Increased Bicycle Ridership in the Boston Area Could Cause Rise in Accidents

More than a decade ago, Boston began a concerted effort to encourage bicycle use. It took a few years, but Bostonians have embraced cycling and the city now consistently ranks among the nation’s best when it comes to being bike-friendly. While the increase in bike usage comes with plenty of positives, cyclists continue to face the risk of serious injury that might even be enhanced as more riders take to the streets and bike lanes.

Boston has a formal initiative called Vision Zero Boston, which aims to eliminate fatal and serious traffic bicycle and pedestrian accidents by 2030. The Vision Zero dashboard allows you to track various types of crashes since 2018, including crashes involving bicycles.

Though Boston’s bicycle fatality statistics have been improving in line with a national trend identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are factors that could potentially reverse the gains that have been made in the last few years. For example, the popularity of shared Blue Bikes has led to a surge of inexperienced riders on city streets. MBTA shutdowns and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have also increased the number of cyclists.

If you are one of the unfortunate riders who does get hurt in a bicycle accident, you could sustain serious harm such as one or more of the following conditions:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Spinal cord injury and paralysis
• Broken bones
• Organ damage
• Severe cuts and scarring
• Emotional trauma

Injuries like these can, at the very least, cause you to incur high medical bills and possibly miss work. At worst, you could face extensive health problems that drastically change your lifestyle. If your bike crash was caused by someone else, such as the driver of a car or truck, you should talk to a personal injury attorney about pursuing legal action against the driver or their insurance company.

While the driver’s insurer may offer you a settlement, we advise against accepting any offers until you speak with a qualified lawyer. Settlement offers are often far too low, leaving victims without adequate funds to cover their needs. It takes a skilled lawyer to step in and make sure you get what you really deserve. If you represent yourself, you should be aware that insurance studies show that the injured victim only gets approximately one-quarter of what he/she would have received had they had a lawyer.

If you were injured by a vehicle while riding your bike in Boston or anywhere in Massachusetts, reach out to the lawyers of Feinberg & Alban PC by calling 617-232-5950 or contacting us online. We offer a free consultation where we can discuss what happened and explain what your legal options are.