Here is some helpful information from my friend, Kenny Christensen.  Kenny is a terrific personal injury lawyer in Utah.

The 26-year-old Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt died in a high-speed downhill cycling crash at the Giro d’Italia.  He fell more than 12 miles from the finish line while on a descent. The paramedics removed his helmet to try and resuscitate him when they found him bleeding heavily and laying motionless.

Doctor Giovanni Tredici said that Weylandt was unconscious and had facial damage and a fracture of the skull base. “After 40 minutes of cardiac massage we had to suspend the resuscitation because there was nothing more we could do.”

At this difficult time, we offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and teammates that Weylandt has left behind.

Major Cycling Crash Death Statistics

There has not been a death in one of Cycling’s three main tours since 1995, when Italian rider Fabio Casartelli died in the Tour de France. Weylandt’s death marks the first death in a major cycling race in 16 years. Although cycling has relatively less deaths compared to other sports, Weylandt is the fourth cyclist to die at the Giro.  No one has died in this particular race in 25 years.

Tragedies such as this, and the death of Andrei Kivilev in the Paris-Nice race in 2003, have compelled The International Cycling Union to review mandatory rules to try and make the sport as safe as possible. Kivilev was not wearing a helmet, and fractured his skull when he fell from his bike in a cycling crash in the Paris-Nice race.  Since then the wearing of helmets has become mandatory during races.

Dealing with the injury or death of a loved one after a cycling crash is emotionally draining, especially if it occurs because of the negligent acts of others. If you would like more information about a cycling crash or the options available to cyclists after an accident, visit http://www.utahbicyclelawyers.com or the bike accident lawyers of the Christensen Law Firm.