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Tag Archives: bicycle accident

Record numbers of bicycle accident deaths in New York

New York – Work safety researchers have compiled statistics on NYC bicycle accidents and pedestrian ‎accidents. They note that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of ‎accident deaths during the past year of COVID-19. Theories as to why the increased bike crash and ‎pedestrian injuries have occurred during this time period abound. Amongst the discussions is the fact ‎that collisions caused by speeding have risen and the sheer increased numbers of bikers on the road ‎have been clearly documented. Often these injured bicyclists were delivery men and women who ‎were involved in a car accident while at work. The bike accidents usually cause personal injury but all ‎too often end in wrongful death according to reports. Worker’s compensation insurance is supposed ‎to cover injuries sustained in an on-the-job accident such as this but some injured workers find it ‎difficult to obtain proper care. Some work injury victims find it necessary to get help from a worker’s ‎comp lawyer that can assist them in filing paperwork and sometimes even filing a injury lawsuit. ‎Further information about the increased bike accidents and deaths is available here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons [License]

Bicyclist hit by a car in serious New York City car accident

New York – A bicycle accident sent the injured bicyclist to the hospital with severe and life threatening injuries. The car crash occurred on the busy streets of lower Manhattan when a car crashed into a bicycle delivery worker. The pizza deliveryman was thrown after the bicycle slammed into the windshield of the car and then hit the ground. The injured worker cyclist reportedly suffered a head injury with possible traumatic brain injury (TBI). The head injury will require extensive evaluations to determine if there’s any intracranial hemorrhaging or bleeding. A TBI is a type of brain damage that can be mild, moderate, severe or even life threatening in severity. Evaluation includes neurological and cognitive testing and often includes a cat scan (CT scan) of the brain and possibly magnetic resonance imaging (an MRI scan) to look for bleeding, hematoma and other signs of trauma. More serious cases of non-fatal TBI head injuries can leave an injury victim permanently disabled and unable to work or function. Cognitive disabilities from even more mild concussions that cause a post-concussive disorder (PCD) or syndrome can leave people with memory difficulty, emotional and personality changes as well as severe headaches, dizziness and visual disturbances. Some PCD symptoms and injuries require in depth evaluations by a neurologist, neuropsychologist and therapists. You can find out more about this worker’s injury during this bicycle crash here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: fsiddi [License]

New York City a dangerous place for bicyclists

New York – Bicycle accidents are a known hazard for bikers, pedestrians and motorists alike. Unfortunately, bike crash incidents occur all of the time on the busy city streets, causing serious accident injuries and even wrongful deaths. Public safety advocates say that the city, police and many drivers share negligent responsibility for these accidents. They believe that the proper steps to secure the roads are not taken despite the known hazardous condition created for innocent bicycle riders that also need to share the roads. This is how many get to work, do deliveries, make their way to shopping and overall just get around. Activists contend that department of transportation officials must do a proper job of designing safe streets, maintain roads and parking zones according to basic safety standards and must identify and repair known danger zones. Negligent maintenance is an obvious safety hazard that should be addressed by city officials. In addition, NYPD police officers have a responsibility to actively make the streets safer by stopping and ticketing or towing dangerous drivers and keeping bicycle lanes open and clear of illegally parked cars and trucks. This can prevent bike versus car accidents. The sanitation department also shares responsibility to maintain clean and safe streets and bike lanes without dangerous debris that can lead to a collision or injury. This article shares more about the dangers and difficulties that often lead to bicycle and pedestrian accidents.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Nicanor Arenas Bermejo [License]

Bicycle accident responsible for another preventable traffic fatality

New York – Yet another bicyclist died in a bike crash in Brooklyn. The rider was hit by a car during a car crash that caused serious injuries. The bicycle rider apparently had gone through an intersection with a stop sign and was struck by the car. He sustained a severe head injury with and was taken to the hospital. Details regarding the nature of his accident injuries are unclear but he apparently suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Hospital officials report that the injured bicyclist was treated for his injuries for several days but ended up dying from those wounds. It is believed that the brain damage, or TBI, caused by the car accident left the man critically injured and certainly contributed to his death. Other internal injuries or bleeding has not been fully ruled out at this point.

New York City traffic safety advocates say that this was yet another preventable traffic accident. They believe that this car crash led to the wrongful death of the rider. The responsibility to create and maintain safe roads, including bicycle lanes, is the responsibility of the city transportation board. Some feel that they have not done enough to build and properly maintain acceptable safety standards in order to protect pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. They note that drivers need to have clear designations as to where to drive and how to maintain safety in order to protect others sharing the roads. Clear road signs are not always present or visible. At the same time, road maintenance crews must be dispatched to fix damaged and dangerous sections of road and intersections. Some feel that negligent maintenance has created a hazardous situation for everyone on the road. You can check out more about this bicycle crash and another deadly pedestrian accident here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Eli Christman [License]

Bronx car accident injures multiple victims, including bicyclist and pedestrians

New York – What appears to be a speeding car with a reckless driver behind the wheel was caught on video causing a serious pedestrian accident. A dash camera from an uninvolved motorist caught the frightening car crash on video. A Bronx native was identified as the driver of a car that possibly even ran through a red light at a busy intersection beneath the train tracks. While racing his vehicle through the intersection, a group of pedestrians and bicyclists had already been attempting to cross within the crosswalk. The car seemed to have come from nowhere with little-to-no warning and hit a bicycle with rider on it as well as several pedestrians. The bicycle accident left that rider seriously injured and it is reported that several pedestrians, including several local workers, were also hurt in the collision. This car crash is still under investigation and the driver was brought up on charges for the collision. See the video and find out more about this reckless driving accident with multiple injuries here.

Illustrative Photo Credit: hmmmayor [License]

Electric bicycle accident leaves one dead and another injured in Central Park

New York – An intersection in Central Park was the scene of a pedestrian struck by an electric bicycle. The cyclist apparently lost control of his e-bike and crashed into an elderly pedestrian and then both fell to the ground. The electric bicycle driver suffered a severe head injury with traumatic brain injury. He subsequently died of his bike accident injuries according to doctors. Reports show that the injured bicyclist wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. According to New York City laws, it is actually illegal to ride an e-bike or electric scooter on city streets and sidewalks. Pedestrian and public safety activists explain that the speed and recklessness of those driving electric bikes and scooters poses a danger to public safety. They contend that this type of accident is all too common and must be prevented. The pedestrian hit in this case suffered injuries but is expected to survive. However, activists say, the next accident victim may not be so lucky. In the meantime, the rider killed in the accident demonstrates in vivid reality the dangerous situation created for everyone involved. Many cases have been documented of riders texting while driving or talking on a cell phone while driving. These distracted drivers can cause horrible accidents and injuries due to the speed and problems of bicyclists who weave in and around traffic and pedestrians.

Proper statistics are hard to determine but there seems to be an easygoing attitude when it comes to these electric bicycles and scooters. Many riders treat them as children’s toys while they are capable of very fast speeds and cause injuries and wrongful death. Many drivers can be seen not holding on with both hands or maintaining control and concentration over their driving. It is still unclear whether or not this specific driver was guilty of being a reckless driver or who had the right-of-way at the time of the crash. Further details of this pedestrian accident and debate over the legalities of these electric vehicles are discussed here.

Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: osseous [License]

Truck accident kills bicyclist in Manhattan

New York – A bicycle rider was struck and killed in a truck accident in the early morning last month. Police reports note that the accident victim was hit as the truck turned a corner into the man. The bicycle accident sent the victim falling to the ground and suffering with multiple extensive injuries. Officials say that the driver then left the scene of the truck crash but it is unclear whether or not he was aware that he had just struck a pedestrian. If it was, in fact, a hit and run accident, the driver can face even more serious criminal charges for a hit-and-run accident with injuries. Public safety advocates expressed significant concern about this crash and believe it is a case of wrongful death. They note that this same oil truck company has been involved in several previous fatal pedestrian accidents. The drivers were different in each of the prior deadly accidents but the question of proper safety training and negligent maintenance needs full investigation. You can read more about this deadly bicycle crash here.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Eli Christman [License]

Bicycle accidents, broken bones and traumatic brain injuries

As warm weather moves in, increased bike accidents become more common and lead to serious accident injuries. Statistics show huge increases in the numbers and severity of these accidents despite safety efforts. Experts note that children and adults are wearing helmets and other safety equipment more than in the past. None-the-less, some have pointed to worsening speeding drivers, reckless driving and hazardous conditions that contribute to injuries and wrongful deaths during road accidents involving bicycles. They explain that a car crash involving a bicyclist is much more likely to cause serious or life threatening injury when the vehicle is speeding or if there is a distracted driver behind the wheel. Studies into bicycle collisions show wounds that range from lacerations that can cause nerve damage, to broken bones, to neck and back injuries and even head injury with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Doctors say that helmets have improved the outcomes for accident victims injured in a bicycle accident. However, high speed motor vehicle collisions can still lead to these injuries. This article explains more about the recent research into bike accidents.

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Luc Coekaerts [License]

Bus crashes injured pedestrians and bicyclist in New York City

New York – A pedestrian accident left two women with severe injuries after they were hit by a bus in Manhattan. The bus crash occurred when the women were crossing the intersection of 47th Street and 10th Avenue in Midtown. The bus driver was turning left onto the side street and apparently had a green light according to witnesses. However, pedestrians crossing at a crosswalk usually have the right-of-way over motor vehicle traffic. The bus struck the pedestrians and left one of the women crushed under a back wheel of the vehicle. The other accident victim was thrown to the ground after being hit and suffered a leg injury. Emergency crews rapidly responded to the scene of the collision and had to extricate the trapped victim from under the tire. Police explain that the bus was owned and operated by a private transportation company. They were continuing their investigation into the cause of the bus accident and the safety record of the bus company.
Reports also show that a second, unrelated bus crash occurred only four days later, this time in Brooklyn, NY. That bus was operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), who issued a statement that the cause of the accident was actually the bicycle rider. Witnesses reported that the bike rider was working as a delivery man when he suddenly pulled out in front of the bus. The bus then crashed into several cars as it apparently swerved. It was unclear if anyone on the bus suffered any accident injuries. An accident lawyer noted that if substantiated, the bicyclist can face charges and a lawsuit for causing a motor vehicle accident. See this article for more details about the bicycle accident.

Photo by AEMoreira042281 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Research shows high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in child accidents victims

A Swedish medical research study has shown that approximately 30% of children that are involved in an accident, develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The condition is a well-described psychological disorder that leaves victims with a range of symptoms that can even become debilitating. Signs and symptoms of PTSD include nightmares, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating or getting along with others, mood swings, and recurrent thoughts of accidents. Some people develop difficulty breathing, a rapid heartbeat, sweating and phobias of places that resemble the scene of the accident. The diagnosis of the psychological injury usually comes from a psychologist or psychiatrist but can also be made by an astute family doctor, neurologist or trauma specialist. Doctors say that medications and intense therapy are often necessary to treat more severe cases of the disorder. However, specialists say that even more mild cases should be diagnosed and treated appropriately in order to avoid worsening of the condition. PTSD can certainly present differently in children compared to adults. The condition is also not necessarily associated with physical accident injuries. Therefore, experts note that a medical or psychological professional should examine children that were involved in an accident to screen for the condition even if the victim did not suffer outwardly visible physical injury. Trauma specialists explain that events that may cause PTSD can include a car crash, bicycle accident, pedestrian injury, drowning or even a slip and fall accident. They further note that child accident victims may interpret even minor accidents differently than an adult. That may explain the reason for the high incidence of the psychiatric injury in children. See this informative article about post-traumatic stress disorder for more details about the condition.

Illustrative photo by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael C. Barton [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons