In cooler climates, “motorcycle season” is the time when drivers need to readjust to the idea that there are smaller vehicles on the road that can easily be lost in their blind spots. However, Florida boasts a year-round motorcycle season, meaning that every day of the year drivers must stay alert for motorcycles. Motorcyclists should also play their part by operating their motorcycles defensively and responsibly. But no matter how safe and aware a rider may be, they are always at a risk of a collision caused by a reckless or negligent driver.
After a motorcycle accident — especially one that someone else caused — a victim may have multiple injuries to deal with, all of which will complicate many different aspects of their life including personal and professional matters. The accident will almost certainly have a significant financial impact as the victim seeks medical care while dealing with lost wages and other costs and losses stemming from their motorcycle accident and the resulting injuries. This is why it is so important to go through your insurance claims process aggressively, which is often easier with the help of an experienced lawyer.
Contact CarAccidentAttorney.com To Connect With a Personal Injury Attorney Today
After a motorcycle accident, a victim and their family may find it overwhelming to take on the additional responsibility of finding an attorney. This is an easy step to overlook when the claims process is — at first glance — a simple process, but the reality is that insurance companies are motivated to settle claims as quickly and inexpensively as possible. When claimants represent themselves in this process, an insurance adjuster knows that they can capitalize on the victim’s legal inexperience by taking aggressive steps to overwhelm them and get a low settlement.
CarAccidentAttorney.com is an attorney and medical referral service. Instead of working through your insurance claim alone, we will connect you with a proven personal injury lawyer in Port St. Lucie who can help you navigate the complexities of a motorcycle accident claim or lawsuit.
Read more below about motorcycle accidents, and contact us as soon as possible to have a free consultation scheduled on your behalf with a motorcycle accident lawyer near you.
Common Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents
The following injuries are just a few of the many different injuries that a rider may suffer from a motorcycle accident. Whether or not you see your injuries below, it is important to understand that your personal injury attorney will work to quantify both the financial and emotional costs of each of your impacts as they work to get you the money you rightfully deserve.
If someone else caused your motorcycle accident, then you do not deserve to take on the financial aspects of their negligence.
Head and Brain Injuries
The lack of protection for a motorcycle rider’s head leaves them susceptible to traumatic brain injuries, which can be very serious, especially if the injury involves an object penetrating the skull. Florida eliminated the requirement for motorcycle riders over the age of 21 to wear a helmet, which has been found to have contributed in no small part to the fact that Florida has one of the highest rates of motorcycle fatalities in the United States.
Broken Bones
Motorcycle accidents often cause damage to bones, including those found in the face, pelvis, arms, legs, and spine. In some cases, the impact is so severe that it breaks bones into pieces, requiring multiple surgeries and extensive rehab to recover.
Paralysis
Spinal cord injuries are also common in motorcycle accidents, especially if the bike does not land on its side but instead flips over or lands on top of the rider. Paraplegia has the potential to change a person’s life forever by limiting their freedom and mobility; it can also cause chronic pain, which limits one’s ability to work.
Burns
If a motorcycle accident results in fire, then victims could suffer burns over their body. These types of injuries can take weeks or months to heal and leave scars that may never fade away completely.
Organ Damage
Another common injury victims of motorcycle accidents suffer is organ damage caused by blunt force trauma. Injuries to the kidneys, spleen, and liver can be very serious if they are not treated immediately.
Emotional and Psychological Injuries
In addition to physical injuries, motorcycle riders who have been in accidents also face emotional trauma from their near-death experience. The financial strain of hospital bills, therapy sessions, and lost wages add yet another challenge to accident recovery, which is why injured parties need to seek compensation from the negligent parties as soon as possible after the accident.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents
The following are just a few of the many different ways that a motorcycle accident may be caused.
Visibility Issues
The most common factor in motorcycle accidents is lack of visibility by other drivers, which leads to riders being hit, often after efforts are made to avoid the accident. This may be due to distracted driving on the part of a driver or the driver not checking their blind spot before changing lanes.
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs/Alcohol
Motorcycle riders are particularly vulnerable to DUI incidents because they take up much less visual space and have little to no structural protection from a collision. When a motorcycle is hit by a drunk driver, the results can be devastating.
Reckless Driving
Reckless driving is also one of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents. Drivers who are reckless often do not see motorcycles because they try to change lanes or make turns without paying proper attention to what is around them.
Mechanical Failures
Defective or malfunctioning vehicle components — on motorcycles, passenger vehicles, or trucks — pose dangers to riders and drivers of other vehicles because they do not work as expected. These include defective brakes, faulty transmissions, and poor structural integrity which may cause accidents resulting in serious injuries. In these types of accidents, a rider may file a claim against a driver or against the manufacturer or mechanic responsible for the defect that led to the crash.