Brooklyn Bike Accident

A bicycle accident can happen when you least expect it, leaving victims with serious injuries, medical bills and missed work. Bikes are considered more dangerous than cars because they have two wheels, which make them less stable. Bikes are also more susceptible to inclement weather and bad road conditions. Victims who are hurt in bike accidents tend to suffer severe injuries because other than wearing helmets, bicyclists' bodies are unprotected. Such injuries include chest and abdominal injuries, internal bleeding, broken bones, back injuries, head injuries, neck injuries, or spinal injuries. Treatment for such serious injuries usually requires emergency room visits, surgery, and rehabilitation. While New York officials have worked hard to make the roads safer and more attractive for bicyclists, bike accidents remain a common fact of life. If you are in need of a New York personal injury attorney because you or a loved one suffered a serious injury in a bike accident, it is critical that you immediately contact an experienced Brooklyn bike accident attorney who is familiar with not only negligence cases but the specific rules that apply to bicyclists.

While there are many factors that lead to bike accidents common types of bike accidents include:

• Sideswipe accidents: A sideswipe bike accident occurs when a car or truck brushes against a bicyclist as it passes the bicycle. When a 4000 pound car driving at even low speeds brush against a bike that weighs about 15 pounds, the result can be deadly. This type of bike accident occurs when a bike is sideswiped by another vehicle such as a car or truck.
• Door accidents: A door accident occurs when a bicyclist is hit by the door of a car. This happens when the driver of a parked car opens the door of a parked car without first looking back or looking in the mirror to see if any traffic is approaching. The approaching cyclist has no idea that the driver of the car is about to open the door. The driver opens the car door just as a bicyclist is approaching, and the cyclist collides with the opened vehicle door. According to a study commissioned by the City of the New York, about 3% of fatal bicycle accidents are due to a bicyclist being doored, or swerving to avoid a door.
• Drive-out accidents: A drive-out bicycle accident occurs when a bicyclist rides out of a driveway or an alleyway into the street and collides with an oncoming car. Similarly, drive-out accidents also occur when a car pulls out from a driveway into the bicyclist's path and strikes the bicyclist.
• Right-turn accident. A right turn accident occurs when a car makes a right turn into the path of a bicyclist. This type of accident often occurs when a car is stopped at a right light and the driver fails to check for a cyclist before it makes a right turn.

Common injuries in bicycle accidents include broken bones, bruises and abrasions, brain injuries, and chest and abdominal injuries.

• Broken bones. Broken arms and legs are among the most common types of bone fractures suffered by bicyclists. Other types of broken bones include broken wrists, ribs, collarbones, and fractured skulls.
• Bruises and abrasions. When bicyclists fall of their bikes in accidents they almost always suffer bruises and abrasions from hitting the hard pavement. Scrapes and abrasions from bicycle accidents are particularly susceptible to infection as the injuries often come in contact with dirt and debris from the road.
• Brain injuries. A brain injury is one of the most serious types of injuries that a bicyclist can suffer. When a bike is hit by a car, for example, the bicyclist is likely to be thrown from the bike into another car or onto the pavement severely injury his or her head.
• Chest and abdominal injuries. When a cyclist is involved in an accident, his or her body can be thrust against parts of the bike or tangle up in the bike. This may cause severe injuries to the cyclist's chest or abdominal area. Such injuries can be life threatening as an injury to the abdominal area may mean that the liver, kidneys, or bladder have been hurt.

When it comes to seeking compensation based on a bicycle accident, victims are entitled to receive the same times of damages as victims of car accidents, truck accidents, slip and fall accidents and other types of accidents caused by the negligence of another person.

• Medical expenses: Medical expenses include all medical bills that you received prior to filing your claim as well as future medical expenses related to your injury. Such expenses include ambulance fees, costs related to hospitalization, fees related to surgery, medication and doctors' fees.
• Lost wages. Injured victims who are forced to take time off of work while recovering can seek recovery of those lost wages. You can also seek compensation for loss of future earning capacity if you are permanently injured and unable to earn the same amount of money as you did prior to the accident.
• Pain and suffering. Pain and suffering refers to the physical and mental pain that you experience as a result of your accident. In determining whether or not you should be awarded pain and suffering damages, the court will consider the severity of your injury, the inconvenience you experienced, the pain you endured, and whether or not your injury is permanent.

If you or a family member was hurt in a bike accident, it is important that you get experienced legal assistance immediately. The experienced attorneys at the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates will be able to explain what your legal options are and explain to you the process for pursuing damages from the party responsible for your injuries. It is important to keep in mind that there are strict time limits for filing a personal injury cases, so it is important to contact us right away to discuss the details of your case. Contact our legal staff at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free consultation about your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.