If you frequently ride motorcycles, or notice them on the roadway as a motorist, you may wonder how common motorcycle injuries and deaths are. Motorcycle accident-related fatalities doubled from 1999 to 2008. During the same period of time, deaths from motor vehicles accidents declined, reaching an all-time low in 2008. Motorcycle accident injuries can be extensive which is why it is important for motorcyclists who have been wrongfully harmed in a motorcycle accident to understand the options available to help with damages.
A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that from 2001 to 2008, 34,000 motorcyclists were killed in motorcycle accidents and greater than an estimated 1.2 million victims received emergency room treatment for injuries resulting from non-fatal motorcycle accidents.
Motorcycle accident injuries can be costly physically, emotionally and financially. According to the CDC’s study, greater than half of the nonfatal injuries treated in emergency rooms following a motorcycle accident were either to the victim’s head and neck or leg and foot. Because of the serious nature of the harm that often results from a motorcycle accident, victims may have recovery options available through a personal injury or wrongful death claim.
Many motorcycle accidents are caused by careless drivers. Motorcyclists are 26 times more likely to die in a traffic accident than those in passenger vehicles and are 5 times more likely to be injured in traffic accidents. In two-thirds of motorcycle accidents, the driver of a passenger vehicle caused the accident by failing to carefully observe the motorcycle and violated the motorcyclist’s right of way.
When a driver is liable for causing harm to a motorcycle accident victim, the driver may also be responsible to compensate the victim for damages. It is important for anyone harmed in a traffic accident to be familiar with resources to help with the costs and damages commonly associated with traffic accidents.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Motorcycle Crash-Related Data,” Accessed Dec. 30, 2014