Our streets are not only for cars. Increasingly, we are using bicycles to travel to and from work, to the park, or with our children to local sporting events. The transformation from car to bicycle travel for many Americans has been dramatically on the rise in the last 10 years. Many communities offer bike only lanes to encourage more people to ride bicycles and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
However, with rider increase so have injuries to bicyclist sharing the road with automobiles. For example, in 2013, 743 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts).
It is important to know that bicyclists enjoy the same rights as motorists on our roads. Due to the obvious lack of protection one is often afforded on a bicycle compared to sitting in a car, the injuries often result in severe and long term consequences. Most tragically, as noted above, crashes can often result in death.
The attorneys at Harrington, Thompson, Acker & Harrington, Ltd. are experienced in handling bicycle related injury claims. Most recently, our firm successfully tried and won a jury trial for a young girl injured when a motorist opened her car door into the path of travel in a bike lane on a Chicago road.
If you or a loved one has been injured while riding a bicycle, you should take action quickly and contact us online or call us at 800-828-5828 to set up a free consultation with an experienced lawyer.
