Unlike a car, a motorcycle isn’t designed to protect the rider in a collision. Unlike a car, it doesn’t have a metal cage with straps to keep the rider in place. It doesn’t have air bags, roll bars, ABS, or any other safety devices. It’s not surprising that, unlike a car driver, many serious motorcycle accidents result in death or life-threatening injuries to the rider.
Perhaps the biggest risk to bikers is that of being ejected from the bike. When a rider is thrown into the air, their body bears the entire force of the collision, and bodies just weren’t meant to withstand that kind of force. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost a third of non-fatal motorcycle collision injuries were to the leg or foot, and head and neck injuries comprised another quarter.
A motorcycle accident victim with broken or crushed limbs will need surgery at best, and an amputation at worst. Head and spine injuries are even more difficult to treat. A serious spine injury can leave a person disabled and in pain for the rest of his life. Head injuries pose the greatest risk of all because the injury isn’t necessarily apparent at the time of the crash. A biker can suffer a traumatic brain injury without having a single bruise on his head, and the symptoms of the injury can appear hours or in some cases days later. Even then, symptoms such as dizziness or fatigue are often misdiagnosed, which further delays treatment.
A serious motorcycle accident can permanently change a person
Every serious injury – even if it’s a broken bone – changes a person. In a physical sense, the person’s body has literally been altered. A bone will never heal perfectly; a spine or brain may never heal at all. After the initial trauma of the accident and the emergency medical treatment to follow, a victim may need physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, additional surgery, or long-term medication for chronic pain that carries its own list of side effects. In an emotional sense, life-threatening accidents change a victim’s personality. When you think about it, how could such a traumatic event not change your outlook on life or your goals for the future?
Life after a motorcycle collision can be chaotic, confusing, and scary. If you were seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, having a plan for recovery helps, and that plan should include being compensated for your losses. You will face difficulties in the future, whether it is physical, emotional, or as we often see with our clients, financial. An experienced Suffolk motorcycle accident injury lawyer can help you receive the compensation you deserve so you can focus on moving forward with your life.
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