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A bicycle accident can lead to many painful injuries, especially if you’re struck by a larger vehicle. Unfortunately, bicyclists are at a disadvantage in a collision with a motor vehicle. Cars move very quickly and weigh significantly more than a bike, so they can cause a disproportionate amount of damage to a bicycle rider. Additionally, bicycles lack safety features found in cars, such as seatbelts and airbags. Some common injuries suffered in bicycle/car crashes include:
Head Injuries
Many people are thrown from their bikes and hit their heads in a collision. This can lead to skull fractures, concussion, brain contusion, a brain bleed, or another traumatic brain injury (TBI). Some people recover fully from a TBI, but others may suffer permanent brain damage which can cause long-term symptoms or challenges. Depending on the location of the head injury, patients may have chronic headaches, difficulty with speech or communication, movement issues, or memory or cognitive difficulties. If these become long-term, a TBI might lead to permanent disability.
Treatment for a TBI involves diagnosing the cause with scans such as X-rays or an MRI or CT scan. If there is an urgent problem like a brain bleed or increased intracranial pressure (ICP), doctors may address it with medication or surgery. In some cases, doctors find no treatment is necessary but will keep the patient in the hospital for observation. When symptoms don’t resolve on their own, your doctor may recommend occupational, speech, or physical therapy to help you regain lost function or learn to work with your current abilities.
Face and Eye Injuries
These commonly accompany head injuries. You may suffer from contusions or cuts on the face, and occasionally foreign objects like gravel can injure the eyes. If your face strikes the pavement at the right angle, road rash can occur on exposed areas of skin. Facial fractures like a broken nose are also possible and may require plastic surgery to correct.
Broken Bones and Musculoskeletal Injuries
Broken bones, dislocated joints, and muscle injuries are all common after bike accidents. Even a “simple” broken bone usually takes six weeks to heal, sometimes more. Depending on your job, you may not be able to work during that time. Torn muscles and ligaments or more severely broken bones may require surgery and physical therapy to help you recover. Some broken bones can even cause life-threatening complications, such as when a broken rib causes a punctured lung.
Back, Neck, and Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury can be devastating, causing permanent paralysis that can’t be reversed with medical treatment. It could happen if you’re ejected from your bicycle during an accident, or from the impact of being hit by a car. If the spinal cord is not damaged, other back or neck injuries can leave you in chronic pain, preventing you from working or returning to regular activities. Chronic back and neck pain can be difficult to treat, especially with the opioid epidemic causing doctors to be more conservative about prescribing narcotic pain relievers. Some patients need to see multiple healthcare providers before they find a treatment that relieves or reduces their pain.
Skin Abrasions and “Road Rash”
We briefly discussed road rash in the section on facial and eye injuries, but it can occur anywhere exposed skin meets the pavement. In many cases, it’s more serious than a simple scrape – some patients may lose one or more layers of skin over a large area. Another common complication occurs when gravel or other debris gets embedded in the wound. Not only is road rash painful, but it can put you at risk of infections, so it’s essential to get medical care right away. Treatment usually involves cleaning the wound, removing any embedded debris, and bandaging the abraded area. Even with prompt wound care, some patients may have very deep wounds that heal with significant scarring.
What is the Best Way to Prevent Common Cycling Injuries?
While cycling carefully and following traffic laws for bicycles can help reduce the risk of accidents, you can’t control how motorists drive. Sometimes, despite your best efforts to avoid a crash, a vehicle driver may strike you. Fortunately, there are some ways to reduce the risk of injuries in these unfortunate situations, while also taking steps to avoid collisions when possible.
Invest in Good Safety Equipment for Bicycling
Inflation and economic instability have many people pinching pennies and reducing costs in any way they can. However, there are some things you shouldn’t cut costs on, and safety equipment for your bike is one of those categories. Here are the Dos and Don’ts of safety equipment:
- DO buy a good-quality bike helmet that fits your head snugly, and always wear it. One emergency room study of recreational injuries found that cycling had the highest risk of head injuries, even beating out football. Another study found that wearing a helmet reduced a bicyclist’s risk of severe TBI by 51 percent and the risk of death by 44 percent.
- DO replace your helmet after an accident. Often the materials in a helmet can be damaged or broken down if you hit your head and the helmet successfully absorbs the impact.
- DON’T neglect bicycle maintenance. Examine your bike regularly and test out the brakes before getting up to full speed. You don’t want to discover a needed repair while trying to stop at an intersection or in another dangerous situation.
- DO make yourself easy to see when you’re cycling. The same sporting goods store or website where you buy a helmet will probably carry a variety of reflective items for this purpose – reflective clothing, patches, tape to use on your bike, bands, etc. Choose some to help drivers see you coming, especially when it’s dark or visibility is low for any reason.
- DON’T use your phone while riding your bike. It’s crucial to keep your attention on the road and scan for vehicles that might be headed your way. However, you should keep your phone somewhere handy, like a pocket, so that you can call for help if you get injured. Some people prefer to use a smartwatch that makes phone calls.
How Can the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm Help with Your Bicycle Accident Claim?
If you or a loved one have been injured in a bicycle crash, you may be seriously hurt and dealing with a lot of pain. Additionally, your injuries might prevent you from working, while a new medical bill arrives every day. Some people think they only need to file an insurance claim with the vehicle driver’s carrier, but this isn’t always a simple solution. Several possible complications can impact your claim:
- The driver who hit you may state that the accident was your fault, and their insurance carrier is likely to agree – it gives them an excuse to deny your request.
- If the insurer does make an offer, it could be for much less than your damages are worth. It’s common for the insurance carrier to extend a lowball offer when all the evidence indicates their client is at fault. The hope is that you will agree and sign the offer, relieving them of any further responsibility – even if you find you have more expenses later.
- The driver may hit you and leave the scene – a hit-and-run.
- The driver may be uninsured.
- You may have contributed to the accident in a small way even if the car driver is mostly at fault.
The experienced Georgia bicycle accident lawyers at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm can help you seek compensation for your injuries in many of these circumstances. For instance, it may be possible to collect damages if you made a mistake, so long as the vehicle driver was more than 50 percent at fault. We might also be able to find alternative sources of compensation if the driver’s car insurance doesn’t apply for some reason. If there is any way to secure the compensation you need to heal from your injuries, we’ll find it.
Please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free consultation about your bicycle accident. We’ll answer your questions and help you explore your options for recovering damages. If we take your case, we’ll dedicate ourselves to investigating your accident and collecting as much evidence as possible in your favor. There are never any fees until we secure your settlement, so call today to learn more.