Road Rash from Kirkland Bicycle Accident: Prevention, Care & Legal Action

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Technically road rash means you suffered abrasions and lacerations when your skin scraped across a surface like pavement. Particles and debris can become stuck in the injured area and cause a lot of pain as well as a serious infection in some cases.

Bicyclists might suffer road rash if they are thrown from their bikes in a traffic accident with a motor vehicle. In such cases, they may take legal action to recover compensation for their damages. But even before the accident, taking preventative steps could avoid or reduce severity of the injury.

How to Prevent Road Rash

To actively reduce the severity of road rash, riders may wear long sleeves and long pants to cover their skin. Wearing a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads can also avoid road rash to these areas as well as other injuries. And don’t forget to wear bike gloves to protect your hands, which bicyclists might instinctively use to break their fall.

Of course, basic bike safety measures can prevent the accident in the first place in some cases. This includes wearing bright clothes and reflectors to increase visibility. Obeying the rules of the road is also important, but so is staying diligent for negligent or careless drivers who may not respect bicyclists’ rights to the road.

How to Care for Road Rash

So if you do suffer a road rash injury while biking in Kirkland, you need to care for it.

If your road rash wound is superficial, the following are basic wound care steps:

  • Clean the wound. First wash your hands and clean the road rash wound with soap and water if it’s just a relatively minor abrasion. If you can’t do the cleaning yourself or if the wound has debris lodged in it, go to an emergency room or urgent care facility to ensure a thorough cleaning.
  • Use an antibiotic cream while the wound heals. Use clean gauze to apply the ointment to the injured area.
  • Keep the wound covered with a dressing.
  • Keep an eye on the wound. If you see signs of infection, call your doctor.

 

Another important factor to consider is a tetanus shot. If you haven’t had one in the last ten years, it’s a good idea to get one. If your injury is more serious, seek emergency care. A serious wound is one with profuse bleeding, large wound areas, and deep wounds with significant skin damage. Go to the nearest emergency room or call for emergency transport.

If You’ve Already Suffered Serious Road Rash in Kirkland

Road rash can cause you to miss work and disrupt other areas of your life, such as biking and normal day-to-day activities. In some cases it might become dangerously infected despite the precautions you take to keep it clean. Medications, lost wages, and permanent scarring may become big issues because of road rash.

You have the right to seek compensation from a driver who caused your accident. You must establish the driver was negligent, caused the accident, and that you suffered damages, such as those above. So if another driver violated traffic laws and your right to the road, call Max Meyers Law at 425-399-7000 or contact us online to set up your consultation.

Max Meyers
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Max is a Kirkland personal injury attorney handling cases in Seattle, King County & surrounding in WA State.