When one thinks of traffic accidents, one cannot help but notice the obvious hierarchy of vehicles in a collision. At the top of the hierarchy sit large trucks carrying heavy loads, as any vehicle that strikes such a truck will suffer significant damage, while the truck itself will likely come out of the crash in rather good shape. As you continue down the list, you will come across large cars such as Suburbans or SUVs, then smaller cars including convertibles, and finally two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles or bicycles.
If you think about accidents in this way, bicycles fall at the bottom of the food chain, coming out worse for wear in nearly every accident. However, you may not realize that bicycles can cause serious injury to pedestrians. Even though pedestrians are not vehicles, they still use roads and sidewalks, and sometimes they have to share these areas with bicyclists. In states like New York, where many people ride bikes either to save energy or to navigate the streets more quickly, pedestrians are perhaps at an even greater risk than in other states.
Fortunately for pedestrians who are injured by bicyclists, these cyclists are not exempt from the rules of the road. Not only does this mean that they must still yield to pedestrians and obey traffic signals, but it also means that they can be prosecuted for being negligent in this behavior.
If you have been injured by a bicyclist who was riding recklessly or traveling in an area where they should not have been, such as a sidewalk, you could be entitled to compensation. Visit our webpage to learn more about bicycle accidents. We may be able to help you to determine whether you want to pursue a claim.