Missouri City Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Serving Houston, Missouri City, Sugar Land, Pearland, Stafford & Surrounding Areas
Missouri City has a plan for bikes. The Missouri City Bike Plan was adopted in March of 2017, and the city is currently in the process of adding a network of 1,800 miles of bikeways to make Missouri City a safer, more accessible, Gold-level bike-friendly city. People bike for exercise, they bike for fun, they bike to get around town, and they bike to work. Cycling is an economical and eco-friendly way to get around, but it’s not without its danger. Negligent drivers fail to notice bicycles in their path, or they fail to share the road with bicycles respectfully. Cyclists have every right to share the road with motor vehicles, and when negligent, aggressive, reckless or distracted drivers cause a bicycle crash, the responsible driver can and should be held fully accountable for the damages they’ve caused. Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm can help with that. Helping accident victims get fully compensated for personal injury or wrongful death caused by another’s negligence is all we do, and all we’ve been doing for more than 20 years. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bicycle crash in Missouri City, Pearland, Sugar Land, or throughout Harris, Bend and Brazoria counties, contact our experienced Missouri City bicycle accidents lawyer today.
Texas Bicycle Accident Statistics
For 2021, the Texas Department of Transportation reported 2,265 total bicycle accidents. This number includes 91 fatal crashes, 332 suspected serious injuries, and over 1,000 other injuries. Only 168 of the people involved in those accidents escaped injury.
Texas Bicycle Safety Laws
Cyclists in Texas have the same rights and duties as motor vehicle drivers, and they are expected to follow all the same laws that drivers must obey, except for laws that wouldn’t by their nature apply to a bicycle rider. Bicycle riders must ride in the same direction as traffic, for instance, and they must obey traffic control signals.
Cyclists who are riding slower than the pace of traffic around them should ride to the right, as near to the curb as practicable. However, bicycle riders can ride in the center of the lane whenever needed for safety. Examples of when cyclists can lawfully occupy the lane include when passing another vehicle, when preparing to make a left turn, or if a road hazard prevents them from riding too far to the right. Road hazards for bicycle riders can include parked cars, people or animals in the road, debris, or potholes, for example.
Riders shouldn’t carry any object that would keep them from having at least one hand on the handlebars at all times.
Riders should signal their intentions to stop, turn or change lanes using the appropriate, standard hand and arm signals.
Riding is only allowed on a permanent and regular seat, one rider per saddle. Only one rider should be on the bicycle unless it is a tandem bicycle built for two. It is illegal for a cyclist to hold onto a vehicle or attach themselves or the bicycle to a vehicle in any way.
It is lawful for cyclists to ride two abreast so long as they are not impeding traffic.
Cyclists cannot lawfully ride at night without a white light on the front of the bike and a red light or reflector on the rear that meet the specifications set out in the law.
Bicycles must be equipped with a brake capable of making the braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement
Common Causes of Bicycle Accidents in Missouri City
Bicycle riders have very little in the way of personal protection and are at risk of serious injury or death in a collision with a motor vehicle or if they are forced off the road or into a solid object by a negligent driver (so-called phantom vehicle accidents). Typical bicycle accident injuries include cuts, scrapes and bruises (road rash), facial lacerations, broken bones, head and brain injuries, spinal injuries, and organ damage or other internal injuries. These injuries are painful and debilitating. They take a long time to heal with intensive treatment, and bicycle accident victims are often left with long-term adverse consequences or permanent disability. At the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm, our attorney and legal team take the time to understand the full extent of the injury and damages caused, and we fight to get a financial recovery that fully compensates the accident victim for all the harm they have suffered and will be forced to endure in the future.
Common causes of bicycle accidents in Missouri City include:
- Failure to yield the right-of-way to cyclists
- Opening a car door into the path of an oncoming bike
- Texting while driving and other forms of distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Unsafe lane changes
- Turning without signaling
- Aggressive or reckless driving
- Speeding
- Bicycle manufacturing defects
- Negligent bicycle repair
- Defective bicycle helmets
- Lack of proper signage
- Dangerously designed intersections and roads
- Negligently maintained roads
Many different parties can be responsible for causing a bicycle accident. A skilled and experienced bicycle accident attorney can help discover the cause of the crash and make sure all responsible parties are taken to task for their share of responsibility in causing the accident.
Contact Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm Today
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle crash in Missouri City, Sugar Land, Pearland, or other communities throughout Harris, Brazoria and Bend counties, the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm is here to help with dedicated, compassionate, and knowledgeable assistance. Call our experienced Missouri City bicycle accident lawyer today.
