A 9-year-old boy was sent to the hospital with serious injuries to his head after a recent Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident. According to local police, the accident happened just before 4:00 p.m. as the young bicyclist was crossing over Northwest 6th Street. A motorist in an early-80s corvette hit the child as he crossed the street.
According to the Sun Sentinel, the driver of the Corvette remained at the scene of the accident. The 68-year-old driver is not currently facing any citations, pending the outcome of the investigation. The young bicyclist was transported to the Broward General Medical Center. His condition remains unknown.
Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers understand that there’s nothing more terrifying than the serious injury of a young bicyclist involved in an automobile accident. Unfortunately, the state of Florida is the most dangerous state in the country for these kinds of accidents. Our busy roadways and bike-worthy weather creates that recipe for disaster, but we can help with a little awareness and compassion.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, more than 900 bicyclists are killed and more than 500,000 are injured each year in bicycling accidents nationwide each year. About three quarters of these accidents happen in urban areas and during the daylight hours. As the school year winds down, more and more school-aged children will be hitting our roadways on two wheels. Motorists are asked to keep a look out because every year, nearly 200 kids are killed and another 17,000 are injured in these kinds of accidents.
Fort Lauderdale not only sits in the most dangerous state for bicycle accidents, but it also ranks as one of the deadliest metro areas as well!
It’s important to help keep our kids safe on our roadways and one of the most beneficial ways to do that is to make sure our young cyclists are wearing the right safety helmets. As a matter of fact, a properly-fitting bike helmet can reduce the risks of injuries to the head by nearly 90 percent. In the state of Florida, riders who are under the age of 16 are required to wear a helmet while riding a bike or acting as a passenger on a bike.
Safe Bicycling Tips, from the Broward Sheriff’s Office:
-Always wear a helmet that meets one of the helmet standards, including ANSI, Snell or ASTM.
-Be sure that the helmet fits properly. It should be level on the head and should not tilt back or sit over the forehead.
-Check out your bike before every ride. Make sure everything’s properly adjusted and in good-working order.
-Wear brightly-colored clothing to help make sure that drivers can see you.
-Make sure your bike has reflectors on it to make you more easily seen by motorists.
-Ride in safe areas along marked paths whenever you can.
-Ride with the flow of traffic.
-Be on the lookout for pedestrians, vehicles, road debris, potholes, etc.
-Never ride, or allow someone to ride, on the handlebars.
-At least one hand should be on the handlebars at all times.
If you or the child in your life has been injured in a bicycle accident in Broward County or in any of the surrounding areas, contact Fort Lauderdale Accident Attorney Richard Ansara at 954 761-3641 or toll-free at 877-277-3780 for a free initial consultation.
Additional Resources:
Corvette strikes boy, 9, on bicycle, by Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel
More Blog Entries:
Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents in Broward County Likely with Distracted Drivers, Broward Injury Lawyer Blog, April 4, 2012
At-Fault Officer Involved in Davie Accident Not Ticketed, Broward Injury Lawyer Blog, March 31, 2012