Oklahoma City Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Focus On Your Health While We Focus On The Insurance Company.

Flying through Putnam Heights on your new Jamis bike is a feeling unmatched in this world.  You can cruise west to Will Rogers Park for a picnic with friends or take a quick south on Pennsylvania to head to the city’s heart.  But be careful, look both ways and ride cautiously – colliding with a distracted driver might end your plans for the day.

Distracted drivers pose a serious safety hazard, but they aren’t the only risk Oklahoma cyclists must face.  Intoxicated, aggressive, and fatigued drivers can also cause catastrophic accidents, while poor road maintenance can send even careful and vigilant riders spinning out of control.  In other cases, serious head injuries occur when defective bicycle helmets crack or dislodge instead of functioning as designed.

If you were hit by a car while riding your bike in Oklahoma City, or if a defective bicycle accessory injured you, our bicycle injury lawyers can help you fight for financial compensation.  Depending on what caused your accident, you could be entitled to compensation to help with your medical bills, income losses, and damage to your personal property.

Bikes and Cars – A Constant Battle with Aggressive Drivers

A bicycle is one of the most beautifully efficient modes of modern transportation. Using only your legs, you can carry yourself across great distances – and it’s completely emission-free.

So, what’s the big deal, then?  Why are motorists constantly angry about sharing the road with a few folks on two wheels?  Online and written threats have risen lately, with many anonymous drivers making idle threats towards eco-conscious riders – many of these drivers believe that they can lay claim to the road that we all share together.

These drivers deliberately engage in risky and even deadly maneuvers, such as flashing their high beams, rapidly accelerating, or forcing cyclists off the road.

Unfortunately, some of these drivers go so far as to take their anger out on defenseless cyclists.  These drivers deliberately engage in risky and even deadly maneuvers, such as flashing their high beams, rapidly accelerating, or forcing cyclists off the road.  These reckless and aggressive driver behaviors create a completely unjustifiable risk of injury or death to innocent riders sharing the road.  When a cyclist is injured because a motorist decides he or she is entitled to ignore traffic safety laws, the guilty party must be held accountable for their irresponsible and dangerous actions.

As a cyclist, you have the same rights to the road as someone driving a car.  At Hasbrook & Hasbrook, we can help you pursue maximum damages for your injuries if you happen to be in an accident with an incompetent motorist.

Common Injuries Among Cyclists

As dangerous and terrifying as car accidents can be, people riding in passenger vehicles are guarded by safety devices like seat belts, windshields, and airbags.  By comparison, cyclists are protected by little more than their helmets, which leaves them almost completely vulnerable to injury or wrongful death when an accident occurs.  Additionally, the lack of an enclosed cab means cyclists are often ejected from their bikes, resulting in even more serious injuries.  All motorists are well aware of these facts, making aggressive and negligent driving all the more inexcusable.

Some common injuries resulting from bicycle accidents include the following:

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) – The CDC reports that traffic accidents account for nearly 15% of all TBI cases.  While medical effects vary by location and severity of the injury, TBI typically causes complications such as:
  • Chronic Pain
  • Incontinence
  • Paralysis
  • Loss of Perception
  • Loss of Balance
  • Memory Problems
  • Difficulty Speaking
  • Insomnia
  • Depression
• Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) – SCI can result when cyclists are ejected from their bike and contact the ground with their neck or head.  SCI frequently causes permanent paralysis (e.g., paraplegia, quadriplegia/tetraplegia) and loss of physical sensation.  In April 2015, Trek recalled nearly one million bicycles after numerous accidents were caused by incorrectly installed release levers, including one accident that left the victim paralyzed.
• Road Rash– When drivers are ejected onto the road, their momentum can carry them dozens of feet before they come to a complete stop.  Unlike motorcyclists, who are usually covered in tough leather, cyclists ride in thin spandex clothing, offering zero protection against skin abrasion.  The debridement of road rash wounds is an agonizing process, and the wound may result in permanent scarring or disfigurement, which can be emotionally traumatic.
• Bone Fractures – It’s a human instinct to reach out and brace ourselves for a fall, which often results in broken wrist bones and fingers when riders are ejected onto the road.  The violent impact from a car can easily break bones in the legs, back, arms, or any other body part.  Different types of bone fractures include:
  • Simple Fractures
  • Compound Fractures
  • Greenstick Fractures
  • Transverse Fractures
  • Oblique Fractures
  • Buckled Fractures
  • Comminuted Fractures

Our Oklahoma City Bicycle Accident Attorneys Can Help

We understand that after an accident, all you want to do is rest and recover.  While we encourage you to take your time getting all the care you need, it’s also important for injury victims to be aware that the time to file a lawsuit is not unlimited.

On the contrary, a very strict law called the statute of limitations imposes a firm deadline on plaintiffs.  The Oklahoma personal injury statute of limitations is two years, beginning from the accident date. If the statute of limitations runs out or expires, your claim cannot proceed, and your legal recourse will be extremely limited.

A serious bicycle accident can be a traumatizing experience and may leave you wary about getting back on two wheels.  The path toward recovery is often difficult, but you don’t have to go through this challenge alone.  Whenever you’re ready to discuss your experience, the attorneys of Hasbrook & Hasbrook will be here to support you.