In this insightful episode, host John Maher is joined by attorneys Rob Mazow and Kevin McCullough to discuss the most common injuries cyclists suffer in accidents. They detail how collisions often result in severe upper body injuries like clavicle fractures and road rash, as well as head injuries—even when helmets are worn—and serious spinal injuries that can lead to paralysis. The conversation also touches on dental trauma and the overall increased vulnerability of cyclists compared to motorists, highlighting the long-term consequences that can affect a victim’s quality of life. Whether you’re a cyclist, a legal professional, or simply interested in road safety, this episode offers essential insights into the real risks faced by cyclists and the importance of proper safety measures.
John Maher: Hi, I am John Maher, and I’m here today with Rob Mazow and Kevin McCullough of the Law Office of Mazow McCullough. Today we’re talking about the most common bicycle accident injuries. Welcome, Rob and Kevin.
Robert Mazow: Thanks, John, nice to see you.
Kevin McCullough: Thank you, John.
Common Types of Injuries From Cycling Accidents
Maher: Sure. So what are some of the most common types of injuries that cyclists tend to sustain in accidents?
Mazow: Well, we tend to see all different types of injuries, obviously. The more significant ones we see are upper body, clavicle area, spinal injuries if somebody unfortunately goes over their bike, over the handlebars. Most of the people we see now are wearing helmets, but if they’re not wearing a helmet, or if their helmet fails to sustain the damage from a motor vehicle crash with a bicycle, we see head injuries. We’ve seen unfortunate paralysis injuries due to spinal injuries and then lower leg injuries as well. We see brakes, we see knee brakes.
For instance, some of the bicycle crashes we see are of somebody biking down the road and somebody opens their door, their car door, causing the bicyclist to either come in contact with the door, which would be more of a lower body or a lower torso injury, or they go over and then you’re going to see more upper body, clavicle, and head injury kind of damages. So while we see all types, I would say the more common ones would be, like I said, the clavicle brakes and the upper body injuries.
How Severe Are Bicycle Accidents?
Maher: Can you talk a little bit about the severity of these injuries and their potential long-term consequences for the person that’s involved in the accident?
McCullough: Yeah, John. Usually with bicycle accidents and collisions with motor vehicles or even a bicyclist hit by a motorcycle, because you’re so exposed, the injuries tend to be more severe and certainly a higher potential for permanent injuries. We see cuts, bruises, scarring, road rash from sliding on the pavement. And as Robert mentioned, those fractures that may require surgery.
So, the severity of these injuries is definitely amplified with a bicyclist versus someone safe and seat belted within a motor vehicle. And because of the higher severity of these injuries usually, it is a permanency factor involved of the scarring and those surgical elements. So the injuries are worse, which means that the recovery takes longer, and oftentimes, as I mentioned, it can lead to those permanent injuries.
Mazow: Yeah, and you’re really exposed out there. Bicyclists, if you’re a recreational bicyclist or a kid or even somebody who’s an experienced bicyclist, you just, you’re really exposed out there. You’ve got your helmet, you’ve got maybe some gloves on, but usually you’re wearing shorts or a short-sleeved shirt.
So, when Kevin says road rash, I mean those are very painful things when a doctor has to be taking pieces of the road out of your skin. The other one I wanted to mention was, we see dental injuries. If somebody lands on their face, we can see some jaw breaks, we could see teeth loss. So it runs the whole gamut. But like I said, you’re really vulnerable out there if you are hit by a car or motorcyclists or come into contact with almost anything.
Common Types of Cycling Accidents Leading to Injuries
Maher: What are some of the most common types of accidents that lead to these types of injuries?
Mazow: What we’ll start to see when it gets to be nicer weather is motorists are just not used to seeing the bicyclist back on the road. So what you’ll see sometimes is an intersection where a car comes to an intersection, is looking left, looking right, and then makes a turn, let’s say to the left. They’re just not realizing that a bicyclist might be coming to their right.
So, we’re seeing those kinds of impact injuries. And the bicyclist can do almost anything to make sure that or she’s seen, but the motorist is just not used to people, bicyclists, until it gets further down the road.
Sometimes bicyclists are out there very early in the morning or at dusk and it can be hard to see them, and that’s why we see the more experienced bicyclists wearing bright clothing and things like that, to make sure that they’re seen. The other ones, like I mentioned, are if you’re bicycling down a commercial area, people aren’t looking necessarily in their rear view mirrors before they open their car door.
Not to say that they’re meaning to do something or they’re being harmful intentionally, but they’re just not thinking the last thing that they should do is look in their side view mirror before they open the door. And those can lead to some really serious, serious injuries for the bicyclists.
McCullough: I do think that as far as the common causes, John, in addition to what Rob mentioned, we do see frequently where a motorist is pulling from an intersection or a stop sign or a parking lot, and you could have a motorist who truly is making a complete stop and looking in both directions, but oftentimes if a bicyclist is coming from the left side of the road say, and there’s a motor vehicle beside the bicyclist, the operator of the car pulling out or entering the roadway, their attention oftentimes is drawn to the motor vehicle.
And they see that come and they pass and they just assume that it’s clear to go, not appreciating that the bicyclist is also coming because they just looked for that car and saw it and that’s instinctively what they picked up on. So we see that unfortunately from all directions, from a motorist point of view, and just simply not paying attention.
A lot of the main common causes of car accidents. Not knowing where you’re going or being familiar with the roadway, what the speed limit may be, looking at your cell phone, eating some food, those are all things that the motorist driving a car may be doing, to the detriment of the bicyclist, that could cause a lead to that collision.
So, like I said, in addition to what Rob mentioned, it’s a lot of those things that involve or cause car accidents. But with the bicyclists, oftentimes there are some other factors that even a driver of a car who’s trying and paying attention may not fully appreciate the bicyclist if they don’t do that second look.
Mazow: Yeah. The other one, Kevin just reminded me as he was talking, I mean sometimes it’s just driving down the… the car is just driving down the road and puts his or her blinker on to take a right-hand turn. It’s clear to take a right-hand turn as far as they know, they take the turn, and just not appreciating that the bicyclist is to their right. And we see those, where the bicyclist, there’s almost like a T-bone situation where the bicyclist doing everything, you know, doing everything right, comes into contact with the car that’s turning right.
Are Car Blind Spots More Dangerous For Cyclists?
Maher: Cars have blind spots that we’re always aware of and that’s why we have side mirrors and we’re told to turn around and look to make sure that there’s no car that’s in your blind spot. Are blind spots kind of magnified when it comes to bicycles because they’re so small and it’s just a person sitting on top of a small bicycle and they can maybe be really lost in a blind spot on the side of a car?
McCullough: Absolutely, John. It is definitely enhanced with the blind spots of the driver of a car and appreciating a bicyclist. Oftentimes a bicyclist may come from a sidewalk onto the street and enter the street in an area that the driver wouldn’t be able to see. And as Rob mentioned, they’re trying to pass the vehicle and that car takes the right turn not realizing that the bicyclist is there.
So, those blind spots, as you’re driving a motor vehicle, are definitely enhanced and something that could cause or lead to a collision with a bicyclist depending upon how that bicyclist is operating the bicycle. Like I said, coming from the sidewalk, coming from an area between vehicles, it definitely enhances and increases the chance of risk the way that the bicyclist is operating.
What can Cyclists Do To Protect Themselves?
Maher: Is there anything that cyclists can do themselves to help prevent these types of catastrophic injuries?
Mazow: Absolutely. I mean, let’s start with the experienced bicyclist, somebody who’s out there training for a race or something. You’re going to see them… You always see them in bright colors. You always see them in the bright pinks, bright yellows, and you wonder why. And it’s so that they can be seen. That is why they’re wearing those colors.
You’ve got reflectors on their pedals, on their bodies, they’re wearing reflectors. We give away to children actually who are biking, to young kids, we give flashers to their parents to have them put flashers on their bikes to make sure that a motorist is going to see that. The more visible you are, obviously, the less likely it is that you’re going to get into trouble out there.
The other important factor is, and this is when, you have to have some knowledge of the rules of the road, is to make sure, the bicyclist has to make sure that they are seen by that driver. The bicyclist should always assume that that driver does not see them and has to take extra precaution before they pass a car.
Before they pass a car and before they go through an intersection, where they have to make eye contact with the driver just like you were told his kids. To make eye contact with that car before you cross the street. Same goes with motorcycles and with bicyclists, you have to make sure that you’re seen through all sorts of opportunities that you can do to enhance your visibility.
McCullough: Yeah, John, I think that as Robert mentioned, the equipment is the starting point for a bicyclist trying to protect themselves and prevent injury. And whether it’s the reflectors or a helmet or a long sleeve shirt, protective pants. Something that will not be direct skin to pavement contact is good. And just the general defensive driving and awareness.
And that defensive driving may sound silly, but it is absolutely important for a bicyclist to not only be driving along mindful of others, but being mindful of the vehicles on the roadway, which direction they’re approaching them, the speed of those vehicles, whether or not the bicyclist should take some evasive action, whether they’ve done anything wrong or not, it’s self-preservation. So all of the different things that we’ve talked about and most important is that defensive driving and that self-awareness of what’s going on around you.
What are the Legal Rights of Cyclists After an Accident?
Maher: Right. And then finally, what are the legal rights of cyclists who have been injured in an accident, especially in an accident involving a motor vehicle?
Mazow: When a bicyclist is involved in a crash with a motor vehicle, the bicyclist gets the same rights that they would have had if they were a pedestrian. So in Massachusetts, if a bicyclist is injured as a result of a crash with a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle’s automobile insurance will cover medical bills, lost wages, and payment for pain and suffering. So, just like as if a pedestrian were hit, they would be entitled to those three things. Medical bills, payment for loss wages, and payment for pain and suffering.
McCullough: And John, I think it is important that in addition to those benefits that Robert just mentioned, that that assumes that we know who the driver of the motor vehicle is. But it is important to highlight that for a bicyclist who’s injured due to the driver of a car, whether there’s an impact or not, unfortunately we do see routinely people who are injured in that situation and the car doesn’t stop. They take off. They want to avoid responsibility. And if they’re lucky there’s a plate number or a witness that can help track down that responsible driver.
But here in Massachusetts, if you’re injured as a bicyclist and that car does leave the scene and you don’t have the ability to track that person down, if you’ve been injured, if you incur medical bills, lost wages, you can also have the ability to present a claim against your own motor vehicle insurance company for compensation for those injuries.
So, it is important that if you are injured as a bicyclist, that you speak with attorneys who live and work and deal in this world to know what the insurance coverage is available to you, to know what your options of recovery are, and to do everything timely so that those benefits are available to you as a form of recovery, whether you know the at-fault driver or their insurance company or not.
Maher: All right, well that’s really great information Rob and Kevin, thanks again for speaking with me today.
Mazow: Thanks, John.
McCullough: Thank you, John.
Maher: And for more information, you can visit the website of Mazow McCullough at helpinginjured.com, or call 978-744-8000.
