Youth and Young Adult Bicycle Injuries in Encinitas

Over the last two decades, cycling as a mode of transportation and recreation has risen for youth and young adults in urban areas, including cities in San Diego County. With the increase in bicycling, children and young adults aged 15 to 39 years old have experienced decreasing rates of cardiovascular disease and other conditions associated with poor health and obesity, according to an article in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. At the same time, however, as disease rates have decreased, the increased use of cycling for both transportation and recreation has resulted in a rise in cyclist road injuries among this age group. It is important to understand the risk of injury due to an accident, and the ways in which it may be possible to seek compensation.

Rising Rates of Road Injuries Among Youth and Young Adult Cyclists

With more cyclists on the roads over the last twenty years, injury rates in accidents and collisions have risen. Whether the reduction in disease rates outweighs these injury rates is something that must be studied further, the authors of the recent article suggest. Yet their research does show that cyclist road injuries have become a cause for serious concern. The study reported in Frontiers in Public Health reveals that cyclists between the ages of 15 and 39 currently “face twice the risk of fatal injuries per mile compared to automobiles passengers,” and that “the likelihood of sustaining a fatal injury while cycling is 12 times greater than while driving a car.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 1,100 people are killed in bicycle collisions with automobiles every year, and that number does not account for deaths that result from other types of bicycle accidents. Thousands more cyclists sustain fatal injuries.

Seeking Compensation After a Serious Bicycle Accident

When a teenager or young adult is seriously injured or killed in a cycling accident, it may be possible to file a claim and to hold the at-fault driver or other responsible party accountable. An injured cyclist can be eligible to file an Encinitas personal injury claim themselves, while a family member may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim after a fatal bicycle injury.

What types of injuries are most common in bicycle accident injury claims that arise out of bicycle accidents? According to the study in Frontiers in Public Health, the following injuries typically prove to be debilitating or fatal most often:

● Traumatic brain injuries and other forms of head trauma;
● Spinal cord injuries; and
● Limb fractures.

Contact Our Encinitas Personal Injury Attorneys Today for Assistance

If you or your child recently sustained injuries in a bicycle accident involving a motor vehicle, poorly maintained sidewalks or roadways, or another cyclist, it is important to find out more about filing a claim. Children, teens, and young adults can sustain particularly severe injuries in bicycle accidents and collisions in North County San Diego, and many of their injuries result from another party’s negligence. It may be possible to hold that negligent party accountable, and an experienced Encinitas personal injury attorney can help. Contact North County Injury Lawyers to find out more about how we can assist you and your family with a bicycle injury claim in North County.