Motorcycles offer a sense of freedom and excitement that cars simply can’t match, but the freedom comes with greater risk. When crashes happen, riders are far more exposed to danger than those protected by a car’s frame.
A crash can take seconds, but the injuries can change a person’s life forever. Even a low-speeding motorcycle accident can lead to serious damage. Understanding common injuries is the first step towards understanding the legal process, protecting your rights and ensuring recovery.
Common motorcycle injuries
Motorcycle accidents often result in more severe injuries due to the lack of protective barriers like those found in cars. While seat belts and airbags help prevent or lessen injuries in car accidents, motorcyclists rely solely on protective gear such as helmets, which are not always enough to prevent serious harm.
While car accidents tend to occur more frequently, motorcycle accidents are about 28 times more fatal and 5 times more likely to cause injury. These injuries can range from mundane cuts and bruises to severe lasting damage such as brain injuries. Common consequences of motorcycle accidents include:
- Skin: The most common injury for motorcyclists is road rash, a type of friction burn you can get from paved surfaces. Road rash isn’t just a simple injury, it can easily be severe, especially if the burn is deep and covers a large amount of the body’s surface area.
- Bones: Broken bones and fractures are extremely common, particularly in the lower extremities, with legs and feet being especially vulnerable.
- Brain: Due to the high risk of head trauma, motorcycle accidents reside as one of the leading causes of TBI (Traumatic brain injury). TBI’s can range from concussions to far more severe injuries where the brain is deeply affected for years.
The severity of such injuries sustained in motorcycle crashes can lead to long recovery times, and high medical costs. Victims may need long-term medical treatment, therapy or even permanent disability accommodations.
If you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident, it’s important to have someone on your side who understands the unique challenges of these cases. Having a skilled legal professional can make all the difference in securing the compensation you need for your recovery.