Motorcycle Accidents

Get Full Compensation For Your Injuries With An Experienced Motorcycle Accident Attorney

While any motor vehicle collision poses a potential for injury, motorcycles can be especially dangerous because of a motorbike’s unique design characteristics. The instability of motorcycles increases the probability that a motorcycle will be in a collision. Motorcycles are also relatively small, so they can maneuver into areas where drivers of passenger cars do not expect them. Since motorcycles also lack the safety equipment of passenger cars, like airbags, a reinforced passenger compartment, and seat belts, riding enthusiasts also tend to suffer serious or even catastrophic injuries when they are the victims of crashes caused by unsafe drivers of cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles. When a rider suffers permanent disability or disfigurement, the physical, financial, and emotional impact of a crash can take a devastating toll on the victim and their family. When this happens, a skilled motorcycle accident injury lawyer like the ones at Parker Waichman LLP can help by handling your legal claim and fighting to get you the fair compensation you deserve, so you can focus on your rehabilitation and recovery.

Negligent Drivers Are Especially Dangerous To Motorcyclists

Drivers who are speeding, intoxicated or distracted endanger everyone on roadways, but a wealth of evidence shows the special threat they pose to motorcycle enthusiasts. Motorcycle crashes claim the lives of more than 4,000 people every year, and motorcycle riders are 27 times more likely to be killed in a collision than passenger car drivers on a per-mile-driven basis, according to data from the federal government. Although traffic-related fatalities have declined in recent years because of motor vehicle safety innovations, twice as many people died in motorcycle crashes during a recent 12-month period than during the same time period 18 years earlier.

Motorcycles lack the protective benefits of cars, but helmets can make a significant difference in the outcome of a crash. Because impact to the head is the most frequent cause of fatal injuries for motorcyclists, helmet use often saves riders’ lives. Motorcycle helmets are 37 percent effective in preventing fatalities and 67 percent effective in the prevention of brain injuries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Types Of Motorcycle Accidents Caused By The Negligence Of Passenger Car Drivers

When motorcycles are involved in multi-vehicle accidents, the other driver typically causes the collision by violating the rider’s right-of-way, according to the Hurt Report, a famous study that analyzed motorcycle accident risks and causation factors. A motorcycle rider typically has less than two seconds to compensate for an error or the inattention of a passenger car driver. The rider also cannot engage in the same exaggerated countermeasures, such as slamming on the brakes or oversteering, to avoid a collision. Some of the practices of other drivers that cause motorcycle accidents include:

• Left Turns: Motorists often make left turns across traffic directly in front of a motorcycle traveling straight in the opposite direction.
• Opening Car Doors: Although opening a car door might seem innocuous, failure of the vehicle occupant to look first can be extremely dangerous for a rider.
• Sudden Stops: Tailgating is an unsafe driving practice under any circumstances, but there’s no such thing as a “minor rear-ender” when the vehicle struck from behind is a motorcycle.
• DUI/DWI: Alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers often fail to slow down or perform any evasive action prior to a crash, which is extremely dangerous to an unprotected rider.
• Improper Lane Changes: When the driver of a passenger car fails to look before executing a lane change, a motorcyclist can be left with virtually no opportunity to avoid the crash, especially if the driver also fails to use their turn signal.
• Speeding: Drivers who violate the speed limit or fail to compensate for weather, road, visibility or traffic conditions can cause crashes.
• Distracted Driving: Drivers who text-message behind the wheel can spell disaster for exposed motorcyclists; a car traveling at 55 mph can cover the length of a football field in the amount of time it takes to read a text message.
• Driver Indifference: Many passenger car motorists do not understand motorcycle handling limitations or drive with indifference to the safety of motorcyclists. Execution of a lane change that cuts off another vehicle is always dangerous, but a motorcycle rider can’t brake as aggressively as the driver of a car, pickup or SUV.