Paul Greenberg Joins CAN TV’s “Chicago This Week” to Discuss Chicago’s Surge in Bike Accidents

Briskman Briskman & Greenberg attorney, Paul Greenberg appears on the latest episode of “Chicago This Week,” the Medill-produced news program that airs on CAN TV Channel 21. The segment, reported by Morgan Hawes, takes a hard look at bike safety in Chicago and the growing number of drivers who strike cyclists and then flee the scene.

Hawes contacted Greenberg after our firm published “Chicago Bike Accidents Have Surged 46% Over Four Years,” an analysis of every reported bike accident in the city from 2022 through 2025. The numbers in that report explain why the segment exists.

What the Data Shows

Chicago recorded 8,389 bike accidents over the four-year study period. That figure includes 6,248 injuries and 11 cyclist deaths. Every year set a new record, with accidents rising from 1,686 in 2022 to 2,465 in 2025.

The hit-and-run trend is worse than the accident trend itself. In 2022, drivers fled the scene of 497 bike accidents. By 2025, that number had climbed to 694, a 39.6% increase. Roughly 1 in 3 bike accidents in Chicago now involves a driver who leaves an injured cyclist in the road.

Certain corridors carry most of the risk. N. Milwaukee Ave recorded 329 accidents over the study period, more than any other road in Chicago. N. Clark St followed at 274. The combined Halsted corridor accounted for another 318. W. North Ave has the highest hit-and-run concentration among high-volume roads at 38.2%, meaning more than a third of bike accidents on that street involve a driver who fled.

What Paul Greenberg Said on the Segment

The segment focuses on the criminal exposure that comes with fleeing a bike accident scene, a point Greenberg made directly to Hawes on camera.

“When you injure someone in an accident and you flee, you’re potentially facing a serious criminal charge,” Greenberg told Hawes.

That criminal exposure is real. Illinois law requires drivers to stop at the scene of an accident involving personal injury, exchange information, and render aid. Leaving the scene of an accident that involves injury can be charged as a Class 4 felony, and if the accident involves death, the charge can rise to Class 1. A driver who runs from a bike accident is not avoiding consequences. That driver is adding to them.

The Civil Side: What Injured Cyclists Should Know

The criminal case is the state’s case. The civil case is the cyclist’s case, and the two run on separate tracks. Many cyclists who have been struck by a hit-and-run driver assume they have no path to recovery when the driver is never identified. That assumption is wrong.

Uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage may apply when the at-fault driver flees. Cyclists who own auto insurance, or who live in a household with someone who does, may have coverage that responds directly to hit-and-run injuries. The policy does not require that the cyclist was in a car at the time of the accident. It requires that the injury was caused by an uninsured or unidentified driver.

The first hours and days after a hit-and-run matter. Document the vehicle’s color, direction of travel, any partial plate numbers, and any witnesses on the scene. Get medical attention even if injuries feel minor. Some bike accident injuries worsen over days, particularly soft-tissue damage, concussions, and internal trauma. And before speaking with any insurance company, contact a Chicago bicycle accident lawyer who can evaluate the case and the available coverage.

How to Watch the Segment

“Chicago This Week” airs on CAN TV Channel 21 at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fridays and at 7 p.m. Sundays. Greenberg’s segment is part of Season 6, Episode 6.

The full episode is available on the Medill Reports Chicago website. Greenberg’s segment begins at the 21:46 mark on Vimeo.

Our full report on Chicago’s four-year bike accident surge, including monthly distribution data, road-by-road rankings, cause analysis, and full methodology, is available aquí.

Injured in a Chicago Bike Accident?

If you or a family member has been struck by a driver while riding in Chicago, you have legal rights worth protecting, including when the driver fled the scene. Our team has spent decades representing injured Chicagoans against negligent drivers and the insurance companies that defend them.