In the US, thousands of bicycle riders get injured or killed every year due to cycling accidents. The accident may occur as a result of the negligence of another driver (typically a motorist); due to poorly maintained roadways, defective bikes, weather hazards, etc; or simply because the cyclist himself failed to operate the bike properly or did not observe adequate safety precautions.
However, if you fall victim to a bike accident that has been caused by another’s negligence, you must contact a bike accident lawyer and file a personal injury lawsuit to recover damages.
Bicycle Accidents: Some Vital Stats
According to CDC, approximately 466,000 bike accident injuries were reported in the year 2015 alone and these injuries accounted for close to $10 billion in recurring medical costs and lifetime productivity losses. In 2016, bicycle collisions resulted in 840 deaths nationwide.
One important piece of statistics is that about 30 percent of all bike accidents involve other motor vehicles, whereas the other 70 percent results from other issues (poor or damaged roads, the cyclist losing balance, collision with a pedestrian, and so on).
However, what is NOTEWORTHY here is that as many as 90 percent of bicycle accident fatalities result from crashes with other motor vehicles and these crashes also account for some of the most severe and even catastrophic injuries that result from bike accidents. Accidents that do not involve another vehicle may also sometime lead to severe injuries, but such cases are rare. In a vast majority of cases, such incidents will only lead to a few scrapes or some minor injuries at worst.
Crashes with Motor Vehicles
When it comes to bike accidents, a lingering problem is the misconception shared by a large number of motorists: namely, a bicycle doesn’t belong in a public roadway. And yet, this is anything but true. All US states acknowledge that a cyclist has just as much right to use a public road as does any other automobile. And this is true even for places that contain separate cycling lanes (although, in case of the latter, it is naturally assumed that cyclists will not veer off on to the main road or highway unless absolutely necessary).
Unfortunately, however, most motorists are either unaware of the above rule or when they do, they simply choose to ignore it. As such, most crashes occur due to things like:
• Reluctance to give the right-of-way to cyclists
• Cutting a bicycle off when the latter is entering a roadway, or even when the cyclist is riding straight in the bike lane
• Opening a door, without any prior warning, in the path of a bicycle
• Rear-ending a bike when the latter is trying to get around a vehicle parked in the bike lane
Recovering Damages
In all these cases, you have every right to move the court and seek proper compensation.
The last include direct monetary damages (all manners of present and future medical expenses; potential loss of future earning capabilities; lost wages; costs of repairing/replacing your bike; and more) as well as non-monetary damages. The accident can lead to severe mental trauma and suffering; can impair your abilities to enjoy life fully (you may have to give up hobbies/activities that were crucial to leading a healthy life); can make you lose friends or even a steady companion.
And you deserve compensation for all these losses. And a reputed and experienced bike accident lawyer can help you in this. A good lawyer, like this Citi bike accident lawyer in NYC, especially one specializing in bike accidents, can help you receive a proper court settlement or recover the damages through out-of-court negotiations with the responsible party.
Finally, remember that you can seek compensation even if the accident did not involve any motor vehicles. The accident may be caused due to a poorly-maintained roadway; a poorly repaired or a defective bike; negligence of a pedestrian or another bicycle rider; etc. The bottom line, as long as the injury is more or less severe and the accident is caused by the negligence of another party, you are entitled to seek compensation. And you should do it by all means!
