Some of the most common bicycle accident injuries include musculoskeletal, head, chest, and soft tissue injuries. If you or a loved one suffered injuries from a bicycle accident, you may be able to seek compensation from liable parties.
To learn about your options and whether you can file a claim or lawsuit, call George Bochanis Injury Law Offices at 702-388-2005 to schedule a free consultation with a Las Vegas injury lawyer.
Understanding Common Bicycle Accident Injuries
Bicycle accidents often occur all over the U.S., especially in urban areas like Las Vegas. According to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 85% of bicycle accident fatalities occur in urban areas.
Many injuries can develop from these accidents, and they’re frequently life-threatening. Some of the most common bicycle accident injuries include:
Concussions and Head Injuries
Bicyclists often sustain concussions or other injuries to the head, causing serious trauma to the point of developing traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). While bicyclists can somewhat mitigate the risk of head injury with a helmet, the impact of a vehicle or another object can still cause extensive head and brain injuries.
Facial Injuries
Bicyclists also frequently sustain injuries to the face, from scrapes and cuts to broken noses, dental injuries, and eye injuries. In extreme cases, facial injuries could result in permanent scarring and disfigurement.
Broken Bones or Fractures
Impact and falls from bikes could lead to broken or fractured bones, including collarbones, hips, hands, femurs, and other bones. The vulnerability of bicyclists’ bodies in an accident makes these injuries more likely in many cases.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Impact to the spine may cause the spine to break or fracture, or nerve damage could occur. The end result of these injuries could be paralysis, but spinal cord injuries often come with certain noticeable symptoms. These symptoms include loss of sensation or movement, breathing problems, incontinence, and pain, among others.
If you sustain these injuries, see a medical professional as soon as possible to receive a formal diagnosis and medical records, which could help support a claim or lawsuit.
What Makes Bicycle Accident Injuries So Dangerous?
Bicycle accidents are particularly dangerous because of the exposure that bicyclists experience. While they may wear helmets and pads to lend a degree of protection, the impact of vehicles and other types of objects can still cause serious or fatal injuries.
It’s important to understand the risks of riding a bicycle and how to mitigate them as much as possible with sufficient bicycle safety. By reviewing the various bicycle safety tips, you can take steps to maintain a safe environment for you and other bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.
The dangers of riding a bicycle also make it necessary for motorists to practice safe driving habits around bicyclists, giving them enough space and maintaining awareness of them.
What Causes Bicycle Accidents?
There are several common causes of bicycle accidents, such as:
Driver Negligence
The primary cause of car-bicycle fatalities is driver negligence, as drivers could fail to see bicyclists or practice enough caution when driving in their presence. According to the NHTSA, 80% of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities in a recent year resulted from collisions with motor vehicles.
In failing to acknowledge or adjust to the presence of bicyclists, drivers could engage in distracted or impaired driving, speeding, or other reckless behaviors that increase the risk of an accident.
Hit-and-run accidents are also common in these cases, as drivers immediately flee the scene after getting into bicycle accidents. According to the NHTSA, 24% of cyclist fatalities in a recent year involved hit-and-runs.
Dooring
Another common cause of bicycle accidents is dooring, which occurs when a motorist or passenger opens a vehicle door as a bicyclist passes, causing the cyclist to hit the door. These accidents frequently result in serious injuries, including spinal injuries, broken or shattered bones, and TBIs.
Drivers and passengers can prevent dooring by checking ahead of their vehicle along with the rear and side view mirrors for the presence of bicyclists. When clear, it’s safe to open the door.
Inadequate Infrastructure
Bicyclists often struggle with the lack of accommodating infrastructure conducive to bike riding. For example, roads may not have bike lanes that give bicyclists enough space to more safely ride on roadways. Intersections could also fail to include signage or signals that work in favor of bicyclists. Meanwhile, poorly maintained roads could present additional hazards to bicyclists, such as potholes and debris that bikes could trip over and cause a fall or loss of control.
When to Sue for Bicycle Accident Injuries
If a negligent driver or another party caused a bicycle accident and subsequent injuries, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries and other damages.
Specifically, you may benefit from working with a Las Vegas bicycle accident lawyer to discuss a claim or lawsuit. The right attorney will be able to determine what options you have when it comes to recovering compensation, and may represent you to negotiate with insurers or take your case to court.
While you may be able to file a claim on your own, it can be hard to succeed with one if your injuries are severe and the company risks a high payout. It’s in your best interest to have an attorney with trial experience backing your case. Even the smallest mistake during the legal process could compromise your case.
Steps to Take After a Bicycle Accident in Las Vegas
Following a bicycle accident, there are steps you’ll need to take to increase the chances of succeeding with a lawsuit or claim. These steps entail:
Seeking Medical Care
The first step you’ll need to take is to get a medical evaluation from a licensed medical professional. Even if your symptoms appear minor, internal injuries could become more serious in the days, weeks, or even months after an accident.
Seeking immediate medical attention will also generate medical documentation that can go a long way in supporting a claim. The sooner you see a doctor, the easier it will be to connect your injuries to the accident.
Collecting Evidence
You should also collect as much evidence as possible to support your case.
There are many sources of evidence in these cases, including:
- Photos or video footage of injuries and the accident scene
- Medical records
- Police reports
- Witness statements
- Damaged bicycles or other property
Contacting an Attorney
To help you collect evidence and determine how to approach your case, consult a bicycle accident attorney with experience in this practice area. A good lawyer can meet with you in a free initial consultation to discuss a claim or lawsuit. He or she may then represent you during the claims or legal process to help you succeed with your case.
With an attorney on board, the process can go more smoothly, and you can increase your chances of success.
Calculating Damages
Another critical step here is to identify and quantify all the damages sustained from a bicycle accident. Having a lawyer to help with this is essential, as you may suffer a variety of economic and non-economic damages that could contribute to a large settlement amount. Insurers often don’t try to pay out the full amount and won’t likely inform you of the actual value of your case, while a lawyer can indicate precisely what you’re able to recover.
Examples of economic damages include medical expenses, lost income, lost earning potential, property damage, and other financial losses. Meanwhile, non-economic damages can include anxiety, depression, trauma, disfigurement, and other personal losses resulting from an accident.
In some cases where gross negligence or malicious caused an accident, a judge or jury may award punitive damages in addition to economic and non-economic damages. These aim to punish defendants and prevent similar behavior in the future. For example, a motorist might drive while impaired and intentionally speed and attempt to run over a bicyclist on the side of the road, which may warrant punitive damages.
The families of bicyclists who die in accidents could also recover wrongful death damages, including funeral and burial expenses, on top of other personal and financial losses both before and following that person’s death.
Negotiating a Claim
With an attorney backing you, you can eventually file a claim seeking compensation through the liable party’s insurer. An attorney can continually negotiate for the total amount your case is worth, and he or she may be able to take your case to court if a settlement doesn’t result.
Reach Out to a Las Vegas Bicycle Accident Attorney Today
To find out whether you can recover compensation for a bicycle accident, call the legal team at George Bochanis Injury Law Offices for a free consultation. Contact us today to schedule your next consultation.
