As a bicyclist, you have an especially high chance of suffering an injury if you become involved in a traffic accident. It is pivotal to have a clear understanding of the risks you face, and different factors that could increase the likelihood of an accident.
If you have already sustained an injury in a bike crash and the accident took place because of a driver’s recklessness, such as disregard for traffic safety guidelines, you need to evaluate your options immediately.
Data on bike accident injuries
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published information on bike accident injuries, and they report that almost 467,000 such injuries occurred over the course of 2015. Furthermore, the CDC states that over one out of three bike accident injuries leading to emergency care involve cyclists between the ages of 5 and 19. Male bicyclists sustain injuries in bike accidents four times more often than female cyclists.
The consequences of bike accidents
Aside from devastating injuries, bike accidents can cause many other hardships. Sometimes, these accidents lead to the loss of life, and more than 1,000 cyclists died in accidents in the U.S. in 2015. These accidents also generate significant financial challenges. Bike accident injuries and deaths take a heavy toll when it comes to lost productivity and medical expenses, on top of mental trauma and intense pain.
Whether a driver did not see you because they became distracted by their phone or they failed to pay attention to the road due to intoxication, you must hold a negligent driver who caused the bike accident answerable.