Bicycle Accident Injuries

Riding a bike is an easy and fun exercise suitable for all ages, filled with enthusiasm, energy, and health benefits. As you ride, you look around, enjoying the changing scenery, wind in the hair, vigor in the air, meandering down city streets, avoiding potholes, steering between cars and trucks, and busses.

Then comes the pothole, then a car, and your journey stops together with the bicycle, laying down in a knot of warped metal. What occurs next starts with an ambulance, police, investigation, doctors, more doctors, and ends with a pile of medical bills. Who pays the damages hinges on who caused the accident, what type of road markings were on the street, who did what. Contacting an experienced personal injury attorney is very important!

Bike Crash Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. in Chicago have a lot of experience representing bicyclists injured as a result of drivers’ negligence or negligence by a city that failed to maintain its road. Just as bicycle accidents can vary greatly from one incident to another, so can the injuries that occur as a result of a crash. Bike injuries can be minor, moderate or serious in nature, and in some cases can be catastrophic or even fatal.

We have compiled a list of some of the most common injuries as a result of a bike accident. Complications extending from an initial injury can sometimes lead to an increase in injury intensity. Prompt medical care is essential to ensure that any injury is adequately treated.

Minor to Moderate Injuries

• Cuts, lacerations
• Punctures, wounds
• Abrasions, scrapes, scratches
• Road rash, embedded debris
• Bruising, contusions, welts
• Infections

Moderate to Serious

• Injuries to upper & lower extremities:
  • Broken / Fractured bones
  • Dislocation
  • Sprains / Strains
  • Other muscle, tendon, ligament and/or nerve-related
• Broken, fractured, or bruised ribs
• Neck and back injuries (thoracic, cervical, lumbar)
• Mild head injuries:
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Concussion
• Minor scarring
• Serious wound infections
• Other significant pain or discomfort
• Facial Injuries:
  • Facial fractures
  • Dental injuries (dental fractures, tooth loss, chipped teeth)
  • Eye Injuries / Corneal foreign bodies

Serious to Catastrophic

• Partial or full paralysis (permanent/ temporary)
• Dismemberment / Disfigurement
• Significant scarring
• Serious head injuries:
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Skull fractures
  • Brain Contusion
  • Brain swelling
  • Intracranial hemorrhage
• Internal Injuries
  • Internal bleeding
  • Rupture, perforation, contusion or other trauma to internal organs
• Other injuries that involve:
  • Permanent disability
  • Lifelong / Long-term conditions requiring treatment
  • Shortened life expectancy
  • Surgical intervention / multiple surgeries

In some bicycle accidents, victims may suffer fatal injuries, whether occurring immediately due to the initial impact of a collision, or at some point later due to complications associated with an injury. Head-related injuries are the most common cause of fatal bike accidents, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all bicycle-related deaths, and the majority of all bike crash-related long term disabilities.

Although the use of helmets can drastically reduce the risk of serious injury or fatality, this advice is far more useful for preventative purposes. Where a bike accident has already resulted in a head injury, the more important consideration is in the victim obtaining immediate medical attention. In addition, head injury victims should know the warning signs of traumatic brain injury, and seek medical treatment whenever there is a concern over their well-being.

If you or a loved one were involved in a bicycling accident, which you know or suspect was caused by the negligent, reckless, or unlawful actions of another, the Chicago Injury Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. want to help in recovering the maximum amount of financial compensation that you and your family deserve. Contact us online, or call us at 773-516-4100 to schedule your FREE personal injury consultation.