Welcome to the Ehline Law Firm bicycle lawyer injuries blog page. As you can see, this page is dedicated to child injuries arising from bicycle-related collisions, falls, and spills. Kids can be hurt in a veritable plethora of tragic happenstances.
Our law firm fights hard to get a functional recovery for the parents and kids with moderate to severe injuries. We don’t want our clients stressed out about medical bills and money.
And this is one of the reasons we do not collect an attorney’s fee unless we get you and your kid the economic recovery you both deserve. We have obtained millions for our clients, and we are ready to act as your shield-bearer, while simultaneously wielding the sword of justice on your behalf.
Table of Contents:
- Children and Bike Injuries
- Things Our Lawyers Help With
- Most Injuries to Kids on Bikes Involve Rear Mounted Seats
- The Majority of Bodily Injuries are to the Brain
- Prevent Child Injuries
- Bicycle Seat Safety Compliance
- Who can you Trust?
Children and Bike Injuries
This information is provided to you by the accident attorneys at Ehline Law Firm. This article deals with bike injuries to children. Parents need to know the following information if their children are ever injured or involved in a bicycle accident.
Things Our Lawyers Help With.
We are here to help if your child has been injured while riding in a rear-mounted bike seat, or towed carrier. Also, we can help if they were riding on their own on a bike with training wheels. We have a history of advocating for kids.
Our attorneys have experience as child abuse lawyers and are also parents and avid cyclists. We ride the trails along the Santa Ana River, Costa Mesa, Playa del Rey, and Huntington Beach. So here is what you need to know about these types of injuries.
Most Injuries to Kids on Bikes Involve Rear Mounted Seats.
Bicycling is a great activity that parents love to share with their children, especially when their kids can ride on the back of the bicycle. Unfortunately, almost half of the incidents of young children getting hurt involve falling out of a rear-mounted bike seat while the bike is moving.
- Fatalities and Brain Injury – This is a tragic case of the wrongful death of a child, as well as severe head injuries and brain damage.
- Feet and Legs/Extremities – Feet and legs can also get caught in the rear wheel while riding, causing an amputation. Or the seat itself can become dislodged while the adult is pedaling the bike, causing bad scrapes and wounds. Also, head injuries are sure to follow, as discussed above. These types of accidents often lead to contusions of the upper body. Further, they can result in concussions, skull fractures, broken bones in the feet and legs. Last, sprains of the wrist and upper joints are quite common due to handlebars.
The Majority of Rider Accidents to Kids Involve Head Injuries
According to studies, 63% of all injuries to children younger than six-years-old in bicycle accidents result in head and neck trauma. About a quarter of those injuries are serious in nature. Some of these injuries are due to the abuse of children in foster care.
Over two-thirds of the tragedies happen to boys. It should come as no surprise that there is a higher incidence of these types of injuries between May and September when people are more active, and parents want to take their children out on a ride with them. These studies focused on the occurrence of accidents involving child seats mounted on the back of a bicycle to prevent injuries from their use.
So, How Can You Prevent Something Like this From Happening to Your Child?
The pedaling adult must assure the baby seat gets installed properly. And this must be done according to the manufacturer’s instructions. All hardware should be securely attached. Last, the seat should be free of any defects such as cracks, chips, or dents.
So take a look at the seat and check the mountings before each ride. The normal jostling and bumping a bike endures on a ride can loosen the seat; check to see the seat is secure before starting on the trail.
Check Compliance with Latest Safety Standards.
Make sure your seat complies with the latest safety standards if you have owned it for a while, or picked it up at a Goodwill, for example. You should also consider mounting a rear-view mirror to keep an eye on your child as you ride.
- Use Common Sense – Turning your head to check on your child can result in a collision with another rider coming in the opposite direction. Check All Safety Attachments – Next, make sure all straps are secure and snug, preventing the child from moving in the seat. If, while you are pedaling, you feel like there is undue friction or you hear rubbing; stop immediately and make sure your child is not making contact with the tires. So he or she has probably wriggled it loose somehow. So check the seat immediately.
Contact a Lawyer To Learn More
There are other precautions parents should take before setting out on the bike trails for a ride with children on the back of the bike. Please see our other articles on this topic or simply contact us at (213) 596-9642.
