Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
What To Do If Your Child Has Been Injured In a Bicycle Accident (Part A)
Cuts, scrapes and bruises are a part of growing up and most kids will experience some sort of minor accident or child injury at some point. But a more serious accident, such as a bicycle collision with a motor vehicle, can mean life-altering injuries for a child.
Child Injury and Bicycle Accident Statistics
While a majority of child bicycle accidents mean nothing more than minor injuries that require little or no medical attention, recent studies suggest that caution should be exercised with children and bicycles. Some statistics on child injuries and bicycle accidents are listed below:
- More than 33% of all bicycle rider deaths are among kids ages 5 through 20 years
- It is estimated that child injuries from bicycle accidents send more than 10,500 kids to the hospital each year
- Estimates say that more than half of the 85 million U.S. bike riders are kids or teens
Responding To a Child’s Bicycle Accident
If your child is injured in a car and bicycle accident in the Boston area, the first priority, naturally, is to tend to your child’s medical needs, both short and long-term. Next, you should consult with a personal injury lawyer that specializes in child injury cases in Boston, Massachusetts. It is important that the lawyer you choose has successfully handled child accident cases and understands the intricacies of child injuries, car and bicycle accidents and liability.
There are steps you can take, post-accident, to ensure that your child injury attorney is able to secure the settlement that your child deserves. A few key things to remember after a car and bike collision:
- Treat it like a car accident and get complete information from the driver, including full name, vehicle and insurance information
- Contact the police and be sure that an official report of the incident is filed
- If possible, take photos of the accident scene, or ask someone you trust to document the surroundings
- If there are witnesses that can testify to the negligence of the operator of the motor vehicle, obtain their name and contact information to pass along to your child injury attorney
- Ask witnesses to give a statement to the police
Continue to What to Do If Your Child Has Been Injured In a Bicycle Accident (Part B) >>
