North Carolina Injury Lawyer Blog

Nancy Leady, 60, died last week after her bicycle was struck by a 21-year-old North Carolina State student. Brian Reid had been celebrating his 21st birthday when the tragic accident happened. He has been charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to control speed, and misdemeanor death by motor vehicle.

Because a bicyclist does not have any protection, except for a helmet, from the impact of colliding with a car, truck, motorcycle, or bus, many bicyclists are prone to serious injuries when they are involved in a traffic accident. Serious bicycle injuries can include broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, severed limbs, and death.

In Raleigh, Monroe, Hickory, Charlotte, or anywhere else in North Carolina or South Carolina, one of our bicycle accident lawyers can explore your legal options with you.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• 622 bicyclists died in traffic accidents in 2003.
• 46,000 others were injured that same year.
• The average age of bicyclists killed in 2003 was 35.
• Over 30% of bicyclist deaths involved alcohol (whether the pedalcyclist or motorist).

In preparation for National Bicycle Safety Month in May, the N.C. Department of Transportation offers the following reminders to motorists about keeping bicyclists safe:

• Keep a lookout for oncoming bicyclists when turning left and wait for them to clear the intersection before completing your turn.
• After passing a bicyclist on your right, take care not to cut them off by immediately turning right in front of them.
• Slow down when passing a bicyclist to make sure the rider is aware of your presence and leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the bicyclist.
• Stay alert for bicyclists who suddenly swerve or turn in front of you.
• Yield to bicyclists, when appropriate, as you would for other motor vehicles.

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles says that 114 bicyclists died and almost 2400 others were injured in traffic accidents in North Carolina from 2001 to 2005.

Bicyclist dies after struck by vehicle, News14.com, April 24, 2008

May is National Bicycle Safety Month, NCDOT.org

Related Web Resource:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Continue reading "Woman Injured In Raleigh, North Carolina Bicycle Accident Dies " »

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Lee Anne Barry, the founder and executive director of the BIG Ride, a non-profit bike tour that travels around the country to promote brain injury awareness, died from motor vehicle-related injuries on Sunday, at Carolinas Medical Center. Barry, a North Carolina resident, was riding her bike during the cross-country charity bike ride she had organized when she was involved in an accident with a van on US 521, close to Lancaster County yesterday afternoon. Thomas Hoskins, a Columbia, South Carolina resident and also a cyclist, died at the accident scene.

If someone you love was a cyclist who was killed in a motor vehicle crash because of the negligence of a motorist or another party in North Carolina or South Carolina, you should speak with an experienced wrongful death lawyer right away.

Barry had been a strong advocate of brain injury awareness, ever since she was struck by a car when she was five. She spent months in a coma before having to relearn how to talk and walk. She had brain surgery at age 15, which allowed her to get back most of her physical agility and strength.

Unfortunately, a bicycle accident can lead to catastrophic injuries for the cyclist, who doesn’t have much protection against the force of impact when struck by a car, bus, or truck or being thrown onto the road.

Common scenarios that can lead to personal injury accidents involving cyclists and motorists:

• Bicyclist does not yield the right-of-way
• Motor vehicle driver does not yield the right-of-way
• Bicyclist merges or turns into the path of the motor vehicle
• Motorist merges or turns into the bath of the cyclists
• Motor vehicle driver tries to overtake a bike

Every year, over 1000 bicyclists in North Carolina are involved in motor vehicle crashes, with 30 of these cyclists dying from their injuries; 160 others suffer from serious injuries. South Carolina ranks as one of the “Top 10” US states with the highest number of per capita deaths of bicyclists and pedestrians. 16 people were killed in bicycle-motor vehicle accidents in South Carolina in 2005.

Two die in charity bike ride accident, Charlotte Observer, October 22, 2007
North Carolina Bicycle Crash Data, Pedbikeinfo.org
Bicycling Crashes : Crash Types, Bicyclinginfo.org
The Need for Bike and Pedestrian Facilities, SCDOT

Related Web Resources:

The B.I.G. Ride

Continue reading "North Carolina Bicyclist and Brain Injury Awareness Advocate Dies After Accident With Van During Charity Bike Ride " »

Posted by Michael A. DeMayo | Permalink | Email This Post

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Michael Davis, Jr., a Roxboro resident, died from his injuries, after his bicycle was hit by a pickup truck on Durham Road. Davis was going southbound on U.S. 501 on his bike when he was hit from the back by Lee Wayne Lunsford of Timberlake.

He was declared dead at Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro.

Bicycle accidents can lead to serious if not fatal personal injuries. Bicycle riders have no protection (except their helmets) when they are in accidents involving other motor vehicles. Scratches, bruises, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, road burns, and disfigurements are just some of the injuries that can occur in a bike crash.

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute offers the following statistics:

• Some 85 million people ride bicycles in the US.
• 784 cyclists died in 2005 in the United States.
• More than 90% of these deaths involved motor vehicles.
• Approximately 540,000 bicyclists are treated in U.S. emergency rooms because of injuries.
• About 27,000 bicyclists are hurt enough that they are hospitalized.

Common accident scenarios involving a bicyclist and the driver of a motor vehicle include:

• A motor vehicle driver overtaking a bicycle.
• A motor vehicle driver merging (or turning) into the bicyclist’s path (or vice versa).
• The motor vehicle driver/bicyclist not yielding the right-of-way.

A person who is injured in a bicycle accident caused by a negligent driver or because a stoplight was defective or there was dangerous debris on the road might be eligible for personal injury compensation.

Roxboro man struck, killed while riding bike on 501 S., Roxboro-Courier.com, July 25, 2007

Bicycling Crashes: Crash Types, Bicycling Info.org

Helmet-Related Statistic, Helmets.org

Related Web Resources:

Bicycle Laws of North Carolina, Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation

Bicycle Safety Facts and Statistics, Federal Highway Administration

Continue reading "North Carolina Cyclist Dies After His Bicycle is Struck in Collision with Pickup Truck" »

Posted by Michael A. DeMayo | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Bicycle Accidents

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