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Bicycle Accident Injuries that Require Long-Term Care

A bicycle accident, where the bicycle rider is involved in an impact with a passenger vehicle, truck, bus, or even large equipment, can lead to severe injuries that require long-term care. Receiving medical attention immediately after the accident can help prevent injuries from worsening. Prompt treatment is vital. Be sure to seek treatment from the ambulance that arrives on the scene and let the doctors and nurses at the hospital know what you are feeling and where. The five most common types of injuries sustained during a vehicle collision with a vehicle are covered below.

Broken Bones After a Bicycle Accident

The average time for a broken bone to heal is six weeks. This is just for the bone to heal, and you will most likely still need physical or occupational therapy for long-term care. Some fractures that require surgery to set the bones in place, to fuse the bones, or to place hardware in the bones that will keep them stable while they heal can take even longer to heal. Most likely, these types of injuries after a bicycle accident will require many months of physical therapy.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Any impact to the head during your bicycle accident can cause a brain injury ranging from a mild concussion to more severe damage that can cause paralysis, loss of speech, and many other life-limiting side effects. It’s important that you always wear a helmet when riding your bicycle near vehicle traffic. After the accident, you should be checked for a brain injury so treatment can begin. However, long-term treatment is necessary even for the mildest of concussions.

Neck & Spine Injuries

When your body is jarred quickly in a direction it wasn’t already going or wasn’t meant to go, it can lead to severe neck and spine injuries. Mild injuries may be only a slight case of whiplash, but bicycle accident injuries can range in severity up to a severed spinal cord that leads to paralysis. Neck and spine injuries, no matter the cause, will often last months or years, and some may even last a lifetime needing long-term care. A very common neck or spine injury is a slipped disc, and fortunately, this is an injury that may require surgery.

Nerve Damage

We talked about nerve damage related to the neck and spine. However, nerve damage is quite common after a bicycle accident and can occur in many areas of the body. For example, you could find a pinched nerve in your shoulder that leads to tingling and numbness in your hand. You might also develop sciatica, which is pinching of the sciatic nerve as it leaves the lower spine to travel down each leg. Nerve damage can sometimes be treated with physical therapy, but long-term care is usually required to keep the discomfort at bay.

Emotional Trauma and Long-Term Care

Being involved in a bicycle accident can be traumatizing. While those in the vehicle which struck you had the safety of the vehicle as well as airbags and seatbelts, you don’t have those when riding a bicycle. You may experience symptoms of PTSD that reach into other areas of your life, or you may only find anxiety relating to riding your bicycle. No matter what type or severity of emotional symptoms you experience, they will most likely require long-term care with a team of mental health professionals.

A bicycle accident can lead to many injuries, some physical and some emotional. To determine whether representation is right for you, contact Martin Gasparian at the Maison Law Firm for a free consultation. Compensation may be available depending on your case. Call us today at (559) 203-3333 or email Martin directly at martin@maisonlaw.com.

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