Articles Posted in Bicycle Accidents

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle and pedestrian injury lawyers wish you and your family a happy and healthy Fourth of July weekend.

In an effort to stay safe, we hope that you will familiarize yourselves with some basic tips to help prevent personal injury this holiday weekend. For pedestrians and bicyclists, the streets can be a dangerous place. This is even more so over the Fourth of July period. We expect to see increased numbers of tourists, drunk drivers, and teen drivers on the road.

Tourists can pose a unique danger to bicycle riders by opening their doors without paying attention to an approaching cyclist. If a driver opens a door in a way that causes you to hit the door, the driver may be liable for any injuries you suffer as a result of this “dooring.”

While many police officers and angry drivers blame the bicycle rider for not getting out of the way of the door, the Florida Statutes (Section 316.2005, F.S.) specifically state that no person shall open a door into traffic without first making sure it is reasonably safe to do so. It is important to note that often times it is not the driver who opens his door into a bike lane but a passenger. Sometimes it is a passenger in a taxicab. These scenarios can present complex legal issues, and every situation is different. You should contact a personal injury lawyer who regularly handles these types of dooring cases to discuss the facts of your particular situation.
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Anyone who had an eye on weather in Southwest Florida had also at some point had an eye on television meteorologist Jim Reif, who over the course of more than 30 years in South Florida gained a reputation as an expert on hurricane formations and an advocate for storm preparedness.

Sadly, it was reported by his employer, the NBC affiliate in Fort Myers, that the weatherman was killed in bicycle accident on a recent Sunday afternoon. Officials are still investigating the sequence of events that led to the crash, but it appears the 61-year-old ran into a sign before falling to the ground and suffering a traumatic brain injury. He was not wearing a helmet.

It’s unclear at this point whether a car caused him to swerve or if he simply lost his balance. Whatever the reason, the incident is a tragic reminder that cyclists must ride defensively at all times, particularly here in Florida, which has one of the highest rates of bicycle accidents and fatalities in the country.
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It’s been well-established that Florida is the most dangerous state in the country for bicyclists. Where Floridians account for six percent of the nation’s population, about 1 in 5 bicyclist deaths occur here.

What a recent report in The Atlantic reveals is that similar trends are reflected throughout the Southern U.S., a combination of a growing number of cyclists, poor infrastructure design and a lack of dollars dedicated to addressing the issue.

Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident attorneys know that pending the initiation of “Complete Streets” projects (which may soon become mandatory for federally-funded projects if Congress passes S. 2004), bicyclists are endangered nearly every time they venture out for a ride in Florida. Absent those risks, Florida would otherwise be an ideal place for it. We have relatively flat roads, scenic landscapes and year-round warm weather.
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Scores of riders have been injured in South Florida bicycle accidents in recent years. To offer up just a few examples:

–A 49-year-old bicyclist was killed after being struck by a pickup truck driver in the 1800 block of Northwest 31st Avenue in Lauderhill in November 2012. The driver was stopped by police several blocks away.
–A 24-year-old doctoral student with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit was arrested in November after he struck a bicyclist in Boca Raton before fleeing the scene. He left his bloodied car at a stop light before stumbling into a gas station parking lot, climbing into a stranger’s car and passing out. Police arrested him soon after. The cyclist died.
–A bicyclist from Fort Lauderdale was critically injured last December and recently died as a result of his injuries after he was struck by a driver on Northeast 18th Avenue. After driving for miles with the paralyzed cyclist on his back windshield, the driver dumped him behind a garbage bin. The driver was later arrested.
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A bicyclist who was paralyzed after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Fort Lauderdale shortly before Christmas has died of his injuries.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle injury lawyers understand the 53-year-old victim had been on his way to work when he was hit by a car. The cyclist landed on the back window. Rather than stop, the driver allegedly drove two miles home before dumping the cyclist behind a garbage bin in the parking lot of his apartment complex.

That a person could be so heartless is tough to comprehend. That it happened in the first place – perhaps not so unbelievable, particularly considering Florida is the worst state in the country in terms of bicyclist safety.
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Broward and Miami-Dade Counties have a higher number of bicycle fatalities and injuries than any other county in the state, according to a recent Florida Department of Transportation study.

That dubious distinction places Broward and Miami-Dade right at the top of the list of counties targeted in a state program to improve bicycle safety.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident attorney is an aggressive advocate for victims injured by the negligence of others.
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For its fifth year, residents and visitors will participate in and enjoying the Tour de Broward at Miramar Regional Park. According to the Sun Sentinel,
the annual ride, walk and run event will be taking place on the 23rd of February on Miramar Parkway.

During the first three years, the event raised money to help with the construction of Hollywood’s Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital facility. Once construction was completed on this building, officials turned their attention to the pediatric cardiac center. Last year, there were more than 2,000 participants and officials were able to raise close to $400,000.

Who rides bicycles? At least 57 million people, or approximately 27 percent of the population ages 16 and up, according to one recent survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident attorneys understand that residents and visitors heavily rely on bicycles for transportation, their health and fun recreational activities. Not only are we quickly approaching the Tour de Broward, but we’re also looking forward to the Bike Scavenger Hunt in March, Bicycle Safety Day, the Markham Park 100 Race and the Road Course Cycling Race. Cycling is kind of a big deal here in South Florida, and so is bicycle safety.
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A recent accident along Oakland Park Boulevard really hit home with a lot of cyclists in the area. The man injured in the accident was a the leader a local chapter for Critical Mass, a worldwide group of riders/ cyclists that choose to ride with each other, according to New Times BPB. This advocacy group gets together once a month and rider in celebration and in protest of car culture. The group’s leader was transported to the emergency room where he was treated for a number of deep cuts on his head, as well as a fracture of the T9 vertebrae in his back.

According to accident reports, the man was heading west on the bridge when he was hit from behind by a careless driver. Bike advocacy group the Green Mobility Network has called South Florida “one of the most dangerous places in the country for bicyclists and pedestrians.”

Our bicycle accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale understand that our cities remain statistically dangerous. In most of these accidents, an irresponsible driver was not aware of the bicyclist and a serious, oftentimes fatal, accident occurs. When a car hits a bicyclist, the injuries that result are often debilitating. Given the nature of a bike, cyclists do not have any protection from the force of impact once hit by a motorist.
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Bicycling is all the rage in South Florida, and Broward B-cycle is helping to fuel the fire. It’s a convenient and economical way to use bicycles and make short trips across town, through your neighborhood or to the beach. When residents and visitors use B-cycle for their errands or exercise, most of them don’t recognize that they’re increasing their risks for an accident.

B-cycles fit riders of all shapes and sizes. The rental bikes also come equipped with a front basket for storage. They’ve also got automatic lights to help keep you safe when it gets dark.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers know residents and visitors to the area are turning to B-Cycle for a healthier and more convenient way to get around. With these bike stations located throughout the area, bike sharing is easy. Thankfully, our program is the most affordable in the country. In just its first year in business, B-cycle helped to burn close to 3.5 million calories and kept more than 87,000 lbs of carbon dioxide from entering our atmosphere. Currently in Broward County, there are close to 300 bicycles at more than 25 stations in 6 cities, and it’s only getting bigger. So far, there have been more than 25,000 people to pedal throughout the city on a B-cycle.
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A Broward bicyclist was left in critical condition after a recent accident with a hit-and-run driver who not only slammed right into him, but kept driving for two miles with the bicyclist caught in the vehicle’s smashed rear window.

According to the Miami-Herald, the man drove all the way to his townhouse in Pompano Beach where he then removed the 53-year-old bicyclist from the vehicle’s roof and discarded his body in a wooded area nearby. The spinal injuries could leave the bicyclist paralyzed, police report.

Our Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyers understand that pedestrian and bicyclist traffic in the South Florida area is at high risk of serious danger out there on our roadways. There are drivers, like the one in this recent accident, who have virtually no regard for the safety of these more vulnerable travelers. With the New Year, we’re asking drivers to make a resolution to watch for these travelers to help to make our roadway safer for everyone. Not only will you be helping to protect these travelers, but you will also be helping yourself.
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