Bicycle Accident Injuries
Since bicyclists are the least protected during an impact with a vehicle, even a small accident can cause major injuries, if not death. Besides a helmet, there are very few options to protect bicyclists from other bodily injuries. Most of the time, bicyclists are wearing street clothes, biker shorts or bibs. They are no match for a vehicle collision.
Even though not all bicyclists wear high visibility clothing, bicyclists should always try to make themselves more visible with lights and reflectors. Unfortunately, a bicyclist’s effort to ride safely still does not prevent the chance of an accident occurring. It is easy to think that if you were in an accident, you would have the quick thinking and speed to maneuver away from an oncoming vehicle or road hazard. In reality, an accident can happen in a split second, leaving you in dangerous peril.
If you or a loved one has just been in a bicycle crash, what kind of injuries might someone expect to experience?
- Head - experiencing a skull fracture or concussion is possible, especially if a helmet was worn. A helmet can save your life or at the very least, prevent an even more serious head injury. At the moment of impact, it is nearly impossible to prevent your head from hitting the car, windshield or ground, so it can be very possible to experience neck and head pain after an accident.
- Brain - head injuries could also result in a brain contusion, hemorrhage, or traumatic brain injury. These are serious traumas that can be life threatening or life altering. Victims can require extensive physical therapy during recovery, especially after a traumatic brain injury. Victims and their families have to consider grueling physical therapy, long term care options, and any mobility adaptations.
- Face - external scrapes, bruising, lacerations, broken teeth, or scarring from cuts and road rash can be located anywhere on your body. Abrasions, road rash, and excessive bleeding is to be expected when hitting the pavement or a vehicle.
- Eyes - foreign bodies, especially glass can scrape or puncture the eye.
- Chest - very often, there are broken ribs, collarbone, shoulder or lung injuries. These can be very painful during recovery since mobility is often limited.
- Abdomen - ruptured or traumatic injuries to spleen, pancreas, bowels can lead to internal bleeding.
- Broken bones - as bicyclists try to break their fall or slow the momentum of an impact, hands, wrists, arms or legs are very vulnerable to broken bones. These are one of the most common types of injuries when dealing with a car versus bicycle accident.
Major injuries can cause lifelong impairments, especially if a traumatic brain injury occurred. Multiple surgeries can also cause disfigurement or require extensive physical therapy - all of which can create mental health issues as victims learn to readjust to a new way of life. The road ahead to full recovery can be long and costly, which is one major reason why hiring an attorney is your best financial move for compensation.
