The City of Lexington offers some safe routes and some not-so-safe routes for bicyclists. Riders can be heading to work, or out for a calorie-burning 20-mile trip, or just caravanning with the family on a local bike trail. No matter the location, cyclists need to be cautious whenever the rush of traffic is nearby.
Distracted drivers can pay little attention to anything other than a vehicle alongside them and behave as if bicyclists are invisible. These lapses in judgment can quickly put a rider at extreme risk for a dangerous collision and a devastating injury.
If you or a loved one are struck by a careless driver and suffers a serious injury, it’s important to know how the law protects bicycle accident victims. Bring your case to a Lexington Bicycle Accident Lawyer with a background in protecting the rights of cyclists who have been injured through no fault of their own. Contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, to discuss what happened to you in a free consultation.
Cycling Dangers in Lexington
Lexington works to find new spaces where bicyclists can travel safely each year. The recently completed sections of the Lexington Legacy Trail through the East End and the Town Branch Connector along Newtown Pike expanded a growing network of bike paths for riders in 2021.
Yet, some cyclists must still share the lanes with trucks, cars, and SUVs to reach their destinations. Kentucky law gives people on bikes the same rights to roads and streets as any motorist. Unfortunately, drivers who don’t pay enough attention to what’s in front of them can miss spotting a cyclist on the road. They can quickly be in cyclists’ space, striking them, and then sending them into a second impact with the pavement.
The dangers for riders were documented by Lexington Police across 2020. They responded to 47 bicycle collisions for the year. That figure is up from 43 collisions recorded in 2019. Statewide, Kentucky saw tragic numbers for bicyclists in 2019. Kentucky State Police reported 330 bicycle collisions involving vehicles in 2019. Those accidents claimed 4 lives and left an estimated 211 people injured.
Common Bicycle Collision Injuries
Once a cyclist is knocked from his or her bike the potential of a severe injury dramatically increases. Cyclists can hit the ground hard and also be in danger of suffering another strike from a vehicle or ending up underneath it.
The injuries are often debilitating and it underscores the need for insurance companies to be held accountable for every cost of recovery.
These are just a few of the most serious outcomes suffered by bicycle accident victims:
- Traumatic Brain Injury – A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a blow to the head. TBI can result in minor symptoms or something as serious as amnesia, mood alteration, and the inability to speak.
- Broken Bones – Cyclists often throw out their arms as self-defense as they fall. This act can put a hand, wrist, and other arm bones under extreme pressure and lead to a fracture. Clavicles, knees, legs, hips, skulls, and ribs can break on impact.
- Amputation – Amputation can occur in the blunt force or shearing force trauma of an impact suffered from a vehicle or the pavement. A broken bone or a tissue tear may be so severe that the surgical removal of a limb could be deemed necessary.
- Paralysis – An accident may result in the loss of feeling in a limb or the entire upper or lower half of the body. The permanent loss of control of a body part or the entire body can result from a brain or spinal cord injury.
- Face and Mouth Damage – A cyclist sent off a bicycle can land face first and risk a broken jaw or nose. Teeth can be chipped or cracked or knocked out completely. A permanent disfigurement can result and greatly affect a victim’s self-image.
- Road Rash – Hard Road surfaces are not good for the skin. Infections can result from any abrasion and skin grafts can be part of recovery.
Compensation for Bicycle Accident Victims in Lexington
Filing a claim for damages against the insurance company representing the driver responsible for your accident is an important step. Insurance companies attempt to blame bicyclists for almost any accident, even when a police accident report confirms the fault of the driver. Having an experienced bicycle accident attorney representing your case and protecting your rights can deter this bad faith behavior.
A personal injury lawyer will also know every hardship to include in your accident claim, including some you may not have thought of.
Hospital bills now and any expected in the future should factor into any settlement an insurance agent offers. Your lost wages now and any time you’re expected to be out of work in the months to come should be accounted for. Your travel between doctors’ appointments included out-of-city or out-of-state visits to specialists should be compensated.
Any physical disability resulting from a bicycle injury can costs you hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime. The costs of home renovation, expensive medical equipment, weekly physical therapy can’t be left out of a claim for damages. The costs of job training after you can no longer handle the responsibilities of your old job can be included.
The simple loss of enjoyment of life after a rider can no longer take even a short bicycle trip is part of emotional trauma. This mental anguish often factors into an insurance agency’s settlement offer.
Contact a Lexington Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Injured bicycle riders will struggle with the time they must be away from their bikes during recovery. The Lexington bicycle accident lawyers with Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, understand this frustration and will work to get fair compensation for victims so they can once again return to the road as soon as possible.
Our attorneys use their combined 100 years of experience to hold insurance agents accountable for every hardship our clients have been subjected to. To discuss your case in a free consultation session, contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today.