Posted on January 20, 2018
Bicycle accidents are more common than you may have previously thought. A 2001 review in American Family Physician estimated that, nationwide, bicycle injuries led to about 900 deaths, 23,000 hospital admissions, 580,000 emergency department visits, and more than 1.2 million physician visits each year, at a cost of more than $8 billion annually. In Arizona, the Arizona Department of Transportation counted 1,379 bicycle crashes in 2024 (2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts). There are many risks of riding a bicycle on the roadways, because bicycle riders are not offered the same amounts of protection as those inside a motor vehicle. Motor vehicle drivers obviously have the advantage on the roadways and can cause the most harm to riders when negligence comes into play.
Injuries Stemming From Bicycle Accidents
Bicycle crashes can cause many kinds of injuries. Most bicycle-related injuries will stem from trauma to the upper or lower extremities. Some of the other most common places to sustain injuries include the head, face, abdomen, and thorax. If a bicycle rider is hit and falls onto their neck, they could receive irreversible trauma that could cause permanent effects for life. In other cases, they may receive abrasions and lacerations, including severe road rash.
Some of the most common injuries are strains, fractures, and dislocations as riders are thrown from their bicycles. Most of these are identified when a rider comes into the emergency room with swelling, pain, bruising, and lack of function.
Common Accidents Involving Bicycle Riders
Some types of bicycle crashes happen more often than others.
Left Hook: These are some of the most common accident scenarios involving bicycle riders and include a left-turning vehicle that fails to yield to traffic. In many cases, the bicyclist in this accident will either be hit outright or the cyclist will collide with the fender of the vehicle. In many of these crashes, the driver says they never saw the cyclist.
Right Hook: These accidents are also quite common. They occur when a motorist passes a cyclist on the left and makes a sudden right hand turn without signaling. In these cases, a driver is fully capable of seeing a cyclist, but it doesn’t register and they run right into them.
T-Bone: These are another type of common accident where a cyclist rides out into a roadway and fails to yield as they’re moving across traffic. In these cases, the cyclist may be found partly or mostly at fault. Drivers still must use reasonable care, and under Arizona’s pure comparative fault law (A.R.S. 12-2505), fault is generally shared by percentage, so a cyclist’s compensation is reduced by their share rather than barred.
As you can see, there are many types of bicycle accidents and many types of injuries that can be sustained. Each bicycle accident is devastating in its own way and can cause a variety of temporary or long-term injuries that will affect you for quite some time. If you have been injured, we can help you at the Accident Law Group. Call us today at 602-333-3333.
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