Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

A recent spike in the number of collisions between bicycles and motor vehicles in Springfield and other Missouri cities has left officials baffled as to the cause, according to a recent article from KSPR.

The most recent Springfield bicycle accident involved a bicyclist who collided with a car at the intersection of Glenstone and St. Louis Street. The serious crash happened just blocks from the site of another bicycle accident only a few weeks before - one that took the life of the cyclist involved.

Springfield police say they aren’t certain what has led to the recent increase in car-bike crashes, but they point out that inattention, distraction, and complacency can easily lead to a situation in which a motorist or bicyclist does not notice an upcoming hazard in time to stop. They remind Missourians that bicycles have the same right to use the road as cars, as long as bicyclists obey all the same rules of the road as cars. Both bicyclists and motorists need to be alert for one another in order to avoid accidents.

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The Missouri legislature is considering a bill that would require bicyclists on Missouri roads to wear a reflective safety vest. The bill, HB 1937, was introduced by Representative John Cauthorn of Boone County. The language of the bill is very simple: “Every person riding a bicycle upon a state road or highway shall wear a reflective vest.”

However, the controversy surrounding the bill is not as simple as its wording. Supporters of the bill say that it will reduce severe injuries and deaths in bicycle crashes, which affect hundreds of Missouri bicyclists each year. Opponents, however, note that the law might turn out-of-state bicyclists away from Missouri and claim that the risks of bicycling on state roads and highways can best be addressed by enforcing existing safety laws.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tracks the number and type of crashes that occur on U.S. roads each year. These include car accidents, truck accidents, and pedestrian accidents, as well as collisions between bicyclists and cars. Although the number of bicycle accidents nationwide has decreased in recent years, the NHTSA notes that too many bicyclists still lose their lives each year in bike crashes.

The first recorded automobile accident in the U.S. occurred in 1896, when a car crashed into a bicyclist in New York City. Since then, over 53,000 bicyclists have been killed in bicycle-car crashes nationwide. These statistics paint a larger picture of the toll of bicycle accidents:

• In 2008, 716 bicyclists were killed and 52,000 were injured in accidents with cars. Those who died accounted for 14 percent of the total fatal car accidents in that year. The injured made up two percent of the total car-related injuries in 2008.
• The highest number of bicyclist deaths in any year occurred in 1975, when 1,007 bicyclists were killed in car-related accidents.
• From 1998 to 2008, the number of bicyclist deaths per year has decreased by six percent.
• Fatal bicycle accidents are more likely to occur in urban areas (69% of fatal bike accidents), in areas without intersections (64%), and during the evening hours (28%)
• The average age of those killed in bicycle crashes in 2008 was 41 years. In contrast, the average age of those injured was only 31 years.

When a bicycle and a car collide, the bicyclist may suffer serious injuries due to being unprotected from the force of the impact. If you or someone you love has been injured in a bicycle crash, the skilled St. Louis bicycle accident attorneys at Page Law can help. Call us today at 314-322-8515 for a free and confidential case evaluation.

In 2009, 630 people were killed in crashes between bicycles and automobiles in the United States, according to bicyclinginfo.org.

Although this may seem high, the number of bicyclists killed or injured seems to be following a downward trend. In 1993, 68,000 people were injured in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes, but in 2009, only 51,000 people were injured. However, only a fraction of bicycle crashes are recorded by the police.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008 the average age of a bicyclist killed in a crash with a motor vehicle was 41. Of those killed, 87 percent were male.

It’s hard to tell from these numbers whether or not bicycling is getting safer. There has been a drop of 17 percent in fatalities since 1998. However, there is no corresponding data on how many bicyclists ride on a regular basis, or how far they are riding. Therefore, the drop in fatalities could be the result of fewer people riding, people riding in different locations, or bicycling conditions getting safer.

It’s also hard to tell from the data whether bicycling is more or less dangerous than other modes of travel. The data tells us that bicyclists account for two percent of traffic fatalities, but only one percent of all trips in the U.S. However, there is no data on how many miles bicyclists travel each year, or how long it takes them to ride those miles. It will take better data on bicycling to determine how dangerous bicycling is compared with other forms of travel.

Have you been injured in a bicycling accident in Missouri? Contact the Missouri personal injury attorneys at Page Law, LLC by calling 1-314-488-2433 for a free consultation on your case. You may have a potential claim against the other driver or rider that was involved in the accident. Call us now for further details.

Bicyclists are gaining a significant presence on the road. With this presence, come increased risks of accidents with motor vehicles. In a recent New York personal injury lawsuit, a bicyclist filed suit against a truck driver for personal injuries after the truck driver collided into the bicyclist on the road.

In this case, evidence proved the truck driver was at fault for the bicycle accident. The truck turned left, failing to yield right-of-way to the bicyclist, who was prudently pedaling through a crosswalk with a walk signal in her favor. This accident caused two non-placed fractures near the bicyclist’s knee and also ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in that knee. X-rays along with other medical records and testimony from an orthopedic surgeon proved all of these severe injuries were directly caused by the accident. The jury found for the bicyclist. The Plaintiff was awarded $400,000 for the injuries, including medical bills, pain and suffering.

When a bicyclist is injured in a motor vehicle collision, the injured biker will typically seek to recover from the driver of the vehicle, as in the case above. However, under some circumstances, a biker can also seek damages from other persons who are legally responsible for the driver’s operation of the vehicle, such as a truck driver’s employer. Additionally, governmental entities can also be held liable in a bicycle accident lawsuit in St. Louis where maintenance of a road, or premises, is inadequate and unsafe, and manufacturers can be held liable in the case of a defective bike part.

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