Bicycle Accident Injuries

Bicycle traffic is growing in Lowell and the surrounding towns. Communities and governments alike are beginning to realize that a way to ease traffic congestion is to create a safe environment for cyclists, which encourages people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes. Similarly, many conservationists know that riding a bicycle instead of driving in a car can be an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment.

As the streets transition into a more bike-friendly place to be, distracted or confused drivers can cause accidents that have serious impacts on cyclists. Many drivers are not familiar with road markings that create lanes specifically for bicycles. This puts many bicyclists at risk as they ride in clearly marked bike lanes.

Drivers are also not aware that they must share the road with all vehicles, including bicyclists. They don’t understand that a bicycle is entitled to use an entire lane of travel, even if other vehicles are behind it. This causes many motorists to try to pass bicycles in an unsafe manner. Instead of simply waiting, motorists will put cyclists at risk just to save a minute or two from their commute.

There are many ways in which a bicyclist is susceptible to unique types of collisions, ones that aren’t obvious to motorists. These include

• Bicyclist Dooring Accidents
• Child Bicycle Accidents
• Fatal Bicycle Accidents
• Intersection Accidents; and
• Fog Line Accidents

These are just a few of the ways that drivers never think that a bicycle could be sharing the road. They don’t take the time to look before acting, which often causes severe consequences.

Few bikers leave the scene of these accidents unscathed. A collision at 5-10 miles per hour between two vehicles may not not cause injury. However, hitting a bicyclist with a car or truck that weighs 4,000 pounds can cause catastrophic injuries, even death. Some of the most common injuries include:

• Spinal injuries to the neck or back
• Fractured bones; and
• Head injuries including Traumatic Brain Injuries

These serious injuries are all too common, even for incidents that happen at relatively low speeds.

It is essential that you retain an experienced attorney who can help you obtain the compensation you need to recover after your accident. At Marcotte Law Firm, we have the experience necessary to properly represent injured bicyclists. We have represented many cyclists in our decades of experience.

We understand the unfortunate bias that many people have against bicyclists. Even when a cyclist is following every rule and regulation, many people simply believe that bicycles don’t belong on the road. With that bias comes an inability to realize that a collision is not a cyclists fault. The lawyers at Marcotte Law Firm have dealt with this bias at every level.

Whether it’s an insurance company, mediator, or jury, Marcotte Law Firm knows how to explain the rules of the road to ensure that everyone understands that a bicycle has the same rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle on the road

If you’ve been in a bike accident, call the skilled lawyers at Marcotte Law Firm at (978) 458-1229 or contact us for a free consultation.