WHEELING BICYCLE ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

West Virginia has a reputation for its amazing mountain biking conditions, but here in Wheeling, you will find more and more bicyclists riding around the city. You may see bicyclists commuting to work, training for a race, or organized bicycle groups out for a ride together. These clubs organize group bicycling events in the mountains and on local roads and they are known to be strong advocates for bicycle safety. Both Wheeling and the state of West Virginia seem to be slowly making progress towards increased bicycle awareness and bicycle safety, but we still have a ways to go.

STATE BICYCLE SAFETY

Our Wheeling bicycle accident attorneys at Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman appreciate West Virginia’s bicycle safety efforts such as increasing the number of bicycle lanes and passing legislation requiring a three-foot buffer between bicyclists and passing motor vehicles but still more needs to be done to protect our bicyclists. For example, why are we one of ten states that do not have a dooring law to protect our bicyclists? Dooring occurs when a bicyclist is riding to the side of the road next to parked cars and a car passenger door is opened directly into the bicycle’s path causing an accident. Dooring laws that other states have adopted require passengers to open their doors with caution and only when it will not interfere with moving traffic.

SAFETY TIPS

Our office sees too many bicycle injuries caused by negligent drivers who need more education and awareness of bicyclists and road sharing laws. As efforts are being made to increase safety for bicyclists in West Virginia, we have come up with a list of safety tips based on bicycle accident causes and factors we frequently see in our office.

• Be cautious and always assume that drivers do not see you, because frequently they do not.
• Wear fluorescent clothing during the day and reflective clothing at night.
• Make sure your bicycle has lights that can be seen by people in front of you and behind you.
• Minimize night riding as bicycle accidents often occur after dark.
• Wear a helmet at all times. Most bicycle accident fatalities include head trauma.
• Do not drink and bike. Alcohol is reportedly involved in approximately 1/3 of bicycle accident fatalities.
• Do not use your smartphone for any reason while riding. You need your eyes on the road and your ears free for traffic-related warning sounds.

Bicyclists deserve respect and safety on our roadways and our bicycle accident team wants negligent drivers to be held accountable when they cause a bicycle accident. Contact a Wheeling bicycle accident attorney at Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman to go over the details of your accident and injuries that you have sustained. You deserve to be compensated for your injuries and damages including medical bills, pain and suffering, property damages, and lost wages. If your injuries are severe and you will not be able to fully recover from the accident, you may also be compensated for lost future earnings, future medical care, disability, and disfigurement.