COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Biking is a popular way of getting around and getting exercise, but it can be dangerous if riders don’t take steps to protect themselves from getting hurt.
Loraine Scott was actively enjoying her retirement and was especially interested in outdoor exercise.
“So I decided to start riding my bike and I loved it,” Scott said.
But those routine rides came to an abrupt halt when she suffered a traumatic brain injury after colliding with another cyclist back in January.
“She said I flew off my bicycle,” Scott said.
Dr. Leon Garner, an emergency medicine physician with Broward Health North, said the biggest mistake people make is not wearing a helmet.
“If you’re going to be on anything with wheels traveling faster than a brisk walk, wear a helmet -- it’s a great rule to live by,” Garner said.
While collisions with cars are the ones that make headlines, experts say severe and even fatal injuries can happen in collisions with other cyclists or even pedestrians.
And Garner said where you ride can also be a risk factor.
“Sometimes people think the safest place to be is on a bicycle path, but quite often you have double the bicycle traffic there which can result in greater congestion, greater chance of an accident,” Garner said.
After undergoing emergency surgery, Scott spent weeks in physical therapy, slowly regaining her strength.
Although she’s given up biking, Scott is grateful to get back to living.
“I’m alive, talking to you, breathing, walking, so I’m going to live till I’m 90, thank you God,” she said.
A major risk factor for injury on a bike is distraction, which includes wearing headphones or earbuds which may prevent you from hearing what’s going on around you.