You are riding your motorcycle and come to an intersection where another driver turns straight into your path. The collision might last only a few seconds, but what follows can be far more serious than the visible damage to the respective vehicles. Although the other driver stays safe inside their car, you could be thrown from your motorcycle and end up on the pavement, on another vehicle, or against a stationary object. This difference is what makes injuries in motorcycle accidents especially severe when compared to those experienced in many car accidents.
When you are involved in a motorcycle crash, the severity of your injuries depends on any number of factors, including vehicle speed, the angle of impact, whether you are thrown from the motorcycle, and what you hit after the initial collision. Even with precautions and proper protective gear, you cannot eliminate every risk.
You Have Less Protection Between Your Body and the Crash
One of the biggest differences between riding a motorcycle and traveling in an automobile is what surrounds you in a collision. Inside a passenger vehicle, you have the benefit of a structure specifically designed to help protect occupants during a crash. Seat belts, airbags, crumple zones, reinforced passenger compartments, and other safety features can absorb or redirect some of the energy generated by a collision.
On a motorcycle, you do not have that same barrier. If another vehicle strikes you, the motorcycle may absorb some of the impact, but your body remains exposed. The force can transfer directly to you, and you may have little opportunity to avoid the consequences once the collision begins.
Your Body Takes the Impact Directly
In a car crash, you might be held back by a seat belt while the vehicle takes in some of the energy from the collision. On a motorcycle, you risk being hit by the vehicle, thrown forward, or thrown to one side. That can expose you to several different impacts during the same accident. You might collide with the other vehicle first, hit the ground moments later, and then slide or roll into another object.
Each impact can produce additional injuries.
You May Be Thrown From the Motorcycle
Ejection is another reason motorcycle crashes can produce severe injuries. When you are thrown from the motorcycle, you lose the limited protection the motorcycle itself provides. Where and how you land can matter as much as the initial collision. You may:
• Strike the pavement with your head, back, shoulder, or other part of your body
• Slide across the roadway for a significant distance
• Hit a guardrail, curb, sign, tree, or other fixed object
• Be thrown into the path of another vehicle
• Suffer additional injuries when your unprotected body twists or rolls during the crash
You also cannot always predict how far you will travel after being thrown from the motorcycle. A relatively minor collision can therefore lead to a much larger area of potential injury.
Serious Injuries Can Affect Multiple Parts of Your Body
A motorcycle crash does not always involve one isolated injury. Because you can experience several impacts, you may suffer trauma to different areas of your body at the same time.
Head and Brain Injuries:
A blow to your head can result in everything from a minor concussion to a more severe brain injury. Symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, confusion, memory problems, mood changes, or difficulty concentrating. Some symptoms may not become obvious immediately. That is one reason you should take any head impact seriously, even if you initially believe you feel fine. A properly fitted helmet can provide important protection, but it cannot guarantee you will avoid a head or brain injury in every crash.
Spinal Cord and Back Injuries:
Your spine can also be vulnerable when you are thrown from a motorcycle or land forcefully on the roadway.
Depending on the circumstances, you could suffer fractures, damage to discs or vertebrae, nerve injuries, or spinal cord damage. A serious spinal injury can affect your mobility, strength, sensation, and ability to perform everyday activities. In the most severe cases, the resulting injuries can be permanent.
Broken Bones and Joint Injuries:
Your arms and legs are also exposed during a motorcycle crash. You may instinctively put your hands out when you fall, placing tremendous stress on your wrists, arms, and shoulders. Your legs, hips, knees, and ankles can also be injured when the motorcycle falls on you, another vehicle strikes you, or you land awkwardly. A fracture may require surgery, immobilization, physical therapy, or months of rehabilitation. Even after the bone heals, you may continue to experience stiffness, weakness, or reduced range of motion.
Road Rash Can Be More Than a Minor Scrape:
When you fall from a motorcycle and slide across pavement, the friction between your body and the roadway can cause “road rash.” At first, road rash may look like a collection of scrapes. More serious cases can involve deep tissue damage, infection, scarring, and significant pain. Severity can depend on factors such as your speed, how far you slide, the roadway’s condition, and whether you are wearing protective clothing. Protective jackets, gloves, pants, and appropriate footwear can help reduce certain types of injuries. However, they cannot eliminate the possibility of serious skin and soft-tissue damage.
Your Injuries May Require a Long Recovery
The seriousness of a motorcycle accident is not measured only by what happens at the scene. Your recovery can tell a much larger story. A broken bone may require surgery followed by weeks or months of rehabilitation. A serious brain injury may affect your ability to concentrate or return to your normal routine. A spinal injury may permanently affect your mobility. You may also face:
• Repeated medical appointments
• Physical or occupational therapy
• Prescription medications
• Additional surgeries
• Chronic pain
• Permanent scarring
• Long-term or permanently reduced mobility
• Emotional distress
• Time away from work
The longer your recovery continues, the greater the impact can become on your daily life.
Some Injuries Affect Your Ability to Work at All
A serious motorcycle injury can affect more than your physical health. If your job requires you to stand, lift, drive, operate equipment, use your hands, or perform other physical tasks, an injury can make returning to work impossible. Even an office job can become challenging if you are dealing with chronic pain, medication side effects, mobility limitations, or cognitive symptoms following a head injury. You may therefore lose income while also accumulating medical expenses. If your injuries affect your future ability to work, the financial consequences may continue long after the accident itself.
The Full Extent of Your Injuries May Not Be Immediately Clear
Immediately after a motorcycle crash, you may be focused on getting off the roadway and figuring out what just happened. Adrenaline can also make it difficult to appreciate how badly you are hurt. Some injuries are obvious right away. Others may become more noticeable over the following hours or days. That is why you should not assume that feeling relatively well immediately after a crash means you escaped serious injury. Seeking prompt medical attention can help identify injuries and document the treatment you receive. You should also follow your medical provider’s recommendations rather than stopping treatment simply because your symptoms begin to improve.
Protective Gear Matters, But It Cannot Remove Every Risk
You can reduce some motorcycle accident risks by wearing appropriate protective equipment and riding responsibly. A helmet can help protect your head. Protective clothing can reduce certain types of skin injuries. Gloves and proper footwear can provide additional protection. Still, protective equipment has limits. It cannot create the same physical barrier that surrounds you inside a passenger vehicle. It cannot prevent every fracture, spinal injury, internal injury, or brain injury. You can take reasonable precautions and still be injured because of another person’s negligence.
What You Do After a Motorcycle Crash Matters
When injured in a motorcycle accident, the steps you take after the crash can become important to both your recovery and any potential personal injury claim. If you are physically able to do so, you should consider:
• Seeking medical attention promptly
• Following your medical treatment plan
• Retaining legal counsel as soon as possible after your accident
• Photographing the accident scene and visible injuries when possible
• Locating witnesses at the accident scene as well as expert witnesses
• Keeping records of medical treatment and related expenses
• Documenting time you miss from work
• Preserving information about the vehicles, roadway, and people involved
• Avoiding statements that minimize your injuries before you know their full extent
You may also need to deal with insurance companies while you are still recovering. An insurer may focus on the immediate circumstances of the accident, while you are dealing with injuries that could affect you for months or years.
That is an important distinction. The true impact of a serious motorcycle accident may not even be visible in the first few days.
A Serious Motorcycle Injury Can Affect Your Future
When you compare a motorcycle accident with an automobile accident, the biggest difference isn’t simply the type of vehicle involved. It is the level of protection available to your body when something goes wrong. You can be exposed to the initial impact, thrown from the motorcycle, struck by another object, or injured as you slide across the roadway. The resulting injuries may affect your health, ability to work, finances, and everyday life.
If you have suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident, understanding what caused the crash and documenting the full effect of your injuries can be important as you consider your legal options.
Call Keys Law Offices Today!
A motorcycle accident claim that is not handled correctly can disrupt your life in an instant, leaving you with stress, injuries, and unanswered questions about what comes next.
At Keys Law Offices, we are determined to support individuals and families struggling with such issues and offer them advice and representation in personal injury accident cases and other personal injury claims. With deep knowledge of how these cases are handled, our firm will strive to get to the bottom of the case, develop a strong claim, and seek the financial compensation our clients deserve.
Assistance is available, and help is only a phone call away.