With the many bike trails in and around Suffolk, Virginia (Va), it’s not uncommon to hear stories of serious bicycle accidents and injuries. Whether riding down busy streets near I-664 or quiet streets leading up to the Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, there are plenty of opportunities for bicyclists to run into trouble. Below is some information about the types of injuries that may occur in these accidents. Our team of Suffolk bike accident lawyers have handled numerous cases involving bike-car collisions, so we speak from experience.
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The numbers
The statistics regarding debilitating and deadly bike accidents are sobering. The CDC says that even though only 1 percent of all trips taken in the United States are by bike, bicyclists still face a substantially higher risk of death and injury than occupants in motor vehicles. Last year nearly 800 cyclists died in bicycle crashes and another 49,000 were injured across the country.
Here in Virginia, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 11 people died in bicycle accidents, though many hundreds more were injured in bicycle-car collisions. Studies have shown that the vast majority of deadly bicycle crashes involve motor vehicles, with numbers showing that around 90 percent of all fatal bike accidents involve passenger vehicles.
The injuries
Of the tens of thousands of people across the country who survive bicycle accidents, an alarming number continue to struggle with life-altering injuries that can plague them for years after the accident. These debilitating injuries not only cost families thousands of dollars in medical bills and rehabilitation expenses, but also in lost wages and poor quality of life.
Examples of some debilitating injuries that plague Suffolk cyclists include traumatic brain injuries, neck and spinal injuries, facial and other skin injuries and severely broken or fractured bones. Given the lack of protection for those riding on bicycles, even relatively minor accidents can lead to serious harm. Being thrown from a bike can lead to serious head injuries, including concussions. Landing on your head or neck might also lead to compressed vertebrae or even more alarming, paralysis. Finally, a powerful collision with another vehicle can result in shattered bones, road rash and other problems that could take months or years to fully recover from.
The lack of protection available to many bicyclists means riders are especially vulnerable to these kinds of severe injuries. Should a cyclist experience such debilitating injuries, it could take a substantial amount of medical treatment, rehabilitation and ongoing therapy to fully recover. This kind of lengthy care will cost serious money and should not fall on the shoulders of innocent victims. Instead, the driver responsible for the injury-producing accident should be held financially accountable, something that a Suffolk bike accident lawyer can help with.
If you suffered a bike accident injury, consider contacting our firm and setting up a no-cost, confidential consultation at our Suffolk, Va satellite office location.