOMs but you can potentially be doing future you a big favour by using these apps/devices.

When we provided this information to Ottawa Police (who still haven’t interviewed our client), they agreed that the driver was the one at fault for this June collision. However, instead of issuing a Failure to Yield AND Careless Driving Charge on account of the severity of the cyclist’s injuries and the fact the driver lied, the OPS said the Careless Charge wasn’t warranted and they would only be proceeding with the Failure to Yield charge.

A cyclist's life changed forever. A driver who lied and could have greatly affected the cyclist’s recovery needs and entitlements. Justice not served.

Call it ant-cyclist bias, call it failed policing, whatever it is, it’s a disservice to vulnerable road users everywhere.

STAY INFORMED

*We use the word Accident for SEO purposes only, we know that barring a medical emergency all road collisions are preventable. Not accidents.

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