When Arizona residents think about riding a bicycle, they often think about an enjoyable ride through residential areas or on a path filled with beautiful scenery. What bicyclists don’t often think about are the dangers this activity presents. Most know that wearing a helmet can help reduce significant injuries and even prevent death, but even when they are worn, they might not be able to prevent all head injuries. Furthermore, bikers should always be aware of the vehicles around them. When a biker or a driver is inattentive, they could collide and cause a serious bicycle accident.
An accident involving an automobile and a bicycle recently occurred in Tucson. Officers were called to the scene where they found a seriously injured bicyclist. The bicyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
According to preliminary reports, authorities suspect that the bicyclist went through a stop sign and collided with the vehicle. The driver indicated that he was not able to stop in order to avoid the collision. The crash is still under investigation; the driver remained at the scene and assisted investigators.
Bikers should be aware that they are supposed to follow the same posted signs that a motor vehicle must follow. When an accident occurs between a bicycle and vehicle, the driver may be liable for damages if they contributed to the accident due to negligence or distractions such as texting and driving. If this is the case, the bicyclist may be able to recover some compensation even if they contributed to the accident. This is dependent on the amount of fault attributed to each party in the collision.
Riding on a bicycle near motor vehicles does pose risks. Specifically, automobiles are larger in size and travel at faster speeds, making the impact of a vehicle on a biker massive. Even when a biker contributes to the accident, there could still be options to recover compensation. Those involved should seek to understand their rights and options and determine if filing a lawsuit to receive compensation is a possibility.
Source: KGUN 9, “Bicyclist hit by car after running stop sign on the northwest side,” Taylor Higgins, Sep. 23, 2013