One of the most common injuries suffered by victims in a bike accident is a traumatic brain injury. This type of injury can be caused by even the slightest amount of force to the most complex and delicate organ in the body. Symptoms of a brain injury can be difficult to detect such as nausea, mood swings or temporary memory loss or extremely obvious such as the loss of the ability to form words, coma or even death.
A Los Angeles bicyclist was riding near the Golden Gate Bridge late last month. He was traveling in the designated bike lane at about five miles per hour. He can remember traveling past the Golden Gate Bridge Gift shop, but that is when everything went blank. The next part of his life that the young man can recall is waking up to an EMT hunched over him and feel excruciating pain from several broken bones and a concussion.
After he was transported to the hospital and treated for the broken hip, collarbone, ribs and brain injury, he attempted to make sense of it all. He was told by a California Highway Patrol officer that something had caused the man to swerve to his left. The bicycle hit the curb lining the roadway, and he fell at the spot where passersby found him and reported the injury.
The victim believes that it was a hit-and-run accident, but was unable to tell officers and paramedics the details. “I have such severe injuries,” he said. “It’s not consistent with the speed I was going…I think I got hit by a car, but I don’t know.”
Nothing in the man’s medical background points to any reason why he would simply “pass out” without some other intervening factor causing him to crash. There was only one recorded witness to the accident, but they did not mention whether a vehicle was involved or not.
If you are injured in a serious accident, an attorney can help sort out the details and put the pieces in place that your mind may not recall. A discussion with an experienced attorney will help you decide what kind of case you may have or what compensation you may be entitled to.
Source: SF Appeal, “Cyclist Injured On Bike Path Near Golden Gate Bridge Believes He Could Be a Hit-and-Run Victim,” Chris Roberts, Feb. 27, 2012
