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Chest Injuries Resulting from Kentucky Bicycle Accidents

Every bicycle ride on a Louisville or Lexington city street or along a winding Kentucky backroad should see cyclists returning home safely. That’s not always the case when reckless drivers ignore a cyclist’s right of way.

A careless driver’s error in judgment might send a rider to the ground for a hard fall. That impact could end up causing a debilitating chest injury. A bicycle crash chest injury can include a broken breastbone or collarbone, or some broken ribs that threaten the safety of the heart and lungs.

After a Kentucky bicycle accident has occurred and victims have suffered major chest injuries, it’s critical to get them the support they need to pay for every recovery bill.

Talk to a Real Kentucky Bicycle Accident Lawyer About Your Case

Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, is a strong advocate for Kentucky cyclists. We want safe rides for bicyclists of all ages and skill levels. That’s why our law firm offers a free consultation to all Kentucky bicycle accident victims and to the parents of children who have been injured. Contact us to schedule a free case review.

It’s an easy way to determine how much your bicycle chest injury may be worth and what you should be expecting from an insurance company.

Kentucky Bicycle Accident Chest Injury Dangers

Whenever cyclists are knocked from their bikes they are in danger of head injuries, arm injuries, and chest injuries. That’s because these are often the first parts of the body to hit the ground. The chest is also in harm’s way when riders try to catch themselves with their arms. Any force absorbed by the arms is transferred back to the collarbones and other chest bones.

The Kentucky State Police track bicycle accidents across the state each year. In 2020, they recorded 337 bicycle collisions involving motor vehicles. Tragically, 4 people lost their lives in those collisions and many others suffered major injuries.

When chest injuries are involved, outcomes can be life-threatening. Ribs can be broken and become a threat to puncture a lung or damage the heart. An infection associated with these injuries can enter the bloodstream and the heart and put a cyclist’s life in jeopardy. Victims need the best care available and they don’t need to worry about the cost of that care. That’s why it’s important for victims to have an experienced Kentucky Bicycle Accident Lawyer protecting their interests in a chest injury claim.

Common Symptoms After a Bicycle Accident Chest Injury

Bicycle Accident chest injuries can involve the many bones that form the ribcage. The ribcage supports the chest and the organs inside and when multiple ribs suffer fractures, core stability is a major issue. Broken ribs can enter the chest cavity and cause trauma to the lungs and heart and the blood vessels and nerves surrounding them.

The breastbone (sternum) runs down the front of the chest and is connected to the ribs by cartilage. It can be damaged by a direct fall onto the chest. The collarbones (clavicles) run across the top of the chest and connect the ribcage with the shoulders. Collarbones are often fractured in a fall from a bicycle. They are also involved in shoulder dislocations in bicycle collisions involving vehicles.

Chest injuries are often hard to spot and patients may feel general soreness, but not realize when a chest bone had been broken.

It’s important to see a physician after any injury in a fall. These symptoms and others could mean you’ve got a serious injury:

  • Trouble breathing.
  • Your chest doesn’t expand normally with each breath. One section of the chest doesn’t move with the rest of the chest.
  • Coughing up blood.
  • Crunching sounds in the ribs.
  • External bruising visible on the skin across the chest.
  • Visible deformity in the chest.
  • Weakness in the arms and hands.

What to Do After a Kentucky Bicycle Accident and Chest Injury

After a serious Kentucky bicycle collision, you will need help with extensive hospital bills and money to pay physical therapists. You may also miss considerable time on the job and miss out on several paychecks. The physical pain you endure and the emotional trauma experienced in a frightening collision should also be worth additional compensation in a bicycle accident injury claim.

But car insurance companies won’t provide this fair support out of the goodness of their hearts. You’ll have to prove their policyholder’s fault in what happened, even when a police collision report clearly states your innocence.

One way to strengthen your claim is to gather as much information as possible on the scene of your bicycle accident. If your chest injury will allow you to, you should collect any evidence you can find in the moments after your bicycle accident:

  • Call 911. Give police officers or the Kentucky State Police a full report of what happened so they can create a collision report. Allow ambulance crews to check out your injuries and go to an emergency room if necessary. If you must leave the scene, ask someone with you or a helpful witness to gather a few details for you.
  • Get plenty of photos once officers have secured the scene. Secure photos of your bike damage and the signs of the collision found on the car. Show traffic signs, signals, and lane markings that relate to what happened. Get pics of any visible injuries and damaged clothing. Show yourself wearing a bicycle helmet if you have one.
  • Get contact information from witnesses so your Kentucky bicycle accident traumatic injury lawyer can secure testimony from them if necessary.
  • Exchange information with the driver if the police don’t provide the driver’s information to you. Don’t discuss fault in the accident or talk about how badly you’re injured with the driver. These comments can be twisted to hurt your insurance claim later.
  • Schedule a check-up with your own doctor. Your chest injury may be a hairline fracture that doesn’t make itself known as you cope with the shock of the accident on the day it happens. An X-ray may reveal a serious injury. See specialists and physical therapists that the doctor recommends.
  • Keep damaged personal items, including your bicycle. Keep and preserve bloody clothing and shoes. These all make for solid evidence.

Contact a Kentucky Bicycle Accident Chest Injury Lawyer

After you or a loved one suffers a chest injury in a bicycle accident caused by a careless driver, talk over your options with a skilled personal injury attorney. Insurance companies sometimes work fast so that you don’t have time to learn about every benefit available to you and your family. They pay you far less than you need, and suddenly you are left to cover the months of physical therapy bills that remain.

Talk to a Kentucky Bike Accident Attorney you can trust to be on your side and fight for your fair compensation. To discuss your case in a free consultation with a real Kentucky lawyer, contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today, by clicking here. If you decide we can help you earn the most for your bicycle accident chest injury claim, you won’t need any money. We don’t get paid unless we win your case.

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