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Waukegan Bicycle Accidents

Waukegan Bicycle Accident Lawyers

A competitive cyclist spends hours and hours training on their bike. Often they compete in bike races, join triathlons, and participate in a lot of group biking activities.

However, imagine if that was taken away one day in the blink of an eye. That is what happened to one of our clients at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers.

Waukegan Bicycle AccidentsOur client was training with a group of 15-20 bikers when a passing car on a 4 lane road clipped our client and wiped him out in a Waukegan bicycle accident.

Prior to this accident he had been very athletic. After the accident, he was not able to perform in any triathlons or ride his bike competitively. He sustained a wrist injury when he put his hand out to shield him from the fall of the bike.

The injury required multiple surgeries, and our case to help him recover from his loss is still pending.

While we wish this is an isolated incident, we know this happens all too often in the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded over 48,000 bicycle accidents just in 2013 alone. The total cost of these injuries is over $4 billion per year.

If you or a family member was injured in a Waukegan bike accident, we invite you to contact our law firm for a free consultation with an attorney who has experience settling and litigating bike crash cases.

Understanding the top causes of Waukegan Bicycle Accidents

  1. Lane usage- The example we discussed above is a perfect example of how drivers should not use the road. This was a 4 lane road, and provided plenty of space for bikes and cars.

If the driver could not go around, then they should have yielded the right of way to the bikers.

One of the Illinois Bicycle Rules of the Road states that when appropriate bikers should take the entire lane of traffic. Given the size of the group this would be a good example.

By taking the lane like a car or truck, the biker is more visible to drivers who often do not see the biker. It is much rarer in these cases for a biker to get injured, because when they are in the left side of a lane it becomes easier for drivers to see them. When they are on the far right of the lane, it is more likely they will get clipped.

  1. Doored- In addition to proper lane usage, it is important to note that many bikes who ride too far over to the right of the lane often get doored.

This is when a biker does not have time to stop after a driver or passenger in a motor vehicle opens the car door.

The biker in this case can sometimes go flying over the car door, or they could swerve into traffic and get hit by a passing car.

By staying farther over to the left of the lane they reduce their chances of getting hit by an open door. Especially on the narrow side streets in Waukegan it is useful to stay over to the left of the lane.

Cars cannot go that fast on these streets, so you have less chance of being rear end and avoid parked cars at the same time.

Note: Most people are not aware that when a bike is doored they can still file suit against a car’s auto insurance policy. Since the accident still involved the automobile it is considered a moving violation.

If you or someone you know has been involved in a dooring accident, contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers at 888-424-5757for more information.

  1. Slowing Traffic– The biggest question we receive from bikers is whether slowing down traffic can be dangerous to them. The answer to this is tricky.

While a lot of cities have bike lanes, many smaller cities like Waukegan do not have the space designated for bikers on every street. On streets with a lower speed it is okay to ride in the street if that is the safest place for your bike.

However, it is not advisable to use streets where you slow traffic too much. Cars that can move 40 or 50 miles per hour might not be able to stop before they rear end your bike.

Take advantage of neighborhood streets or bike paths in this case.

For example, the Robert McClory Bike path goes from Highland Park all the way up to Kenosha where it connects with the 18.6 mile Kenosha County Bike Trail at the Wisconsin state line.

In this respect, Waukegan residents are lucky that they can travel through most of the city and to neighboring areas through the bike path without being in danger.

What can you do if you were in a Waukegan Bicycle Accident?

While preventing future accidents is great. However, if you were in a recent accident you probably have a lot more questions than answers at this point.

Let our Waukegan bike accident attorneys answer your questions. Call Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers at 888-424-5757 for a free consultation session with one of our attorneys. We can help you understand what your rights are for your specific case.


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