Common Bicycle Accident Injuries in Anne Arundel
Riding a bike might seem like an innocuous activity, but it could lead to severe, sometimes fatal injuries. Bike accidents can be especially serious because of the severity of the injuries that can be caused, even by the most minor impact between a car and a bicycle. The biggest factor is that it is a car versus a bicycle. It is a 3,000-pound vehicle versus the individual as a person.
Common bicycle accident injuries in Anne Arundel include broken bones and scrapes and bruises but can also include concussions that could lead to complications further on down the line. If you have been injured in a bike crash, seek the services of a compassionate and capable lawyer that could help you recover damages for your injuries.
Common Injuries
A person can sustain severe soft-tissue injuries to the spine, neck, and back as well as a lot of cuts, bruises, and scrapes. The body is more exposed to injury, so a person can sustain quite a lot of road rash-type injuries that may cause the skin to have to have skin grafts.
Other common bicycle accident injuries in Anne Arundel are:
- Broken bones
- Terrible cuts and bruises to the point where someone might need skin grafts
- Traumatic brain injuries.
The fact that the person is on a bicycle and directly exposed to coming into contact with vehicles can aggravate injuries. It is almost as if they are a pedestrian. They are going to be hurt more than if they were inside an automobile, which is designed to protect its occupants.
Injuries That Have Long-Term Consequences
Some examples of common bicycle accident injuries in Anne Arundel are traumatic brain injuries, which can have long-term consequences and broken bones with surgical intervention. The person will have scarring. The person may have permanency in terms of losing their range of motion to their ankle, knee, or leg. Those are some of the more substantial long-term consequences.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Often cars strike the bicyclist so the bicyclist comes up onto the hood of the car and hits their head on the windshield. Even though they have a helmet on, they can still sustain a traumatic brain injury and a concussion. It just may not be as serious if they were not wearing a helmet. Any type of concussion is considered a traumatic brain injury. Symptoms to look out for include:
- Headaches
- Inability to concentrate
- Sensitivity to light
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Any visible swelling on the skull or head are things to look out for after an accident
The long-term effects of traumatic brain injuries can be permanent. A person may have memory problems for the rest of their life, they may have issues with concentration and focus, they may lose their ability to multi-task like they had before, and they may have word issues, like not being able to find the correct words. It is like word aphasia. They could have headaches and migraines for the rest of their lives. For the more serious traumatic brain injuries, someone may have strokes in the future as the result of the damage that stems from their brain following a concussion and/or traumatic brain injury.
Broken Bones
One of the other common bicycle accident injuries in Anne Arundel that someone might sustain are broken bones. It is a car versus a human being. The impact can cause broken bones to someone’s arms or legs. Also, the fact that someone may be thrown off onto the hood of the car and onto the ground can impact the person’s body and cause broken bones.
Broken bones are especially painful. There is going to be some serious pain and suffering there when someone has a series of multiple broken bones. They are more apt to have complications as the result of the broken bones. The person may not be able to walk, continue to ride their bike or drive when they have multiple broken bones. The person may not be able to go to work. They may have to have more surgeries with hardware, screws, and pins put in to make sure that the bones heal properly. They may wind up having permanent injuries.
Treating Bicycle Accidents in Anne Arundel
Doctors are more apt to do more diagnostic testing, especially with CT-scans of the brain. They will be more focused on any injury to the head with a bicycle accident rather than a car accident.
When a cyclist hits their head, whether it would be on the car or on the ground, the response window needs to be more critical, because the person could have swelling on their brain or subdural hematoma that could cause them to die. If you have been injured in a bicycle collision, work with an attorney that has experience pursuing damages for common bicycle accident injuries in Anne Arundel. Contact a capable attorney that could help you seek treatment for your injuries and advocate for you.
