On behalf of Ludwar Law Firm posted in Brain Injuries on Tuesday, April 28, 2015.
Bicycle accidents are a common, but often overlooked, source of disabling brain injuries in Canada. Usually, bicycle accidents are caused by the poor decisions of bicyclists or the automobile drivers they share the road with, but sometimes they are caused by the poorly manufactured bicycles. Recently, after several bicycle accidents resulted in serious injuries to riders, a bicycle manufacturing company has decided to recall approximately 1 million bikes. Trek announced the recall, which will replace the wheel release levers on Trek bikes with disc brakes free of charge. Bicycle owners will also get $20 worth of free merchandise for the inconvenience. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that 900,000 of the recalled bicycles were located in the United States and 98,000 were located in Canada. The inadequately installed quick-release levers on the wheels of these bicycles are at risk of coming lose and getting trapped in the disc braking system. This could result in the separation of the wheel from the bicycle, causing the bicyclist to lose control and crash. Trek has so far acknowledged three injurious bike crashes caused by its poorly constructed bicycles. Injuries included facial injuries, a fractured wrist and one individual was paralyzed. Trek reported that, regardless what kind of Trek bicycle it is, if the bike has a disc breaking system, there is the risk of a release lever malfunction. Bicyclists in Alberta who suffer disabling brain injuries caused by defectively manufactured bicycles may be able to seek government benefits. They may also have viable claims for personal injury damages against the negligent manufacturer of the bicycle. Ultimately, it will be important to investigate the exact cause of the crash, the manufacturing defect at issue and the extent and nature of the disabling injuries before an injured cyclist decides on how to approach the matter. Source: Time, "Trek Recalls Nearly 1 Million Bikes After Accident Paralyzed Rider," Teresa Berenson, April 22, 2015