Motorcycle Accidents Produce Devastating Injuries to Florida Bikers
The Sunshine State’s mild climate makes it a popular locale for recreational bikers. Unfortunately, that also comes with a high accident rate: According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 2018 Annual Report, there were more than 9,000 crashes involving motorcycles in 2018, with 531 fatalities and nearly 8,000 injuries.
When motorcycle accidents happen, they often result in serious injuries to cyclists, who are less protected and more vulnerable than occupants of passenger vehicles. But what causes most motorcycle accidents and what are the most common injuries suffered by cyclists?
It’s a sobering fact, but in many motorcycle accident cases, the other driver or drivers involved never even saw the motorcyclist they collided with before the crash. Some of the most frequent accident types include:
- Blind spot collisions
- Lane-sharing accidents
- Lane-splitting collisions
- Rear-end collisions
- Failure-to-yield crashes
- Accidents at intersections
- Motorcyclists traveling too fast around a curve
In some cases, crash victims are unaware how badly injured they are until after they undergo extensive tests and examinations at a hospital.
Injuries Frequently Sustained by Florida Motorcycle Crash Victims
The most common motorcycle accident injuries experienced by the biker include:
- Traumatic brain injuries – Motorcyclists who wear helmets can still suffer serious head trauma from a crash, and those without helmets can experience life-altering traumatic brain injuries. Any crack or damage to the skull can result in a concussion or life-threatening brain injury that will require immediate medical attention.
- Spinal cord injuries – Even minimal damage to the back or neck can cause a permanent injury to the spinal column that can lead to complete or partial paralysis. Nearly all accident victims with a spinal cord injury require costly full-time care for the remainder of their lives.
- Muscle and tissue damage – Catastrophic motorcycle accidents often result in permanent muscle and tissue damage.
- Bone fractures – Without the protection of a vehicle enclosing them, motorcycle riders will often instinctively reach out in front of themselves to lessen the impact when crashing to the ground. This movement can break or shatter bones in the hands, arms, shoulders, or legs.
- Severe road rash – Even a short slide across asphalt, pavement, or concrete following a motorcycle crash can result in severe road rash, where exposed skin is removed from the arms, legs, back, head, or hands.
- Disfigurement – Many motorcycle crash victims suffer permanent disfigurement to their face, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, back, or lower extremities as a result of lacerations, burns, or broken bones that leave scars. Others might require amputation of a limb.
- Fatalities – Many motorcycle riders are killed in accidents that were not their fault. Some victims die at the accident scene while others succumb to their injuries in the emergency room or even months after the crash.
Helping You Win Compensation for Damages Related to a Florida Motorcycle Crash
If you have any questions about your legal rights arising from a crash, we invite you to contact the Tampa motorcycle accident lawyers at Pawlowski//Mastrilli Law Group for a no-obligation case evaluation. Our firm has obtained millions of dollars on behalf of crash victims and their families to compensate them for their medical expenses, household bills, lost wages, loss of future earnings, pain, suffering and emotional strain, and we can help your family too.
Resource:
flhsmv.gov/pdf/crashreports/crash_facts_2018.pdf
https://megajustice.com/florida-motorcycle-accidents-unique-risks/
