Left-turn conflicts like the one that injured Trevor are among the most common causes of serious crashes involving cyclists.
On December 13, 2025, my 26-year-old son Trevor Crawford was riding his e-bike in the bike lane along a road in Fort Myers when a driver traveling in the opposite direction failed to yield while turning left across his path, causing a devastating crash. In seconds, a normal day turned into a life-altering event.
Trevor suffered devastating injuries — two shattered femurs and a broken arm — requiring emergency surgery and steel rods placed in both of his legs. Months later, he is still facing a long and difficult recovery.
As a parent, watching your child endure this kind of trauma is heartbreaking. But what shocked me almost as much as the crash itself was what we learned afterward about Florida’s auto insurance system.
The driver who hit Trevor had no insurance and was driving a borrowed vehicle. The owner of the vehicle carried only Florida’s minimum required coverage.
Many Florida drivers wrongly assume that if someone borrows their car, the driver’s insurance alone covers damages. But under Florida’s Dangerous Instrumentality Doctrine, the owner of the vehicle is financially responsible for damages caused by the driver.
In Trevor’s case, the owner of the vehicle has no significant assets, which means Trevor is highly unlikely to recover anything for his injuries or the months he has been unable to work. The same situation could happen to almost any family in Florida — a serious crash, minimal insurance coverage and no realistic way to recover the true cost of the injuries.
Florida has one of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the country. About one in five drivers on Florida roads may have no insurance at all. Of the four out of five drivers who do have insurance, many carry only the state’s minimum required coverage.
Beginning in July 2026, Florida will begin requiring drivers to carry bodily injury liability insurance, but the minimum coverage will be just $25,000. Trevor’s medical bills from a single crash have already exceeded $300,000. His doctors have also recommended that the steel rods in both of his legs be surgically removed in about two years, which could push the total cost of his care closer to $400,000.
For people who walk, bike or ride motorcycles, this creates a particularly dangerous situation. Unlike drivers inside vehicles, they have no protection when a crash occurs and are far more likely to suffer serious injuries or fatalities.
Florida is also seeing a growing number of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists on its roads. Left-turn conflicts like the one that injured Trevor are among the most common causes of serious crashes involving cyclists.
Trevor’s crash is just one example, but it highlights a larger issue. Many drivers simply do not realize the financial and legal risks involved when they lend their car to someone else. They may also underestimate how quickly damages from a serious crash can exceed minimum insurance coverage.
One step drivers can take to protect themselves and their families is to review their insurance policies carefully. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can provide critical protection when the person responsible for a crash has little or no insurance. Travel insurance or a non-owner auto policy is an option for people who live alone without a vehicle.
As Trevor continues months of recovery, our family hopes that sharing his story will help others understand the risks that many drivers may not realize exist. In Florida, lending a car to someone else can make the vehicle owner financially responsible for the damages they cause, and serious crashes often exceed minimum insurance limits. We hope Trevor’s experience encourages drivers to review their insurance coverage and understand the responsibilities that come with owning a vehicle.
Readers who would like to learn more about Trevor’s recovery can find additional information and updates at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-trevors-recovery-after-ebike-accident-2026 or by searching “Trevor Crawford” on GoFundMe.
Leslie Crawford is the mother of Trevor Crawford, who was seriously injured in a Fort Myers e-bike crash in December 2025.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.