Whether you are riding your bicycle in your neighborhood for fun or in
heavy city traffic on your way to work, you are likely aware that all
motor vehicles are potentially dangerous. Probably the greatest threat
is posed by large vehicles such as semi trucks.
Big rig trucks can pose a variety of problems for those on bicycles. For
example, semi trucks can have sizable blind spots in which cyclists may
be hidden from a driver’s view.
It is all too easy for a truck driver to veer into an unseen bicyclist
who is riding beside the truck. These sorts of side-impact collisions
can be deadly. This is because truck trailers typically have high ground
clearance. In a side-impact accident, the rider can be swept under the
truck’s trailer, where he or she could be run over.
One possible measure that could be adopted to help protect riders is to
install what are called “side guards” on trailers. As the name implies, side guards act as barriers that
cover the space between the ground and the bottom of the trailer. If a
cyclist is struck by a trailer that has side guards, he or she may still
be injured, but is far less likely to land in the path of the truck’s wheels.
While the mandatory use of side guards has been adopted in other countries,
this is not the case in the United States. As such,
bicyclists, as well as
pedestrians and other road users, remain extremely vulnerable when involved in side-impact
crashes with trucks.
If you or a loved one was injured in a
side-impact truck accident, you may wish to take the matter to a Texas
attorney. The attorney could investigate the accident and help you get appropriate
compensation for medical and other expenses.