The public often perceives motorcyclists as reckless renegades with no concern for the safety of others. However, according to motorcycle accident statistics, it is not the actions of a motorcycle rider but the actions of a passenger vehicle driver that are the main cause of motorcycle collisions nationwide.
A major U.S. motorcycle safety study found that in two-thirds of accidents involving a motorcycle and passenger vehicle, the driver of the passenger vehicle violated the motorcyclist’s right of way. The average passenger vehicle weighs approximately 4,000 pounds. The average motorcycle weighs approximately 600 pounds. In a collision, this size disparity puts a motorcycle rider at a great disadvantage. It is not surprising to learn the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found per miles traveled, a motorcyclist is almost 16 times more likely to die in a crash than the occupants of a passenger car.
Types of Oakland Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Motorcycles lack most of the modern safety features that come standard in many passenger cars today, such as airbags and seat belts. In a crash, the lack of protection from impact leaves riders vulnerable to serious injury. Riders are often treated for open and closed head injuries, incomplete and complete spinal cord injuries, simple and compound bone fracture injuries, mild, moderate and severe brain injuries, partial or complete amputation (limb loss) injuries, lacerations and contusions. Injury to the body’s internal organs, such as the heart, kidney, lungs, stomach and bladder, are also common injuries sustained by a motorcycle rider in a crash.
Help for Injury Expenses
After a devastating motorcycle crash, you may be wondering if financial help is available. How can you be reimbursed for expenses incurred as a result of an accident that wasn’t your fault? If your actions did not contribute to the collision occurring, you may be entitled to compensation for various types of damages by filing a personal injury claim. In a claim, injured riders may be entitled to funds for various types of compensatory damages. Compensatory damages are divided into two different types: actual and general. Actual damages reimburse a victim for out-of-pocket expenses associated with an injury, such as surgeries, hospitalizations, therapy, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. General damages are losses associated with an accident that do not have a specific monetary value, such as mental anguish, physical pain, disability, diminished quality of life and loss of consortium (if applicable).
