According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 700 cyclists were killed in accidents with motor vehicles in 2012. Nearly 50,000 other cyclists were hurt in automobile crashes during that same year, leading to an exorbitant number of victims created in car-bike collisions. Many more cyclists have been injured and killed since this data was released, including some who live in and around the Chicago metropolitan area.
Most recently a 39-year-old Niles resident was killed by a car while riding his bike. The man was struck by a car while riding on West Howard Street in the northern Chicago suburban community. Though he was taken to a local hospital for treatment, he did not survive his catastrophic injuries.
While investigators sort out how exactly this tragedy occurred, the victim’s loved ones may be considering if they have any rights to seek compensation from the driver who struck the victim. Wrongful death lawsuits are sometimes available to the family members of accident victims and can, if successful, provide them with recompense for their damages.
As long as bikes and cars continue to share the roads accidents between the two vehicles will continue to occur. Though drivers and their passengers can also be injured in bike-car accidents, it is often the cyclists who bear the burden of serious injuries. When the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tabulates its cyclist fatality data for 2014, it will sadly include the victim created by this story and the many others who have died in bicycle-car accidents.
Source: CBS Chicago, “Bicyclist Struck And Killed By Vehicle In Niles,” July 14, 2014
