Riding a motorcycle can be an exhilarating experience, feeling the freedom of the open road ahead of you. These types of vehicle pose certain risks to riders and passengers alike due to their lack of protective surroundings as you might find in an automobile. While a motorcycle can reach the same speeds as traditional motor vehicles, ending up in an accident while riding on one could have significant health impacts and a particularly bad crash could come with deadly consequences.
If you are involved in a motorcycle accident, who is going to fight for what you deserve? It’s important that you get the right legal team on your side.
It’s something no motorcycle rider should ever face nor wants to think about. But the reality is that accidents do happen and, with the speeds that these vehicles are designed to reach, an accident can change your life. The injuries could be so severe that you may be permanently suffering the effects of a traumatic impact, leaving you with medical bills that could reach the hundreds of thousands, if not more, over the course of your lifetime.
Even a minor injury can be financially devastating. If the accident wasn’t even your fault and another party is rightfully to blame for your medical condition, you need to know you will be compensated accordingly.
There are a multitude of injuries that occur on motorcycles nearly every day. The following are just some of the most common that can happen to you without warning:
Road rash
Neck and back injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Broken or fractured bones
Head and brain trauma
Amputated limbs
Paralysis
If you were to experience even one of these types of injuries, you could be facing a long road to rehabilitation and recovery. That will undoubtedly result in staggering medical costs that you may never be able to get out from. Your health insurance will only pay out so much and if your coverage limits are unable to pay for all your bills, you could be paying for them out of your own pocket.
All because you were involved in a motorcycle accident that was not your fault. You were obeying the rules of the road, you weren’t speeding or driving recklessly. But now you have mounting medical bills and someone else’s actions have put you here.
Injuries can be prevented, if not entirely avoided. The best and smartest precaution to take is to always wear a helmet when you are operating a motorcycle. Your head is an essential body part to keep fully protected in the event you are thrown from your bike. Broken bones can heal, lacerations heal, but brain damage from severe head trauma can have a profound impact on your quality of life.
When you are riding on an open-air vehicle such as a motorcycle, you are vulnerable and exposed to impacts in much different ways than motor vehicle operators and passengers. A car provides you with a shell in which you have some layer of protection against collisions with other vehicles and objects. If you hit something going 75mph on a motorcycle, your body can be thrown from the bike and there’s nothing much to protect your head and body then a helmet and leather, padded motorcycle gear (should you choose to wear such garments).
That’s why many motorcycle accidents result in serious injury or even fatalities while any automobile drivers involved in these accidents might sustain fewer injuries and have a higher rate of survival.
A motorcycle accident can happen for any number of reasons and some of these types of incidents can substantially reduce the possibility of surviving a crash. They include:
Speeding
Driver or biker inexperience
Poor road conditions
Failure to comply with posted signs
Driving while distracted
Reckless driving
Poor visibility
Driving while intoxicated
Lane-splitting
No matter how many precautions you take to protect yourself on the road, accidents can and will happen. How you act in the aftermath can make a big difference on your ability to file a case and receive the maximum compensation you deserve for your injuries, any lost wages, and pain and suffering you may experience as a result of the accident.
If you ever find yourself involved in a motorcycle accident, your next moves are critical for the health and safety of you and any other participants in the crash as well as your liability (or lack thereof) in the incident:
Remain calm
Don’t say or do anything brash or off the cuff. Take a moment to stop and breathe. Calm yourself down as you are probably peaking on adrenaline having just survived the accident.
Get out of traffic
If your bike or anyone else’s vehicle is in the path of traffic, move yourself and any other individuals and their vehicles out of the road to the shoulder.
Check for injuries
This is very important because that adrenaline rush you’re currently experiencing could be masking any pain or discomfort you might be feeling from an injury you may have sustained in the accident. Check your head and your body for blood. Can you move all of your extremities? Is your clothing torn or damaged? If you are on the ground, you may not want to get up immediately. Stay down until a medical professional can determine that you haven’t sustained any head or neck injuries.
Call 911
Let them know there has been an accident and if you or any other parties in the incident are injured. Emergency services will be dispatched to the scene including police, medical response, and possibly the fire department if one of the vehicles is ablaze or the driver is unable to get out of their automobile.
Get the other driver’s information
It is crucial that you get all personal and insurance information from the other party or parties that have been involved in the accident. If possible, get photos of the scene and document everything you can about the circumstances leading up to the crash in addition to the conditions of the road and surrounding environment during and after the accident. If you can, get the contact information of any witnesses who are willing to offer a statement as to what occurred at the time of your crash.
Never admit fault
Most important, never, ever apologize or give anyone a “my bad” after the accident. Admitting fault can and will be used against you at the time you decide to file a case, even if you were not responsible for the accident.
When the time comes to file a claim and pursue damages to cover your medical bills, lost wages, lost future earnings, and pain and suffering, you should never negotiate on your own behalf. Fighting for your own compensation almost always results in less of it or none at all coming your way.
That’s why it is so important to hire the best personal injury attorney with decades of experience winning motorcycle accident cases. Call us for a free, no strings attached consultation today.
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