Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Common Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycles are some of the most dangerous vehicles being driven on the road. While driver experience and attention promote safer motorcycling, accidents do occur due to negligence on the part of another motorist. It has been found that motorcycles are more accident prone than any other motor vehicle, claiming over 5,000 lives every year.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that fatal car accidents reached a historical low in 2008. However, the most troubling information from this study revealed that during that same time period that car accident deaths decreased, motorcyclist deaths more than doubled between 1999 and 2008. The reason for the dangers involved with this recreation are due to the design of the motorcycle, which offers little to no protection to the driver in the event of an accident. Motorcyclist, with the little protection they receive from helmets and riding gear, are at the mercy of the road should they ever find themselves in an accident.

Catastrophic Motorcycle Injuries

The damage that ensues during a motorcycle accident is almost always catastrophic. Since there is little protection offered by the actual vehicle and motorcycles are designed to be quick and light, the most seemingly insignificant elements can cause a high speed accident with serious ramifications. The driver of the motorcycle is subject to broken bones, traumatic brain injury, paralysis and even death.

Catastrophic injuries are known as such for their extensive damage and possibly permanent implications. Traumatic brain injury is one such injury that affects more than just the damaged part of the brain. Because the brain is involved in the control of almost every other body function, traumatic brain injury can hinder an individual’s overall ability to live life. Traumatic brain injury can cause difficulty in comprehension, memory loss, mood disorders and even paralysis.

Another catastrophic injury that is common to motorcycle accidents is spinal cord injury. Trauma to the spinal cord can lead to paraplegia or even quadriplegia. Partial or total paralysis can be permanent if the injury is severe enough and can cause difficulty in other vital functions such as breathing and sensation.

The high impact of motorcycle accidents also causes great trauma to other parts of the body and can be extremely damaging to the bones of the body. Fractures and breaks are some of the most common motorcycle injuries, ranging from mild to severe depending on the speed and intensity of impact. While broken bones are common injuries and usually treatable, many severe breaks will never reach the point of full recovery.

Road Rash

One injury that is exclusive to motorcycle injuries and bicycle injuries is road rash. Due to the open design of motorcycles, accidents often cause the driver to be thrown from the vehicle or caught underneath it and dragged along the asphalt of the road at the speed of the motorcycle before the accident. Protective clothing is little to no match for the high speeds of motorcycle accidents, which means that the driver is likely to experience extensive abrasions and road burns.

While the term seems as if it implies only superficial injury, road rash can be extremely damaging to internal layers of skin. Much like burns, road rash is categorized in degrees based on how deep the damage goes. While first degree road rash is considered a mild injury to the top layers of skin, second and third degree road rash require extensive medical treatment. Second degree road rash occurs when the skin breaks and leaves the inner layers exposed. Third degree road rash reaches through all five layers of skin and even the muscles beneath. This degree of road rash often requires surgery and is subject to immense scarring and disfigurement.

It has been a pleasure and blessing to have Feingold and Posner represent my family. They always kept me updated on our case. The staff was excellent they always got back to me on questions I had. I highly recommend them and will continue to use them if needed.

– Keesha C.

Plantation Personal Injury Lawyer

The seriousness of motorcycle injuries calls for extensive medical treatment and long periods of recovery. Some of the most serious cases of traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage may even cause permanent injuries that keep the victim from returning to their life and work. When motorcycle accidents cause such injuries, the victims of the accident will find themselves facing extreme losses on top of the pain and struggle of being injured.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident and are not facing the high costs of the damage, the Plantation personal injury attorneys at Feingold & Posner, P.A. want to help you recover the compensation you need to meet those costs. We understand that hospital bills, property damage and the losses incurred from the inability to work can reach unbearable heights. That is why we believe that innocent injury victims of motorcycle accidents should be provided for with the means to recover as fully as possible and be compensated for the pain they have been forced to endure.

Call a motorcycle accident attorney in Plantation at 954-807-4665 to schedule a free case evaluation and learn more about how we can help you.