The study was conducted on 329 bicycle accident injuries admitted to the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center at Denver Health Medical Center during a 10-year period.

• The findings showed that chest injury rates in bicycle accidents have increased by about 15 percent.
• Rates of abdominal injuries have increased three-fold over the past 5 years.
• Helmet use has not increased significantly, with the result that 1/3 of the subjects suffered from a head injury.

Bicycling has far too many advantages to list.  However, if we are going to promote bicycling as a way of life and more popular mode of transportation, we need to be creating a safe environment for these bikers. For starters, we need more bike lanes. We also need stronger awareness campaigns promoting helmet use, and heavier fines for those who choose to avoid wearing helmets.  We also need to focus education and awareness campaigns on the motorists who are often responsible for these bicycle accidents. Laws should be tougher on motorists who violate bicyclist rights.  

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey bicycle accident lawyer, representing injured victims of bicycle accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Ocean and Passaic Counties, and across New Jersey.

The event was held partly in memory of 14-year-old Katy Ventura, who died in a bicycle accident on the 3^rd of August.

The Brian Injury Association of New Jersey  participated in the event, offering new helmets to those who needed them. A representative of the Association was on hand to demonstrate the proper way to wear a helmet. Brain injuries are some of the more frequent injuries that bicyclists suffer, and helmets can help prevent these to a large degree.

Besides Bicycle Safety Day, Point Pleasant police department also conducted a helmet crackdown to enforce helmet laws. By the end of the month, at least 200 warnings had been issued to bicyclists below 16, who failed to wear a helmet.

As a New Jersey bicycle accident lawyer, I find such educational and promotional events very encouraging. As a resident of the state, I realize that fewer funds are available for promoting awareness about bicycle safety and preventing serious accidents involving bicycles, so it is very satisfying to see communities participate in such education drives.

The bill is called Ricci's Law, named after Ricci Branca, a 17-year-old boy from Egg Harbor Township, Atlantic County who was killed in a drunk driving accident. Ricci was biking to Ocean City with a bunch of friends, when Stephen Fench slammed his car into the group. The friends escaped with minor injuries. Ricci died from injuries sustained in the crash. Fench, it was revealed later was not only a repeat DUI offender, but had a blood alcohol level of .339 at the time of the crash. That's more than four times the legal limit in New Jersey of 0.08.   The police reported that  he spent the four hours before the accident drinking up to 10 glasses of wine at a nearby bar. Since, then Fench has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

As a Bergen and Monmouth County car accident lawyer, I am more than aware of how limited the effect of suspended licenses as well as jail time is on people who commit the most criminally foolish negligence while driving. License suspensions are hardly the tough deterrent for drunk drivers that they are meant to be and, and while jail time is fine, it doesn't help bring back the people who have already been killed. If a single life is spared because a DUI offender was prevented from starting his car and driving off with his system pumped with alcohol, it would be worth the effort getting the law passed. As a Monmouth and Bergen County car accident lawyer we often have to step in to deliver civil justice to the victims or their families after a devastating horrific turn of events. Unfortunately, our efforts can never really make the victim or their family whole again.

When gas prices began their stratospheric rise over last spring and summer, more New Jersey residents threw away their car keys, and dusted off their bicycles to be able to cope, a move that is being pointed to an increase in the number of deaths in bicycle accidents across the state.

As of early December, a total of 22 people had been killed in bicycle accidents in New Jersey compared to last year, as well as the year before. In fact, the fatality numbers this year are the highest they have been in six years. Most of the fatalities that occurred as a result of bicycle accidents this year, including the three that took place in Morris County, were related to people who were going to or returning from work at the time of the crash.  The numbers have been distressing enough for the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic to plan new safety initiatives targeted at the bicycling community before the new year.

Bicycle Accident Litigation                     

Pursuing a civil lawsuit for injuries sustained in a bicycle accident requires proving that the motorist involved was neglectful of the rights of the bicyclist, and that this resulted in severe injuries. An experienced New Jersey bicycle accident attorney can help build a case that results in the compensation the bicyclist deserves. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bicycle accident, contact an experienced bicycle accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Scott D. Grossman for a free initial consultation.