Auto-Bicycle Crashes

07.11.2024 Personal Injury

Auto-bicycle crashes

Personal injury lawyer Holland DeKeyzer has successfully represented dozens of riders injured after auto-bicycle crashes. Bicyclists face many challenges in the streets and in the courtroom when seeking legal damages after an injury crash. Texas roads and bridges have been designed and built with vehicles as the primary focus. The unforgiving Houston area streets are filled with drivers that do not wish to share the road with bikes. Public opinion polls indicate that 1 out of 3 drivers believe bicyclist should be banned from using public roads. This is also consistent with statistics showing that riding a bicycle on public roads have become more dangerous in the last 20 years as serious injuries and bicycle fatalities have been rising.

Texas Bicycle Laws

  • Bicycles are generally prohibited from riding on the sidewalks as sidewalks are designed for pedestrian traffic.
  • Riders generally have the same rights and duties on Texas roads as vehicles.
  • Bicyclists are required to ride on the right side of the road when travelling below the posted speed limit.
  • Bicyclists are not allowed to use freeways and highways.
  • Bicyclists must stop at all stop signs and traffic lights.
  • Full lane use is allowed when traveling at the normal speed of traffic, preparing for a turn, overtaking and passing, avoiding hazards or unsafe conditions, traveling in a lane too narrow to share, and avoiding a mandatory turn lane.
  • At least one hand must always be on the handlebars while riding on Texas roads.
  • Riders must use hand and arm signals when turning.
  • You may ride two abreast as long as you don’t impede vehicle traffic.
  • Only one rider per saddle. This means you cannot have two riders on one bike unless the bicycle is a tandem with two seats.
  • Bicycles must be equipped with a white front light and a red reflector or red light on the rear on the bike.
  • Bicycles must be equipped with brakes that make the braked wheel skid.

Common Bicycle Accident Injuries

Although safety features in vehicles have greatly improved over the last hundred years, bicycle safety, however, has not improved and still exposes the rider to significant injuries even when the crash pattern is at low speed. Common injuries DeKeyzer Law injury lawyers encounter are traumatic brain injuries which can occur simply by failing off the bike and hitting your head on the concrete road. Traumatic brain injuries cause serious, life-debilitating problems that only a qualified Texas personal injury lawyer should handle. Broken bones are another common injury because unlike vehicles, the rider’s body receives the full impact of the vehicle’s force. Road rash is common in bicycle and motor cycle crashes as riders do not have much protection from the rough concrete roads. 

Texas Personal Injury Lawyers Fighting For Texas-Size Justice

Meagan and Holland DeKeyzer are Texas-Made Lawyers fighting for Texas-Size Justice. The DeKeyzer Law Firm has been representing injury victims and their families since 2013. DeKeyzer Law Firm has over 20 years of combined personal injury litigation experience. We accept auto-bicycle crashes and personal injury cases on a contingency agreement meaning you only pay attorney’s fees when we win the case. We offer free personal injury consultations so call DeKeyzer Law at (713) 904-4004 anytime.