An estimated 85 million people in the United States report regularly riding a bicycle. Sadly, over 500,000 people are seen in an emergency room for bicycle accident related injuries.
In Roanoke and the surrounding area, commuting to work has been increasingly popular. Mountain biking has also become a favored activity.
Safer cycling should be on everyone’s mind.
Over the past few years, I’ve worked on many bicycle accident cases. The most notable cases involved a vehicle hitting a cyclist. In the first case, a 40 year old German man was cycling from Chicago to Niagra Falls to Miami when struck by a bread truck in Pulaski County. My client was thrown over 100 feet from his bicycle and was left a quadraplegic with severe TBI after the crash. Two other cases, one on Franklin Road in Roanoke City and the other on Route 122 in Bedford County were wrongful deaths as both of the cyclists were struck and killed by drivers that were drunk.
A few years ago, I saw a news report about a young boy that was practicing wheelies and bunny hops on his bicycle when his foot slipped, he lost control of the bike and fell onto the upturned handlebars of his bike. At first, he thought the brake handle had merely poked his side.
It hadn’t just given him a poke. The brake handle had acted like a blunt spear piercing his abdomen 6 inches deep.
Fortunately, the brake handle missed vital organs and after several nights in the hospital, the boy was able to go home.
Some people may call this a “freak accident.” People like to say that when they think that the accident couldn’t possibly happen to them or to anyone else. Sadly, this is not true.
Along with head injuries, hundreds of people, mostly children suffer from impalement injuries when riding their bikes.
Injury Prevention: What Can Be Done to Prevent These Serious Injuries
In 2001, Dr. Flaura Winston, the director of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Traumalink in Pennsylvania decided to do something about it. She compiled a team of researchers and bioengineers with the mission to “reduce the forces upon impact sufficiently to minimize the force of impact and thus minimize the risk of injury.”
The designers were successful. They designed handlebars that withdraw upon impact. They also made the handlebar wider, so there is a decreased chance of impalement.
A study published in “Pediatrics” in 1998 found that children in particular were receiving impalement injuries after minor accidents, like simply falling off the bike when learning to ride or hitting a curb at a low speed.
In January of 2001, the team petitioned the CPSC to further regulate the design of handlebars.
Isn’t it Time for Action?
That was 14 years ago. In the meantime, more children and adults have suffered injuries to the spleen, pancreas, the intestines and liver because manufacturers continue to use the outdated design.
It is incomprehensible to think that manufacturers are putting children’s lives at risk when a safer design has been available for 14 years!
If you or a loved one has been injured by a dangerous or defective product, call The Thomson Law Firm today for a free consultation. (540) 777-4900 . An intake specialist is waiting to talk with you about your accident. Do not delay.
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