Whether you regularly use your bicycle for transportation around town or ride more leisurely, a crash can result in debilitating and even life-threatening injuries, especially when bicyclists are struck by automobiles.
According to a fact sheet from PedBikeInfo.org, California has one of the highest rates of bicycle accident fatalities in the country, and more and more cyclists are being killed in collisions with motor vehicles.
What are some of the most common types of injuries that people suffer in bicycle accidents?
Types of Bodily Injury in Bicycle Crashes
An article in American Family Physician cites the following as the most common injuries suffered in bicycle accidents:
- Head injuries: skull fractures, concussions, brain contusions, and intracranial hemorrhages.
- Facial and eye injuries: contusion, facial fractures, dental fractures, and corneal foreign bodies.
- Musculoskeletal injuries: fractures, dislocations, and strain.
- Chest injuries: rib fractures and parenchymal lung injuries.
- Abdominal injuries: splenic ruptures, hepatic lacerations, renal contusions, pancreatic trauma, vascular perforations, small bowel contusions, large bowel contusions, ruptures, and trauma hernias.
- Genitourinary injuries: trauma to the urethra or vulva, rectal trauma, and pelvic fractures.
- Skin and soft tissue injuries: abrasions or road rash, lacerations, and contusions.
Head injuries are the most common of all types of injuries, occurring in anywhere from 22 percent to 47 percent of bicycle crashes involving personal injuries. Collisions with motor vehicles are responsible for about 60 percent of all fatal bicycle injuries. Unsurprisingly, off-road cyclists have a lower rate of serious head and upper-body injuries than do on-road and urban cyclists.
Causes of Long Beach Bicycle Accident Injuries
How do most of these injuries occur? The fact sheet from PedBikeInfo.org lists the following as the six most frequent sources of bicycle accident injuries in Southern California and throughout the country:
- Being hit by a car: approximately 29 percent of all reported bicycle accidents involve a situation in which a cyclist is struck by an automobile.
- Fall: about 17 percent of all bicycle accidents in which riders get hurt involve the cyclist falling from the bicycle. In some cases, these are accidents involving only the bicyclist when, for example, the bicycle hits a dangerous pothole in the road. In some situations, bicyclists can also sustain fall-related injuries when swerving to avoid a distracted motor vehicle driver or an aggressive driver.
- Roadway or walkway in poor repair: about 13 percent of all bicycle accident injuries occur because the roadway or walkway was in poor repair. This statistic can refer to potholes or otherwise uneven roads or riding spaces.
- Rider error, or distracted bicycling: approximately 13 percent of injuries from bicycle crashes happen because of the cyclist’s own distraction or other error. Failing to pay attention to the road, or otherwise being careless, can result in a serious incident.
- Crash or collision: around 7 percent of injuries from bicycle accidents involve a crash or collision, often with a stationary object like a pole or a parked car.
- Dog collision: about 4 percent of all bicycle accident injuries involve a dog unexpectedly running in front of a bicyclist.
Contact a Long Beach Bike Accident Attorney
If you have suffered an injury from a bike accident you should contact The Beliz Law firm for a free consultation.