Articles Posted in bicycle safety

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Bike commuting and even recreational bike riding has increased in popularity so much in recent years that it is not uncommon for people to be out on the roads on the coldest and windiest days in Greater Boston. While some will look at these dedicated riders who are trying to get to work or training for their next triathlon as somewhat overly-ambitious, to these riders, it is worth hitting the streets anyway.  The problem is there are many Boston bike crashes that occur in the winter due to the negligence of people driving in the snow in a manner that is not safe given the current conditions.  This is negligent conduct and can be the basis for filing a Boston bike crash lawsuit.

Standard of Care in Winter Whether is Still That of a Reasonable and Prudent Person

Boston Bike Crash AttorneyWhenever anyone gets behind the wheel of a car in Boston or anywhere else in Massachusetts, they owe a duty of due care towards anyone who might be foreseeably injured by not driving with the requisite amount of care.  This is known as the reasonable and prudent person standard and can be found in the proposed jury instructions for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which is designed to explain the negligence standard to jurors in civil cases throughout the state. Continue reading

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Cars are designed to protect the occupants from serious or fatal injuries. This does not mean that there are not Boston car accidents involving serious or deadly injuries, but many car accidents do not result in significant injuries to the occupants. A bicycle on the other hand has no real protection from the impact in the event of the crash.  Bike riders should wear helmets, even though adults are not legally required to do so in Massachusetts. But even with a helmet, there is still a real chance of the rider suffering severe personal injury in the event of a bike crash.  This lack of protection should not be held against the rider in the event of crash that his not the rider’s fault. The law thus offers no such protection to defendants in a Boston bike crash lawsuit.

Boston bike attorneyAccording to a recent news article from the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, a 10-year-old boy from New England, who is a world-renowned golf prodigy, was seriously injured in what initially appeared to be a minor bike crash.  The boy was riding his bike when appeared to simply fall off.  When he fell, he landed on the handlebars with his stomach.  Despite hitting the handle bars, it appeared that this was not a serious accident and would only result in a bruise. Continue reading

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Many bike accidents in which a bicyclist is seriously injured or killed occur in areas in which there is not adequate bike safety infrastructure and drivers have not been given sufficient education on the topic of bike safety as more and more bike commuters are on the roads of Boston and other major cities across the nation than ever before.

bicycle accident lawyerThis is not to say the driver who causes an accident is not at-fault, and thus the proper defendant in a Boston bike crash lawsuit, but having better bike safety infrastructure should still be pursued since anything that reduces the number of bike riders injured each year should certainly be pursued. Continue reading

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The demand for more protected bike lanes in Boston has become insatiable. This was underscored – quite literally – across the Congress Street bridge, connecting the neighborhood of Fort Point to the Financial District. The Boston Globe reports an anonymous bicycle activist painted a shaky white line between the barrier-protected pedestrian walkway and the rush of traffic. Periodically inside those lines was a roughly-drawn bicycle, indicating the clear intent was to carve out a safe space for cyclists. bike safety lawyer

Reactions within the cycling community have been largely positive, with some commenting the “artist” behind the guerrilla-style streetscape was heroic and “brilliant.” Tweets from all over the world were shared, many noting this is a major bicycle route through the city – and one where bicycle safety needs to be a top priority.

City officials were quoted as saying that while they appreciate the sentiment, bicycle lanes must go through a full proper review of the engineering process. But there had been a review, as there had been a bicycle lane on the bridge before, that had worn off over time. Then City workers power-washed off the spray-painted line along the northbound lane.

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There is a lot of advocacy being done these days to promote bike ridership and also bike safety in places like the Greater Boston area. A lot of that work deals with the construction of bike lanes and making drivers more aware and educated about bike safety issues. While there has a been a lot of good that has come out of these efforts, there has also been more awareness brought to an entirely different issue.  According to a recent news article from Fast Company, less than a quarter of bike trips (including bike commutes) involve female riders.

Boston bike crashWhile this may seem obvious if you think of all the riders you see around Boston on a weekly basis, it is not an issue that is given much attention. There are various reasons for so few female bike riders suggested and realizing why this situation exists is the first step in getting more women out on the roads on bikes and bringing more equality to the growing community. Continue reading

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Boston and the surrounding areas, including the City of Cambridge just across the Charles River, have come a long way in terms of promoting bike safety. Still, there is much work to be done as we look ahead to 2018.

As detailed recently by CBS Boston Local, a hand-painted bike lane on the Congress Street Bridge really brings this point home.

bikelane accident lawyer BostonAn unknown activist or group of activists created a bike lane complete with while lane divider line and bike lane logo using a can of white spray paint. As one might expect, this was makeshift bike lane was quickly photographed and tweeted as well as being posted on bike rider advocacy websites. There were a lot of jokes about the lines not being straight, but also thousands of comments about how the city needs to put in an official bike lane to prevent the many preventable bike rider injuries and fatalities that occur when such precautions are not taken.  Continue reading

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There are many ways a Boston bike crash involving a car can occur.  One of the more common ways involves cyclists in the extreme right lane, alongside a line of cars, with a car making a right turn. The problem is, many motorists don’t look for or see the cyclist and the result is a collision.

The National Law Review recently published an article about right turn bicycle accident lawsuits (we prefer to the term “crash,” though we know many people still commonly call them “accidents”).

Bike Commuting is Increasing 

bicycle accident lawyerThis type of bike crash is getting more common in Boston and cities across the nation as more and more people are using bikes as a primary mode of transportation including traveling to and from work.  According to the League of American Bicyclists, there is no question that biking as a means of commuting is getting more popular as time goes by.  This organization compiles various study results and keeps detailed statistics of how many people use bike riding as a primary means of commuting.  One way to measure the data is in terms of how many bicycles trips (not recreational use) are taken each year.  In 2001, there were 1.7 billion trips and by 2009, there were 4 billion trips.  This number is only continuing to increase as more time passes. Continue reading

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In Boston and cities and towns in the Greater Boston area, some of the biggest dangers to bike riders is being hit by a truck or other large commercial vehicles. These vehicles have large blind spots in the areas in which bike riders tend to be, and while there are side guards that could prevent serious or fatal bike crashes, most trucks do not have them equipped.

truck accidentsAccording to a recent news article from The Boston Herald, a bike rider was struck and killed by a dump truck in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. The fatal Boston bike crash occurred just before 2 p.m. in an industrial area of Dorchester.  Authorities have not issued an charges as of the time of this article an are still continuing to investigate the cause of the accident.  Following the crash, the area was blocked off with police crime scene tape and investigators took photos and measurements.  The driver of the dump truck stayed at the scene and was cooperating with investigating officers.

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Boston bike accidents often result in serious personal injury or death.  Riding a bike can be a great way to reduce one’s carbon footprint and thus help the environment, get some much-needed physical activity in our sedentary lives, and have a good time on the commute to work.  While there are many goods things about ridding a bicycle, they do not offer that much in the way protection in the event of a crash, so responsible bike riders are often at the mercy of other drivers to act reasonably so as to protect bike riders from foreseeable harms caused by negligent driving.

Boston Bike Rider Rights and Responsibilities

bike injury lawyerAs established in Section 11B of Chapter 85, of the Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L.), bike riders are afforded may rights and given many responsibilities. The rights in Section 11B of Chapter 85 of the M.G.L are as follows: Continue reading

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Comparative negligence in bicycle accidents involves a rider who is partially to blame for the cause of a collision. In Massachusetts, comparative negligence is not necessarily a bar to recovery, but it may limit the amount of damages one can collect. So even if you are cited in a bike crash that resulted in serious injury, do not assume you don’t have a case until you speak with an injury attorney.

According to a recent news article from the Newburyport Daily News, a man from Chelsea was airlifted to the hospital following a serious bicycle crash involving a car. Authorities have said the 41-year-old bike rider was riding along with a woman at around 10 p.m.

bike crashes BostonThe couple was riding their bicycles when the bike crash victim collided with a motor vehicle that was traveling in the same direction.  The driver of the vehicle immediately came to a complete stop and waited for first responders to arrive. Continue reading

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