If your child was injured in a bicycle accident, an attorney can help you hold the at-fault party accountable for their actions.
Every year, kids are sent to the hospital to have injuries treated for preventable bicycle accidents. That's because even when wearing a helmet and other protective gear, a small child is vulnerable to severe injury when hit by a car or involved in a collision while riding their bike. New studies show that even with recent efforts to make bicycling safer for kids in neighborhoods and on roads, thousands of children are still injured in accidents involving motor vehicles and negligent drivers.
A child can sustain severe bicycle accident injuries that can be painful, debilitating, and expensive to treat. Under the law, you can seek compensation for your losses if your child was hurt in a bicycle accident, but claims involving injured children are often complex. Without a lawyer to protect your rights and look out for your family's best interests, you could have to pay out of pocket for your child's recovery.
At Hoover Rogers Law, LLP, we can help you hold the responsible party accountable through the civil justice system and fight for the compensation you deserve. To learn how an experienced bicycle accident lawyer can help you, contact us today to schedule a free injury case consultation. We proudly serve families in the Wichita Falls, TX, and Lawton, OK, area.
Bicycle injuries and children
According to HealthDay News, over a million children and teens in the U.S have suffered broken bones and fractured skulls in bicycle accidents over the past 20 years. The majority of those children injured on bicycles were males between the ages of 10 to 15. Data shows that fractures have decreased overall, aside from in 2020. Then, at the beginning of the pandemic, more injuries were reported when schools and summer camps shut down, and more kids were out riding their bikes.
Broken bones after a bike accident
There are many different ways a bone can fracture during a bicycle accident. In car vs. bicycle collisions, common fractures that children often sustain include:
- Skull: Skull fractures can happen even when a child doesn't land directly on their head. When thrown from a bike, impact to the neck and back can still cause damage to the skull, including fractures, bruising, swelling, and bleeding.
- Closed fracture: This type of fracture is when a bone breaks but does not puncture through the skin.
- Open fracture: With an open fracture, the bone breaks through the skin and often leads to an infection.
- Comminuted fracture: With this type of fracture, there isn't one clean break. Instead, the bone is broken into many pieces.
- Non-displaced fracture: Broken bones that stay in place.
- Displaced fracture: Broken bones that move out of their normal alignment.
Statistically, the most common bicycle accident injuries children sustain are broken bones. They can be nonfatal minor fractures, but many are catastrophic. Despite the fracture itself, other health problems can come as a result. According to BetterHeath, some fractures can stunt bone growth in children. This happens when their bone breaks too close to their joint because the joints are where the growth plates are located.
Depending on how severe your child's fracture is, splints, braces, and surgery are among some treatments a doctor may recommend. However, even with the proper treatment, recovery can take weeks to months for the bone to heal properly.
Our bicycle accident lawyers stand up for families in Wichita Falls, TX, & Lawton, OK.
As a parent, you never want to see your child in pain or suffering. Unfortunately, far too many children are severely injured or die in preventable bicycle accidents due to negligence.
Even though motorists are frequently to blame for bicycle accidents involving children, families often struggle to recover the compensation their injured children need and deserve to move forward. That's because to the insurance company, your bicycle accident claim represents nothing more than a threat to their bottom line. And if you're not careful, you could end up settling for less than your child is entitled to—or nothing at all.
At Hoover Rogers Law, LLP, our bicycle accident attorneys know how the legal system works and will fight to get the justice you and your family deserve. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us today and schedule a free injury case consultation. We have two offices conveniently located in Wichita Falls, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma.