BICYCLE ACCIDENT LEADS TO tRAGEDY
Accidents where a bicycle is hit by a vehicle are very dangerous, and can cause serious injuries to victims. A person on a bike may be wearing a helmet, but that will do little to protect them against the force of a car or truck. Victims of bike accidents can suffer disabilities, chronic pain and other symptoms, and even death. Because of this, it’s important that people injured in bicycle accidents seek justice for what happened. This includes filing a person injury claim to recover sufficient compensation so that they can take care of their accident-related medical expenses.
A family in Seattle is in the process of suing the city over a car versus bicycle accident. Their son suffered from catastrophic injuries in the crash. The 26-year-old victim, Aviv Litov, was riding his bike to Seward Park in Seattle for a local bike race. He was going southeast on Green Lake Drive North at the time of the accident on June 20th, 2024. A driver in a 2022 Tesla Model Y turned right to enter a parking lot, cutting off the bike lane and causing Litov to crash into middle of the car. The force of the impact caused Litov’s bicycle to break in half.
Aviv Litov was rushed to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. It was found that he had suffered a life-altering, severe traumatic brain injury to the right side of the brain, causing the left side of his body to be partially paralyzed and not work properly. Although he was wearing a helmet that was considered one of the safest on the market, it wasn’t enough to keep him entirely safe. However, if he hadn’t been wearing it, he may have died in the accident. Litov was initially unable to walk and had to use a wheelchair. After significant physical therapy, he is able to walk upright. However, he still suffers from significant pain, disability, psychological distress, and other issues directly because of the accident.
After the catastrophic crash, Litov is unable to work because of lost earning capacity, and has lost wages from his time in the hospital. Although he used to be a bread baker, he is unable to go back to his old career. He works with a variety of therapists, including ones for physical, speech, vision, vocational, and occupational therapy. TBIs are serious and can take a long time to heal. Many people never heal entirely from a brain injury, and experience symptoms for the rest of their lives. Cycling is important to Litov, and was part of his lifestyle. He was racing on a sponsored team, and was planning on training more to get better, as well as travel across the country for races. He can now get onto a stationary bike, and hopes to someday return to cycling like he did before he was injured.
BRAIN INJURY SEATTLE LAW FIRM
Before the accident, Litov was living on his own, paying his bills and taxes. After the accident, he had to move back into his parent’s place so they could care for him. His parents stayed with him as often as they could while he was in the hospital, and lost their jobs as a result. They have also experienced significant emotional distress from the situation. Their oldest son quickly returned to the country to help his family after the tragic accident. Aviv Litov’s family, friends, and community stepped up to help him during this difficult time. His loved ones folded a thousand paper cranes, a Japanese tradition said to allow a person to make a wish come true.
So, what caused the accident? Aviv Litov’s attorneys allege that Seattle’s road design was primarily to blame for what happened. The street where the accident occurred, Green Lake Drive North, was actually recently redesigned. Ironically, the redesign was part of an initiative to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities on the road. Parked cars are now in between the bike lane and regular lane of the road. The redesign keeps cars and bicycles farther apart, intending to prevent crashes, but it actually ends up obstructing the vision between drivers and cyclists. The obstructed view causes dangerous situations at driveways and intersections, including the parking lot entrance where Litov’s accident happened.
The parking ends up being too close to entrances, preventing cyclists and drivers from seeing each other, which is what happened in this case. There simply was not time to stop for the driver that turned right or Aviv Litov, who was going straight. Not only was there inadequate sight distance, but there was poor signage and markings on the pavement. This is not in line with modern safety and design standards. The lawsuit, which was filed in King County Superior Court on January 3rd, 2025, claims that the catastrophic injuries suffered by Litov were a result of the unsafe road design.
The driver of the Tesla that hit Aviv Litov has also been named in the lawsuit as a defendant. The attorneys say that she did not exercise reasonable care while driving, and that she showed negligence when she didn’t yield to Litov as she should have. Litov had the right of way because he was in the bike lane. According to the person in the Tesla, she could not see Litov in the bike lane until it was too late and she was already turning into the parking lot. Neither of the people involved had time to react to the other. Hopefully, this lawsuit will help keep other bicyclists safer in the future.
Concussions and traumatic brain injuries are some of the most common types of injuries people suffer in bicycle accidents. Between a quarter and half of injured cyclists suffer from head injuries. Head injuries also cause over sixty percent of fatalities from bicycle accidents. Victims of brain injuries could suffer from concussion, skull fracture, internal bleeding, brain damage, chronic migraines, dizziness, memory and concentration issues, and more. Injuries to the brain can be disabling and life-threatening. It’s important that victims of bicycle accidents file a personal injury claim so that they can pay for their medical expenses.
Reach out to Seattle Injury Law so that our personal injury lawyers can help you with your claim.
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