What Are the Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
Motorcycles are not as stable as cars. They are also less visible to the other road users. Thus, when you’re involved in a motorcycle accident, you don’t have the protection and shield of a sheltered car.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, a motorcycle accident is 26 times more likely to lead to death than a car crash. Additionally, motorcycle accident injuries can be fatal.
Below are some of the most common motorcycle accident injuries riders suffer:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) often occur when an individual’s brain experiences trauma and stress from the accident. You may incur a traumatic brain injury if your head is hit by a hard object with a lot of force. You may also experience a TBI if your skull is wounded or your head is violently shaken from an accident.
A TBI is the most severe motorcycle injury. It’s easy to sustain a traumatic brain injury if you’re involved in an accident without your helmet on.
According to a report, people involved in motorcycle accidents have a higher chance of sustaining serious facial and brain injuries if they’re riding without a helmet. Thus, many individuals involved in a motorcycle crash often receive treatment for mild and severe brain injuries.
However, the severity of the brain injury depends on the seriousness of the crash and whether the rider had a helmet or not. Serious brain injuries lead to cognitive and physical deficits in individuals. The patient may need head surgery and long-term therapy to gain normal body function.
However, some serious brain injuries often lead to life-long health effects. The brain is an essential organ in the human body. Thus, when it’s injured, the whole body suffers.
- Road Rash
Road rash is also known as road burn, and it’s a burn on your skin resulting from contact with the road. The rash is often caused by the friction between your skin and the road when your body is dragged on the roadway after an accident. These types of injuries are common, especially when the motorcyclist is pushed off the bike and slides along the road’s surface.
Road rash injuries often occur on numerous body parts, including arms, back, and legs. They are also among the most painful motorcycle accident injuries. While these injuries are often not fatal, they may lead to complications and other skin problems.
For example, in cases of severe road burn, the injured individual may need skin grafts. Such severe injuries may also result in severe scarring. If you experience a road rash injury during a motorcycle crash, ensure you use bandages, antibiotics, and disinfectant to clean the wound and avoid secondary infections.
- Broken and Fractured Bones
During a motorcycle collision with a vehicle or an obstacle on the road, the rider is often knocked off or thrown from the motorcycle. This may lead to one or more broken bones and fractures on the arms or legs.
Broken ribs and bones are quite common after an accident. Thus, it’s advisable to always wear protective gear and ankle boots to protect yourself when riding a motorcycle. During an accident, it’s common for the rider to experience ankle fractures and injuries.
- A Spinal Cord Injury
The human spinal cord is one of the most sensitive parts of the body. Any injury to the spinal cord may result in devastating health effects. Depending on where the spinal cord injury occurred and its severity, victims are often unable to move their arms, walk or move their whole bodies.
Spinal cord injuries are often common when the person involved in the accident falls off the motorcycle, landing on their back. They could also occur if something pierces through the skin wounding the spinal cord or when an individual is crushed or pinned between two cars or objects applying pressure to their spine. Spinal cord injuries also lead to permanent or temporary paralysis of the body.
- Internal Injuries
The blunt-force trauma resulting from the accident’s impact may lead to internal bleeding and internal organs injuries. When a hard object hits your skin, or you experience penetration trauma from the broken glasses or sharp objects at the accident scene, your internal organs may be injured. Sometimes individuals may not know that they suffered internal injuries.
Thus, it’s advisable to visit the ER immediately after a motorcycle accident for a checkup. Internal injuries and bleeding could lead to death if left untreated for too long. It’s also advisable to contact the best motorcycle accident attorney in your area to help you seek compensation.
- Muscle Damage
When riding a motorcycle, there isn’t anything protecting your body from the things in your surrounding environment. Thus, you may sustain muscle injuries and damage to any part of your body in case of an accident. If the damage is permanent, you may lose function of the muscle, leading to paralysis.
For this reason, it’s advisable to always wear your earplugs, helmets, and other protective gear when riding your motorcycle. You should also consider purchasing elbow and knee pads and a leather jacket that’s designed for riders. The jacket will help you protect your skin, while the pads will protect your elbows and knees from injury in case of an accident.
What to Do if You Sustain Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Have you been involved in a motorcycle accident because of someone else’s negligent actions? Unfortunately, motorcycle accidents may lead to financial loss, property damage, and injuries. Motorcycle accident injuries can be quite fatal depending on the severity of the accident.
Therefore, it’s essential to seek medical attention immediately after the crash. Due to the financial constraints caused by the accident to your family, it’s advisable to hire a motorcycle accident attorney from Cariati Law to help you seek compensation for your losses and the injuries you suffered.
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