When a cyclist gets into an accident with a motor vehicle, they may feel lucky to have survived. However, the injuries that they suffer can have long-term consequences on their health and their quality of life.

One of the more serious injuries commonly associated with collisions between bikes and cars is the torsion or spiral fracture. Cyclists hit by someone in a motor vehicle could very well develop one of the more painful and difficult-to-recover-from kinds of fractures that people can suffer.

What makes a torsion or spiral fracture unique?

Most fractures involve a lateral break of the bone, often due to blunt-force trauma. However, a spiral or torsion fracture is the result of a twisting force or impact. A cyclist spinning as they fall off their bike could very easily produce the kind of force necessary to produce a spiral fracture in their arm or leg when they land.

Spiral fractures often have uneven, jagged edges and may produce multiple smaller pieces of bone that are very difficult to set and heal. Spiral fractures often require surgery or even the implantation of a rod to support the bone as it heals.

Cyclists injured by negligent drivers have legal rights

You shouldn’t have to suffer from pain, lost wages and medical bills because someone else didn’t pay attention to the traffic and didn’t actively share the road with bicycles. When a driver fails to notice a cyclist and causes a crash that produces serious injuries, the cyclist involved may have the right to take legal action against the driver who injured them.