St. Louis Bicycle Accident Attorney

If you’ve suffered injuries in a bicycle collision involving a careless motor vehicle operator in St. Louis, our lawyers want to help you seek the financial compensation you deserve for medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, property damage, and other losses. The St. Louis bicycle accident attorneys at Sumner Law Group, LLC, have more than 50 years of combined personal injury experience and have recovered millions for our clients.

Contact our office today for a free initial consultation and legal advice about your options for pursuing a bicycle accident case.

Causes of Bicycle Accidents in St. Louis

While many different potential causes for bicycle accidents exist, some of the more common include:

• Motor vehicle drivers failing to “share the road” with bicyclists
• Distracted drivers
• Aggressive drivers
• Intoxicated or otherwise impaired drivers
• Drivers failing to yield the right of way
• Drivers failing to check mirrors or blind spots before turning
• Drivers speeding, running red lights, or violating other traffic laws
• Drivers and passengers not checking before opening a car door
• Potholes, uneven pavement, or other road defects
• Poor weather conditions

Most Common Types of Bicycle Accidents in St. Louis

Bicycle accidents occur under many different circumstances. However, some of the more common types of bicycle accidents include:

• Intersection accidents — Drivers often aren’t looking for bicyclists when they make turns at intersections, leading to preventable collisions.
• Passing accidents — Missouri law requires drivers to maintain a safe distance from cyclists when the cyclist is traveling in their lane – a law that many motorists ignore. Failure to allow bicyclists a safe buffer can cause a driver to clip the side of the bicycle or lead the cyclist to crash into a vehicle that suddenly passes them and slows down or turns into their path.
• Dooring accidents — On crowded streets, drivers and passengers need to watch cyclists whenever they open a door. Otherwise, they may open the door into the path of a passing bicyclist and cause a “dooring” collision.
• Rear-end collisions — Drivers who are impaired, distracted, speeding, or otherwise negligent can rear-end a cyclist in their path if they aren’t careful. Rear-end collisions can throw a cyclist from their bike, leading to additional injuries.
• Hit-and-run accidents — Some motorists flee the scene of an accident after striking a bicyclist, significantly increasing the chance that the victim doesn’t get the medical attention they need. If the motorist who hit you attempts to leave the scene without assisting you, try to get a picture of the vehicle and its license plate so that that police can locate the criminal.

Types of Bicycle Accident Injuries in St. Louis

A bike accident involving a motor vehicle can leave cyclists with devastating injuries due to the size imbalance of the vehicles involved and the lack of protective features on bicycles. Cyclists can also become ejected from their bikes and experience a second impact with the ground or another hard surface.

Some of the more common serious injuries that occur as the result of bicycle accidents include:

• Traumatic brain injuries and other head injuries 
• Spinal cord injuries 
• Bone fractures 
• Internal injuries and bleeding
• Joint damage
• Road rash
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Chronic pain from serious injuries