If you enjoy bicycling, northern California is one of the most beautiful regions in the world, and few cities are more bicycle-friendly than San Francisco. However, it only takes a moment for a pleasant bike ride to become painful and terrifying. If you’re injured by a driver’s negligence in a traffic accident while riding a bicycle in the San Francisco Bay Area, arrange right away to discuss your legal rights and options – which might include filing a personal injury claim – with an experienced San Francisco personal injury attorney. From 1998 through 2013, bicycling injuries sustained by adults increased sharply in the United States, according to some of the latest research findings.
The researchers examined injury statistics from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which samples U.S. emergency room data for bicycle-related injuries. Combining that data with information from the Census Bureau, they determined that in 1998, only 23 percent of injured bicyclists were over age 45. By 2013, however, that figure had increased to 42 percent. One of the researchers, Dr. Benjamin N. Breyer of the University of California, told Reuters, “The injury data reflect a change in the demographics of bicycle riders. If you take a typical 25-year-old and 60-year-old and they have a similar crash, it’s more likely the older person will have more severe injuries.”
If you are injured while bicycling in California – at any age – it’s imperative to know your legal rights. Don’t admit any fault or sign any insurance forms before consulting with a personal injury attorney. If you are injured because of a driver’s negligence, you are entitled to fair and full compensation for your medical treatment, lost days of work, and your other injury-related losses and expenses. However, that compensation isn’t just given to you. You have to prove that you were injured and that your injury was caused by another person’s negligence. An experienced San Francisco personal injury attorney can fight for your compensation and your rights, but you have to take the first step. If you’re injured while bicycling now or in the future, make the call right away.
