There are many people who ride bicycles all year round in New York City. As the weather warms up though people will begin to see more and more people riding on the streets throughout the city. This means that the other vehicles on the roads need to pay even more attention to ensure that they do not hit the bicyclists. They can be easy to miss though given how much smaller they are than all the other vehicles.
Due to this size difference bicyclists can suffer serious injuries as a result of bicycle accidents. Cars and other vehicles do not need to be travelling at high rates of speed to cause serious injuries. Once bicyclists are knocked off of their bikes they have very little protection and are at the mercy of how they fall. Usually, it is on a very hard and unforgiven surface. The injuries can result in major changes to the victims’ lives as they recover and can be very costly as well. Unfortunately, there are many bicyclists injured in accidents each year though.
Bicycle accident statistics
In 2018, there were a total of 4,304 bicyclists injured in accidents with motor vehicles in New York City. There were also 10 fatalities in these accidents. The most injuries occurred in Brooklyn (1,725) and Manhattan (1,257). Next most injuries occurred in Queens (796) and the Bronx had 464 injuries. The fewest occurred in Staten Island (62). Bicyclists also were injured in accidents with pedestrians and were in accidents only involving the bicyclist, but most of accidents resulting in injuries involved motor vehicles.
The bicyclists injured in the accidents throughout New York City certainly have varying levels of severity, but some will be forced to incur significant medical bills as they recover from their injuries. They also may not be able to work while they recover resulting in even more economic loss. This is in addition to the physical limitations and pain they suffer. The victims of the accidents may be able to obtain compensation from the drivers who caused the accident though. It is important the victims receive what they deserve and consulting with experienced attorneys could be beneficial.