Bicyclists are extremely vulnerable when sharing the road with passenger vehicles with a minimum weight of 3,000 pounds, which explains why bicycle accidents send over a half a million people to the emergency room annually. There are many potential dangers that face bicyclists including unsafe drivers, poorly designed and maintained roadways and even defective bicycles. Most people never seriously consider the possibility of being involved in a Mississippi bike accident caused by design or manufacturing defects associated with a bike.
Because bicycles provide virtually no structural protection to riders, the impact of a product defect in a bicycle can be extremely serious. If the frame of the bike is compromised or an operating part of the bicycle fails due to substandard design or workmanship, a bicyclist is virtually unprotected if the bike goes down or the rider loses control and veers into traffic.
Historically, a common defect with bicycles involved instructions and warnings regarding proper use and assembly that were woefully inadequate. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has imposed safety standards over the years that have helped reduce the number of bicycle accidents and serious injuries resulting from bicycle malfunctions. Many bicycle models have been subject to recall for defects in their design, manufacture and instructions.
While a product recall can help prevent the potential danger of riding a defective bicycle, these vehicles are sometimes a serious bicycle accident waiting to happen. Further, sometimes recalls come too late or may even be intentionally delayed to avoid the cost of recall. If a bicyclist is involved in a bike accident and suffers injury or even wrongful death, the manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of the bicycle may be liable for any injuries or loss. Even if a bicycle accident involved collision with a motor vehicle, the bicycle manufacturer may share in the fault for the bicycle accident if a product defect contributed to the collision with the motor vehicle.
In a typical year, there are dozens of bicycles and accessories subject to recall for product defects. While a bicycle may seem like a relatively simple and straightforward vehicle with few parts that can be defective, there are many bicycle parts that have been defective and subject to recall including:
- Chains that malfunction
- Defective brakes
- Frames with compromised joints
- Tires that blowout due to substandard manufacturing
- Cranks that are compromised
If you are involved in a bicycle accident that may have been partially caused by a product defect, you should take the following steps:
- Get medical assistance and obtain treatment
- Summon police to the accident scene
- Obtain insurance and contact information for any witnesses including the driver if you were involved in a collision with another vehicle
- Preserve your bike in the same condition without repair
A bicycle accident can result in life-altering injuries that mean permanent disability from work and a lifetime of supportive care. Tragically, almost a thousand bicyclists per year lose their lives in bicycle riding accidents.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a Mississippi bicycle accident and suffered injury or the loss of a loved one, the experienced Mississippi bicycle accident lawyers at Barrett Law, PLLC has been representing those injured by the negligence of others for 75 years. Our dedicated and caring legal team offers a free initial consultation so that we can evaluate your case. We invite you to call us today at (662) 834-4443 to see how we can help you seek the compensation that you deserve.