injuries from bicycle accidents Tag Archives

Published on: March 21, 2025

New Study Confirms Link Between Brain Injury and Dementia

Persons who have suffered a traumatic brain injury have a much higher risk of developing dementia down the road. A new study not only underscores this fact, but also determines that changes in vascular cells can affect the onset of dementia in persons who have suffered a brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries often occur in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents and slip and falls.

For decades now, scientists have been aware that suffering a brain injury significantly increases the risk that a person will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease down the road. However, recent studies have identified the exact molecular mechanism behind the personal injury that can bring about dementia earlier. In this new study, scientists discovered that alterations to the vascular smooth muscle cells lead to an increase in the build-up of proteins called amyloid beta, which are strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease. What the scientists found even more surprising is that even younger persons who are typically not at risk of dementia suffered a similar increased risk, supported by the vascular muscle cell changes following the brain injury. The researchers concluded that understanding the changes to the vascular cells is crucial to understanding how trauma can impact dementia risks and circumventing or mitigating those risks all together.

Brain injuries can result in a significant number of changes in a person’s mental and physical health. Even a moderate brain injury can result in cognitive challenges, memory problems, difficulties in concentration and attention, impaired motor skills and a number of other challenges that make it difficult for the person to live a normal life. All of these difficulties make it hard for the person to be productive or earn a living. Working even a routine job can become challenging. For example, motor coordination problems can manifest in a large number of brain injury victims, and these can significantly impact the victim’s earning potential if he is working in a manual job, or one that requires dexterity.

Published on: July 27, 2014

Atlanta Bike Share Program Needs to Consider the Helmet Factor

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Atlanta is set to soon launch its very first bike share program following cities across the country, including New York City, that already have their own bike share programs in place. These are exciting times for bicyclists, and there is a lot of support for the bike sharing program because it will help reduce some of the congestion on Atlanta’s notoriously busy streets. However, Atlanta should take the results of a new study seriously, which finds that cities that have implemented bike share programs are actually seeing an increase in the number of head injuries.

In May of 2014, the Atlanta City Council announced that it had approved a resolution for the establishment of the bicycle share program. The vendor has already presented the proposal to launch the city’s first bike share program, and once the program is fully underway, Atlanta residents will be able to rent bicycles 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

However, the study found that the proportion of head injuries that was relative to all bicycle accident-related injuries actually spiked significantly in cities that have implemented similar programs. The occurrence of head injuries in those cities actually increased by 14%, while there was no corresponding head injury rate increase in cities that had no bike share program in place.Researchers say that the findings confirm their worst fears; cities are implementing these programs without giving proper consideration to the role of helmets in preventing injuries. It has to be noted here that the study focused on head injuries, and not brain injuries. Every head injury does not automatically lead to a brain injury, which is much more serious.

Published on: June 28, 2013

Helmets Greatly Reduce the Risk of Serious Bicycle Accident Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As many as 75% of all fatal bicycle accidents are believed to involve a head injury.There is no doubt that a traumatic brain injury is the single biggest safety risk for a bicyclist involved in a crash.A new analysis finds that sports-related bicycling injuries account for more head injuries every year than football or baseball.

In many states around the country, including Georgia, wearing a helmet is not mandatory.The reasons for this vary, but generally the safety aspect of this bicycling has been largely neglected because it is such a popular activity and a favorite pastime for so many Atlantans.This is in spite of the fact that there is enough research to suggest that wearing a bicycle helmet may be the only thing protecting a bicyclist from serious injuries in an accident.

In fact, recent Australian research focused on the kind of injuries suffered by bicyclist who were not helmeted at the time of an accident, and found that wearing a helmet can help protect bicyclists from all but the most severe impacts.

Published on: September 2, 2011

Helmets Can Help Prevent Injuries in Bicycle Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It’s one of the biggest pieces of advice that Atlanta bicycle accident attorneys would give to any bicyclist – always wear a helmet while riding.Lack of a bicycle helmet substantially increases a cyclist’s chance of a brain injury in a car accident. Unfortunately, we often see bicyclists on Atlanta streets riding without the most basic protection gear to protect against injuries in an accident.We have always wondered why a bicyclist, who is one of the most vulnerable people on the road, would leave himself or herself so open to the risk of injuries.A poll by the British Medical Journal answers some of our questions.

Thepoll results have been published in the British Medical Journal Blog, and show that the majority of people prefer not to have mandatory bicycle helmet laws because they discourage bicyclists.According to respondents, people should be encouraged to ride bicycles, and mandatory bicycle helmet laws do the opposite.They discourage people from taking to what is essentially a very healthy activity.

68% of the respondents in the poll were against mandatory bicycle helmet laws.Not only do they believe that this would discourage bicycling, but they also felt that there wasn’t enough evidence to show that wearing a bicycle helmet significantly protects a bicyclist from injury during an accident.They believe that bicyclists believe that mandatory bicycle helmets would discourage female bicyclists, typically some of the least likely to take to cycling..Additionally, mandating bicycle helmets for all would discourage bicycling in many people who’d otherwise be able to enjoy a cheap and affordable means of transportation.Overall, most of the respondents in the survey believe that mandatory bicycle helmet laws do not reduce bicycle accident-related injuries, but reduce bicyclist numbers.Some respondents even believe that mandatory bicycle helmet laws give the wrong impression that biking is a dangerous activity.

Published on: December 29, 2009

Sandy Springs Bicyclist Seriously Injured in Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A bicycle accident in Sandy Springs over the Christmas weekend left a 50-year-old bicyclist seriously injured. According to police, the man was cycling when a car crossed right in front of him at an intersection. The cyclist had no way of avoiding the car. The impact threw him off the bicycle and on the road.He suffered head injuries, and was rushed to the hospital. The motorist has been charged with failure to yield.

As Atlanta bicycle accident lawyers, we have been concerned at what seems like the slow erasing of bicyclist safety from our surface transportation polices. Last month, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced $65.8 million in transportation projects funded by federal stimulus dollars. Just two bicycle-friendly projects have been earmarked for funds.One is a multi use trail in Fulton County at a cost of $165,000, and the other is a Rails to Trails project in Warm Springs at a cost of $587,000.

On the other hand, there is some reason to cheer.The Federal Highway Administration has released its latest edition of national standards for traffic signs and signals, called the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).This edition includes specific instructions for the marking of sharrows, or share lane markings. These sharrows are typically marked on a road where there is no space for a bike lane, or when the bike lane is too close to parked automobiles, placing bicyclists in danger of being struck by opening car doors. Sharrows allow bicyclists to maintain safe routes, and also encourage motorists to share the roads with cyclists. Atlanta has plenty of narrow roads that may not allow for a separate bike lane, and we definitely need more sharrows.