According with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 80 percent of all reported motorcycle crashes result in injury or death to the motorcyclist. The motorcycle itself provides no head injury protection to the rider or passenger, and without seat belts, ejection from the motorcycle is a common injury pathway.
Based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the most common injuries resulting of a motorcycle accident are:
- Head and brain injuries: They can go from skull and face fractures up to traumatic brain injuries (TBI), these types of injuries can range from mild concussions to severe permanent brain damage, severe TBI may require intensive care and life-saving surgery. Those who survive a brain injury can face lasting effects in their physical and mental abilities as well as emotions and personality. Most people who suffer moderate to severe TBI will need rehabilitation to recover and relearn skills.
- Spinal cord injury: Auto and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries, accounting for almost half of new spinal cord injuries each year. A spinal cord injury often causes permanent loss of strength, sensation, and function below the site of the injury. If the spinal cord is damaged in the neck area, the patient may develop quadriplegia, which is the paralysis of all fours limbs.
- Broken and fractured bones: Mainly the fracture of lower and upper limbs.
- Open wounds: Most of them on the head, neck and trunk.
- Crushing injury or internal injury: The damage related to this injury may include internal bleeding, bruising, as well as nerve and tissue damage.
- Skin burns and deep cuts: The motorcyclists often result with skin burns after slide across pavement after being thrown from their motorcycles. These injuries are not that severe as the mentioned above but if they are not taken care of properly, they can get seriously infected.
You can do your part to prevent get in an accident, but many times accidents occur due to reckless driving behaviors of others, not the motorcyclist.
Another driver’s negligence can change your life in a flash. If you or a loved one is injured in a motorcycle accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Our motorcycle accident lawyers can seek the full amount of compensation possible for your injuries and other damages.
Contact our firm today to start pursuing the support and counsel you need!
Resources:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/811508.pdf
https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/safebike/anatomy.html
https://mayfieldclinic.com/pe-tbi.htm
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20377890
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000024.htm
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=0a6c7f97-d170-435d-af11-3ca684c45aaa