You don’t need us to tell you that riding a bicycle is one of the most popular modes of transportation and forms of exercise in Madison. While hardcore cyclists ride year-round, we are quickly approaching the peak time of the year for cycling in our region. This means that more bicycles will be sharing our city streets and county roads with cars, trucks, and motorcycles.
When a motor vehicle collides with a bicycle, the results are often devastating for cyclists and their loved ones. The human body is simply not built to withstand collisions with steel, pavement and other hard surfaces. These accidents often result in catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and spinal cord injuries that require expensive long-term treatments.
Some of the most common types of bicycle accidents include:
- Dooring accidents: These accidents typically occur on crowded city streets, where someone opens the door of a parked car just as bicycle is passing by its side. Carelessly opening a door or leaving a door open for an unnecessary length of time can be considered an act of negligence for the purposes of a personal injury claim.
- Bike lane accidents: Collisions in bike lanes are most often the result of a motor vehicle driving illegally in the bike lane or failing to check their surroundings before crossing a bike lane to make a right turn.
- Intersection accidents: Accidents at intersections occur for a variety of reasons, including cars failing to yield when a bicycle has the right of way or cyclists failing to obey stop signs. It is important to conduct a thorough investigation of the accident in order to determine liability and identify potential sources of coverage.
We hope you will never have to address these issues, but you can rely on our personal injury attorneys to look out for you in the event of a bicycle accident. Happy cycling!
