Bike Helmets = Survival in Wrecks

My son has become obsessed lately with the need to wear his bike helmet. He can be found wearing it all times. The picture you see here was taken a couple of weeks ago while he was sleeping on our drive from Memphis, TN to Starkville, MS.

And as I write this blog post, I’m outside watching both him and my daughter ride their bicycles up and down our driveway, each with their trusty bike helmet on.

Long before I moved to Memphis (in pursuit of becoming the best personal injury lawyer in town) I was a young boy living outside the small Mississippi Delta town of Belzoni.

During my childhood days living in the country my bicycle was my freedom. I rode it everywhere. It wasn’t uncommon for me to start the day early in the morning by riding 6-7 miles to one of my friends homes via the small country backroads and dirt turnrows that connected local farms. But during those days I never wore a helmet. Heck, I never even thought of wearing a helmet.

These days I undertstand better, wearing a helmet while bicycling is a necessity to protect against potentially catastrophic brain injuries and even death.

As a personal injury lawyer here in Memphis I help people all over Tennessee and Mississippi who’ve been involved in bike wrecks where they were hit by cars whose drivers were not paying attention. I see all types of bad injuries that have happened to otherwise fit and in-shape athletes. It’s amazing (and sad) how much damage can occur to a rider who has been hit by a car.

Imagine what it’s like to be thrown across the hood of a car (or two) through the air, landing on your head when a vehicle suddenly turns in front of you, or a driver carelessly opens his door. I’ve had clients who have been been thrown over twenty feet from where they were initially hit. These clients suffered some pretty severe injuries, including vertebrae damage, broken collarbones, head trauma, concussions, and bad “road rash”.

But the one thing that each one of my clients had in common is that they were all wearing their helmets. And in every case these helmets have kept them from much worse injuries.

I’m always amazed when a client walks into my office and shows me his or her helmet that has been cracked into multiple pieces when he landed after a wreck, but who was able to walk away with only cuts and broken bones. It’s unquestionable that their helmets saved them from much more severe injuries.

So, the next time you’re out biking remember to always strap on your helmet. It could save you from that two-ton truck that doesn’t see you, or it might just be the root that grabs your pedal and throws you. Either way, you’re going to be much better with it on.