Cyclists athletes with greatest chance of suffering head injury

Bicycling is widely popular in New York State, not only as a recreational past time, but also as a mode of transportation. But, when you think of bicycling, you do not typically think of it as a dangerous or violent sport.

At first glance, one might expect a contact sport like football or hockey to carry a far greater risk of head injury than cycling. However, in truth, cycling causes more traumatic brain injuries than any other sport.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons reported that emergency room medical staff treated 447,000 head injuries related to sporting activities in 2009. Of these, about 86,000 were related to cycling. In comparison, just 47,000 of the injuries were from football, and 38,394 were from baseball.

Part of the reason that there are so many head injuries related to bicycling is that it is such a popular sport; people of all ages and backgrounds participate in cycling. However, another important reason for the high number of cycling related head injuries is that in most other sports, participants are at little risk of colliding with a motor vehicle.

Most fatal accidents involving cyclists involve head injuries. Cyclists can take steps to protect themselves, like wearing a helmet and using designated bike lanes whenever possible. But, when a cyclist meets an erratic driver, sometimes there is nothing the cyclist can do to avoid injury. In such circumstances, the after the fact remedy of monetary damages in a legal suit may be the best way to seek redress.