Bicycles are a very popular recreational activity and are an important means of transportation for many Arizonans as well as visitors. The Phoenix Metro Bike Club lists dozens of popular riding routes throughout the area and hundreds of miles of designated bike lanes, bike paths and cycling routes have been developed in recent decades to promote bicycle use.
Despite riders' legal rights to use roads, a significant number of accidents occur in the Phoenix metro every year. As many as 1,000 motor vehicle/bicycle crashes have been reported in some years, including many fatal bike crashes. Riders injured in bicycle accidents all too frequently suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, serious fractures and hip injuries.
The risk of head injuries faced by cyclists is easy to understand. Even while wearing a helmet, the difference in mass between a bike and its rider versus a car, commercial truck or city bus is extreme. The best protective gear and defensive riding strategies make little difference when a rider is struck by a driver who fails to stop at an intersection, merges without looking or opens a door in a bike's path.
Head injuries and spine injuries present serious challenges to injured cyclists. Resulting paralysis, loss of cognitive function or unrelenting pain can halt a career in its tracks and change a life forever. When the harm results from another driver's negligence, injury victims and family members must understand their legal options for pursuing compensation.
Broken bones, road rash and other less severe injuries also cause tremendous personal difficulties and financial losses for riders in and around Phoenix. Bicycle accident lawyers explain clients' rights, help them properly assess their injuries and make sure that they take all compensable losses into account before talking to insurance companies or other parties.
