With gas prices bumping higher and higher each week, many Chicagoans turn to their bike for transportation, health, and fun. Chicago’s investment in protected bike paths, racks, and parking areas near public transport has given us a national reputation for being one of the best big cities for bicycling.
While this is an achievement to be proud of, the statistics show that Chicago still has work to do on the road to safe bicycling for all residents.
Chicago Bike Crash Statistics
In the 2018 report, the most recent data collection, a bicyclist was killed almost every third day in the greater Chicago region. 8,414 bike crashes accrued across the state and 6,098 in Cook County.
According to the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), people walking are 12 times more likely than people in vehicles to be killed or injured in a crash. For cyclists, that number is 5 times more likely. Furthermore, while 66% of our state’s population lives in the Chicago region, our bustling city is responsible for 85% of pedestrian and bicycle crashes.
Across the US, between 2000 to 2017, $237 billion was spent on medical costs due to bicycle injuries. The majority of these injuries are from people ages 45-64. As you can see, a bicycle crash can lead to significant bills for the victim.
Why File A Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Since insurance companies tend to give you the bare minimum compensation package, working with a highly skilled bicycle crash attorney could be your best chance at getting the complete compensation package you deserve. There are various time constraints that will affect your rights. Accordingly, you should contact us promptly.
Here are a few recent settlements we have secured for our clients:
- $6,000,000 for a six-year-old boy who was killed by a garbage truck while riding his bicycle. The truck driver did not see him because his vehicle was not equipped with proper side and back mirrors to spot children nearby.
- $3,000,000 for a young girl on a bicycle struck by a police car in a residential neighborhood. She is now quadriplegic.
- $700,000 for a 58-year-old who sustains a serious shoulder injury when his bicycle hits a pothole on the Lake Shore Drive bike path.
Please review more recent case results here.
Contact Our Personal Injury Team
If you got hurt in a bike crash, contact a bicycle crash lawyer in Chicago at (312) 899-9090. We are here to support you.