Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries and Compensation

Motorcycle Accidents: Common Injuries and How Compensation Works

In the United States, around 5,000 motorcyclists are killed each year and nearly 90,000 are injured. In New York, an average of 16 people are seen at the hospital each day as a result of motorcycle accidents. Thousands of motorcyclists who survive vehicle accidents are injured so severely that their lives will never be the same. The most common cause of fatal accidents involving a motorcycle and another vehicle is a car turning left and failing to notice a motorcycle. The vehicle hits the motorcyclist or the motorcyclist crashes into the side of the vehicle.

Unfortunately, the New York City metropolitan area is a breeding ground for accidents like these waiting to happen. Most recently, a 22-year-old motorcyclist was killed when a semi-truck made a left turn in front of him. The motorcyclist ran into the side of the truck and was killed instantly due to massive head injuries. In another similar incident, a Brooklyn biker was seriously injured when he ran into a minivan making a left turn in front of him.

Some of the most common types of injuries include:

• Broken Bones are serious injuries that happen very fast by a tendency to lower the leg and stabilize the bike. The leg gets caught under the bike and breaks. Often the arms and wrists break when the bike goes down and the arms come out in a reflex action to break the fall. Pelvic and hip fractures are also common.
• A Traumatic Brain Injury happens when the head violently strikes another vehicle or the ground. These injuries range from minor concussions to permanent and serious injuries. Upon impact, the brain moves back and forth in the skull and the severity of the injury depends on the damaged location.
• Road Rash is when a motorcyclist’s body slides along the pavement. There are various degrees of road rash that can even be so severe, that they are considered life-threatening.

If you were a motorcyclist or passenger on a motorcycle and were injured in an accident with another vehicle, holding the driver liable for your injury involves the same process as in any other injury case. You must prove that it was the driver’s breach of his duty to drive that caused the accident and your resulting injury.

After a serious accident with life-changing results that often occurs in motorcycle accidents, anyone can feel overwhelmed as medical costs skyrocket at the same time wages are lost due to an inability to work.

Some damages you may be legally entitled to include:

• Current and Future Medical Expenses: An expert witness will likely need to evaluate your case and determine whether you may need future medical or surgical care for your injury.
• Long-term nursing or medical care: Depending on the nature of your injury, you may need long-term nursing care. Some people with traumatic brain injuries need care for the rest of their lives.
• Rehabilitation costs: This includes current and future rehabilitation that is usually determined by expert testimony.
• Job Recruitment: If you’ve been injured so severely that you can’t return to your previous job, you may need job training.
• Current and future lost wages: If you are unable to return to your job or career, you are entitled to collect damages for the future amount you will lose due to your injury.
• Pain and suffering: This encompasses your emotional suffering as well as your physical pain.
• Property Damage: Payment for the loss of your motorcycle.

Motorcycle accidents are often overlooked as America’s leading motor vehicle dangers. No matter the pre-existing conditions that a motorcycle may have in regard to road safety, every driver (or rider) is entitled to compensation.

Slawomir Platta

Slawomir Platta earned his degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He’s been trying motor vehicle accident cases throughout the Courts of New York for almost 20 years and recovered over $100 Million in verdicts and settlements.