Study Shows Helmeted Riders Have Less Severe Injuries in Bicycle Accidents

 Helmeted bicycle riders have a 58 percent reduced risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury after an accident compared to bicyclists who don’t wear helmets. Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson analyzed the records of 6,267 patients who had a traumatic brain injury after a bicycle accident. Among the group of patients who were analyzed, just over 25 percent were helmeted. The research findings were presented during the 2015 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

Helmets Reduce Injury Severity
Those who conducted the study say they knew for a fact that helmets do help prevent head bleeds in bicycle accidents. But, they tried to find out whether those who suffer head bleeds in bicycle accidents suffer less severe injuries if they are wearing helmets. Researchers found that among the group they studied, those who sustained traumatic brain injuries in a bicycle accident, the ones wearing helmets had a 58 percent reduced odds of severe traumatic brain injury and a 59 percent reduced risk of death.
Also, the use of helmets reduced the odds of craniotomy, which is a surgery to remove part of the bone from the skull to expose the brain, by 61 percent and facial fractures by 26 percent. The study showed that when the bicycle accident caused severe injuries, victims are going to fare better if they were helmeted.
Researchers also found that people between 10 and 20 years of age had the least helmet use. As they went up every 10 years, the likelihood of helmet use also increased. Study findings suggested that the likelihood of facial fractures was higher for those who were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash. Other common injuries sustained by bicyclists include spinal cord trauma, multiple broken bones, internal injuries and amputations.
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents
Regardless of whether bicyclists are wearing helmets, it must be noted that bicycle accidents frequently occur due to negligence on the part of other motorists. Helmets cannot prevent other injuries bicyclists often suffer when they are struck. There were 12 deaths and 3,884 injuries citywide as a result of bicycle accidents in 2013, according to the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT). As riders lack the kind of protection provided by say, seatbelts, airbags or body panels and the cabin frame of a car, it is often the bicyclist who suffers major injuries in a bicycle versus car collision. Motorists should understand that bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers of other motor vehicles.
Here are some of the most common violations on the part of motorists that lead to bicycle accidents:
• Drivers failing to consciously look for bicyclists.
• Motorists exceeding the speed limit or motorists driving at a speed that is unsafe given roadway, traffic and weather conditions.
• Drivers passing too close to bicyclists.
• Motorists intruding into bike lanes.
• Drivers making unsafe lane changes or turns.
• Motorists failing to yield the right-of-way to bicyclists. This is one of the most common causes of bicycle accidents involving other vehicles.
• Drivers or passengers opening doors in the path of moving bicyclists.
• Drivers blocking bike lanes and causing bicyclists to swerve into the path of other vehicles.
Compensation for Injured Victims
If you have been injured in a bicycle accident, you may be able to seek compensation for injuries and damages you have sustained. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. When a bicyclist is killed in an accident, family members of the deceased victim can file a wrongful death claim seeking compensation for damages such as lost future income, medical expenses, funeral costs, pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured or if you have lost a loved one as a result of a bicycle accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our skilled car accident attorneys have a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a man who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car. Our firm also obtained $305,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy for a bicycle accident victim as well as $200,000 in additional benefits from his workers’ compensation insurance.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
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Source: Medicalxpress.com