Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles are dangerous. In 2010, the most recent statistical data available by theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 4,502 fatal motorcycle crashes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that from 2001 to 2008, motorcycle death rates increased 55%. Non-fatal motorcycle injuries increased for this same time period also. If this is not alarming enough, consider that while motorcycle fatalities comprise 15% of all traffic fatalities, motorcycles make up just 0.12% (less than 1%) of all vehicles. In other words, compared to automobiles, motorcyclists are 35 times more likely to die and 8 times more likely to be injured in a wreck.
This means a person operating a motorcycle is at much greater risk of serious bodily injury or death when involved in a motorcycle accident. With this in mind, you need to know that motorcycle accidents are not like typical car accidents. Injuries to motorcyclists tend to be more severe and complicated. While the most common injuries occur to the lower extremities and involve bone fractures, the more complicated and life threatening injuries involve the head, chest, and abdomen. By comparison, in automobile collisions, the most common injuries are called a soft-tissue injuries such as a pulled muscle or contusion. Thus, the types of injuries in motorcycles accidents are statistically much more severe.
Georgia Motor Vehicle and Traffic laws require all motorists to be careful. Motorcyclists are required to be careful. These laws also mean that other vehicles must be just as careful of motorcycles as they are of other automobile types.
However, if you are a motorcyclist, you should not depend on these laws alone for your safety. You should know that your chances of survival go up if you wear a DOT-approved helmet, do not drink and drive, wear protective closing, avoid tailgating, maintain a safe speed, and exercise caution on slippery surfaces or gravel. While these are things you can do to protect yourself, you cannot always avoid the car that fails to see you or a negligent driver that causes a wreck. In those circumstances, it is likely that the motorcycle will not only be involved in a wreck, but that the motorcyclist will be seriously injured or killed.
What this means to motorcyclists is that you should expect significant medical expenses, considerable lost time from work, and a very complicated medical picture that requires an expert to be able to fully explain the impact a motorcycle accident has had on your health and life.
In fact, motorcycle accidents are so complicated that a few law firms such as Rumph Childers have full time nurses on staff to ensure that a client's medical condition is properly diagnosed by doctors and explained to insurance companies. Gathering the medical evidence necessary to pursue a motorcycle claim can be quite complicated and is not something that someone involved in a motorcycle accident should attempt to resolve on their own.
Here at Rumph Childers, we are a complex litigation personal injury boutique. Complicated motorcycle accidents are what we do. We have a nurse on staff to assist with medical issues. Unlike larger fast-food-like advertising lawyers, a skilled attorney develops your case to ensure maximum compensation.
If you have not made the decision to hire a lawyer or are looking for a lawyer to handle your motorcycle accident, we will be happy to discuss this decision with you.
Contact us today or call (478) 471-8787 to discuss your case. Your initial consultation is always FREE!