Bicycle Accidents and Related Injuries

Increased Bike Ridership

Bicycles have gained popularity in recent months as Covid has locked down many gyms and people have turned to outdoor exercises and as a method of self-transportation—especially in larger cities. With such self-driven transportation with exposure to the outside elements (as opposed to being inside a car, for example) the risk of injury from a bicycle accident will naturally go up. Neither training nor licensure is required to ride bicycles to get from one place to another—and that generally remains a large amount of the appeal surrounding them.

That said, all of the newfound bike ridership becomes one of the factors that results in massive amounts of injuries per year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bikes and e-bikes and other forms of micro-mobility are sharing public roadways, bike paths and sidewalks. Accidents still do happen, and it is worth knowing your rights should you find yourself on the receiving end of a bike-related injury.

Common Bicycle Accident Injuries & Causes

bicycle safety infographic bicycle accidentCommon injuries surrounding the use and misuse of bicycles and e-bikes include cuts, scrapes, lesions, broken arms and other limbs and extremities, broken ribs, among others—the more severe injuries that occur as a result of accidents involving cars can include (but do not limit themselves to by any means) head trauma in various forms. Apart from seeking medical attention for the physical damage your body may incur, it is also possible to pursue legal action when necessary.

Pursuing Legal Action After a Bicycle Accident

If you were harmed by the effects of a driver involved bike accident, it may be possible to pursue legal action with a personal injury lawyer. Generally, the steps to pursuing such legal action in such cases depend on the circumstances of the situation. In many cases, the losses you suffer tend to be the result of one of two reasons. The first reason is due to the negligence on the part of the other party—whether or not they were paying attention or following proper rules of the road and road sharing guidelines. The second most common criterion for negligence is because the other party breached the duty of care owed to you—because they failed to operate the vehicle they were operating within the systematic protocol of the law, you end up harmed physically or emotionally and often, in such cases, this can be grounds for the pursuit of legal action and compensation.

The best steps you can take to handle your emergency regarding a bicycle accident is to first pursue the healing of your physical and mental health before considering pursuing a case. You’ll want to pursue a case in a healed frame of mind to the best of your ability.

Once an accident happens, it is best to call the police—even if the accident is small and doesn’t seem like calling emergency services is necessary. Emergency services are in place to help you sort out the details, especially when the details directly following a traumatic situation of any degree become foggy. The law does require that a formal report or complaint be filed within ten (10) days of an accident in order to pursue legal compensation from the get-go. If an officer declines to appear on the scene of the accident, this is usually because the accident itself impedes the normal, everyday flow of traffic. In other cases, injuries are a bit more clearly obvious—and as is the need to call a lawyer.

However, there’s no one direct path to recovery of damage. If you or a loved one was involved in a serious injury accident related to a bicycle or electric bicycle and amassed considerable damage and/or injury, you may be entitled to financial compensation for the losses incurred. It is best to contact a bike accident lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights and help settle your case.