New York City Bicycle Accident Lawyer
If you have been injured in a New York City bicycle accident, it is important to speak to a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to protect your interest and assert your claim.
Types of Bicycle Crashes
A bicycle crash can occur due to a variety of intervening events. They can be caused by the following:
- Human Error
- Crash with a Stationary Object
- Crash with another bicycle or person
- Crash with a Motor vehicle
- Crash due to a Defective Roadway or Sidewalk
- Crash due to a Defective Product
Regardless of the type of crash, a personal injury attorney can offer you a free, no obligation consultation and advise you of your rights.
New York City Bicycle Accident Statistics
According to the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), in 2013, there were 1,169 crashes between bicycles and motor vehicles in Manhattan alone. These accidents resulted in 1,179 bicyclist injuries and 3 fatalities.
Citywide, 3,884 bicyclists were injured in a crash with a motor vehicle and 38 were killed.
Risk Indicator
NYCDOT keep track of bicycle safety trends or risk indicators.
The New York City Cycling Risk Indicator is calculated as the number of bicyclists killed or severely injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes, divided by the NYC. In-Season Cycling Indicator, multiplied by 100.
The Risk Indicator describes changes in cyclist safety over the past decade while accounting for the increase in bicycle use in New York City.
The decrease in the Cycling Risk Indicator from a high of 384 in 2001 to 96 in 2013 represents a 75% decrease in the average risk of a serious injury experienced by cyclists in New York City.
This indicator uses the sum of bicyclist fatalities and severe injuries for several reasons. Severe injuries (Type A injuries, as reported by responding officers and classified by the NYS Dept. of Motor Vehicles) generally receive medical attention and are more likely than other injuries to result in medically serious outcomes such as long-term disabilities. Severe injuries are reported more consistently than non-severe injuries.
Bicyclist fatalities vary widely from year to year; bicyclist severe injuries are more consistent. Summing severe injuries and fatalities allows observation of year-to-year changes in the number of serious
bicyclist crashes.
New York City Biking Laws
Bike-riders have have an obligation to obey the rules of the road. Some of these laws are as follows:
- Ride in the street, not on the sidewalk (unless rider is 12 or younger and the bicycle’s wheels are less than 26 inches in diameter).
- Ride with traffic, not against it.
- Stop at red lights and stop signs. Obey all traffic signals, signs and pavement markings.
- Use marked bike lanes when available, except when making turns or when it is unsafe to do so. If the road is too narrow for a bicycle and a car to travel safely side by side, ride in the middle of the lane. Bicycling is permitted on all main and local streets throughout the City, even when no designated route exists.
- Use a white headlight, a red taillight, a bell or horn, and use reflectors.
What Should I Do?
If you or a loved-one has been injury in a New York City bicycle accident that was due to the fault of another person or entity, you have rights. You must, however, act quickly. There may be time-sensitive filing requirements for such things as No-fault benefits or a Notice of Claim.
An experienced New York City bicycle accident attorney can explain your rights and guide you through the process to obtain the money compensation you are entitled to receive.
