There are many positive reasons to take a motorbike out for a ride. In the spring and summer, you may do so to enjoy the warm air flowing through your hair, and in the fall, you may take your cruiser motorcycle for a spin to take in the changing colors of the leaves. Recreation aside, you may also have a sports bike that you use and thus a cost-efficient way to get around when handling everyday tasks, like heading out to work and school or picking up something at the store. While countless riders never encounter any problems while on the road, others, unfortunately, do. Keep reading where we share what are common injuries in motorcycle accidents and how you can go about seeking fair compensation for them.
Common Injuries That Motorcyclists Suffer in NC
Riders are particularly susceptible to sustaining injuries in a motorcycle wreck because they don’t have the protection of the shell of a vehicle to protect them from harm. While virtually any imaginable type of injury is possible, some of the most common injuries motorcyclists suffer include:
- Broken bones: How the motorbike crash occurred greatly impacts what type of bone fracture a rider may suffer. For example, if they are ejected from their sports bike, facial bones may be fractured as their face collides with the pavement. Also, if the collision results in the motorcycle falling on the rider, it can fracture the pelvis and hips, collarbone, and other body parts. While a cast or surgical intervention to insert a stabilizing rod may address some fractures, damage to surrounding tissue and blood vessels may be too profound in other cases, necessitating an amputation to save the rider’s life.
- Neck and head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): One of the most common reasons why these types of injuries occur in motorcycle crashes is because of a person’s lack of helmet use. National Safety Council statistics show that in 2021 alone, at least 37.95% of all motorcyclists killed were not helmeted when their wreck occurred. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)-approved helmets can significantly reduce the chances of a rider suffering a blunt force trauma injury to the head that can cause skull fractures and brain bleeds, leading to permanent brain damage or death and even disfigurement.
- Spinal cord injuries: While almost any crash can sever the spinal cord, causing paralysis, a high-impact, rear-end accident is more likely than others to result in this life-altering (and costly) outcome.
- Burn injuries: Different components of your bike can be extremely hot to the touch depending on the conditions your bike is subjected to. Also, there’s the potential for a fire to ignite anytime there is a gas spill next to a potential flame. Burns can cause more than disfigurement that changes how someone looks. They can also cause functional impairments that affect a person’s ability to do things they’re accustomed to. Treating infections that develop along burn sites is particularly involved, which is why they often claim riders’ lives.
- Hand and arm injuries: If the impact of the motorbike crash is significant, it can easily knock a motorcyclist off their bike, causing them to suffer arm, wrist, or hand injuries. Since it’s a natural inclination to extend your arms out to brace your fall, you can do significant harm to them as you do that. Broken bones and road rash are certainly common injuries affecting these limbs, but nerve damage, similar to what someone with a repetitive stress injury might suffer from, is also a potential problem.
- Road rash: This skin abrasion, which can range from minor to severe, is a common consequence of a motorcyclist’s body making contact with the road’s gravel surface. A motorbike ejection, which generally is any crash that jolts a rider from their seat onto the ground, is the most common way they suffer this injury. Road rash is often far more than a superficial injury but can also lead to nerve damage. If left untreated, the wound can also become infected.
- Foot and leg injuries: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), leg injuries are more common than any other type of lower extremity injury motorcyclists suffer in crashes. These lower extremity injuries may include fractures of the vertical bones in the leg, including the femur, tibia, or fibula. Sprains and strains and soft tissue injuries, like bruises, frequently affect motorcyclists. They also suffer torn tendons and ligaments in their feet, broken kneecaps, and dislocated ankles – even if they are wearing protective clothing, including boots.
Recovering Fair Compensation for Your Motorcycle Crash-Related Injuries
North Carolina has an at-fault insurance system but also adheres to the pure contributory fault doctrine. As an injured motorcyclist, while you are entitled to pursue compensation for your accident-related losses like medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering if you can demonstrate a negligent motorist, for example, struck you, causing your injuries, you may not be able to recover any settlement at all if there’s evidence to show you contributing to causing the crash and the residual harm you suffered.
How a North Carolina Motorcycle Accident Lawyer at Paynter Law Can Help You Understand Your Rights Post-Crash
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It can be a lot to handle, dealing with losing your motorbike, recuperating from your injuries, and being unable to work and missing pay. Adding into the mix, having to field annoying insurance adjuster calls, where what you say or don’t say can impact your case’s outcome, may push you over the edge.
Our motorcycle accident attorneys offer complimentary case reviews so we can go over your rights to file an insurance claim to recover compensation for the harm you’ve suffered. Contact Paynter Law to speak with a member of our legal team during an initial consultation right away to learn how to best maximize any compensation you may be due in your case.