Lance Armstrong Crashes in Tour of California Bike Accident
This just goes to show that even professional and record-breaking Tour De Force champion bicyclists like Lance Armstrong can get involved in a bicycle accident.
"Lance Armstrong injured in tour of California." (photo credit: examiner.com)
Earlier this week, Armstrong, who was in the Tour of California, was sent to the hospital after being injured in a bicycle crash. The accident happened on a two-lane road outside Visalia, when one of the riders in the main group skidded on gravel and fell, which triggered a chain crash accident.
Armstrong allegedly tried to get back into the race but had to quit because of an injury below his left eye and a wound in his elbow that kept him from holding on too long to the bars of his bike.
Precautionary X-rays were taken and aside from eight stitches below his left eye, Armstrong was fine.
Learning how to ride a bike may be easy, the hard part is how to safely ride one.
These days, heavily congested roads have forced people to resort to using motorcycles and bicycles for their transportation. Riding bicycles are certainly more environment-friendly and fuel-efficient but staying safe on the streets while riding a bike can be a challenge.
Sometimes, when there are no bicycle lanes, cars, SUVs, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles would have to share the road and this has been the cause of many bicycle accidents that have injured or killed thousands of people.
If Lance Armstrong got into a bicycle accident, the odds are, ordinary bikers riding for pleasure, exercise and transportation are even more likely to take a spill on the road sooner or later. So in the meantime, here are some bicycle safety tips:
• Get a headlight and a rear light for your bicycle especially if you ride during the evenings.
• Wear bright and/or reflective clothing.
• Try to avoid busy streets as much as possible, most car drivers will be too busy or distracted to notice you.
• Take the whole lane when you ride, or at least ride a little bit to the left, rather than stay on the right curb.
• Never move left or make a turn without checking your area.
If you ride your bicycle safely and follow all of the above-mentioned tips but still get involved in an accident, you may file a personal injury claim especially if the other driver was negligent. Because just as you have the duty to be careful and diligent, so do the other motorists on the road.
