So many people enjoy the freedoms they feel when riding a motorcycle. In fact, millions of motorcycles are registered in the United States. However, they are some of the most dangerous types of vehicles. A crash can result in some of the most severe injuries. If you ride a motorcycle, you should know the most common injuries you can sustain as the result of someone else’s negligence.
Five of the most common motorcycle injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Back and spine injuries
- Burn injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Leg injuries
If you suffer harm in a motorcycle accident, call our firm to discuss your rights: 703-721-4233.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries can occur in motorcycle accidents because riders don’t have the same protection as motorists in cars. Even with a helmet, riders are susceptible to severe damages as their head hits the ground. The impact can cause your brain to rattle around inside your skull, which is enough to cause a concussion or another mild TBI.
In many cases, motorcyclists experience enough impact to sustain severe TBIs leading to long-term physical, emotional, and developmental damages. The more severe the collision’s impact, the more damage the motorcyclist can sustain. We highly encourage riders to use a helmet when riding a motorcycle. While they might not prevent every injury possible, they can keep a motorcycle accident from becoming fatal.
Back and Spine Injuries
When a motorcyclist is ejected from their vehicle, they can experience a hard landing on the road. If they land on their back, they might experience broken bones, damage to discs, or even spinal cord injuries. These are some of the most severe to sustain because of how the damage impacts the human body. Injuries at different levels can significantly impact a person’s life.
Here are how damages at different levels of the spine can result in various injuries:
- Cervical spine injuries: The cervical nerves are at the highest section of the spine. An injury to the vertebrae or nerves within the cervical section can cause more dysfunction, including quadriplegia. This type of paralysis can limit the use of all four limbs.
- Thoracic spine injuries: Just below the cervical section is the thoracic vertebrae. An injury to this section of the spine and the nerves can cause paraplegia, limiting function in your trunk and legs. Paraplegia would most often require the lifelong use of a manual wheelchair.
- Lumbar spine injuries: The lumbar nerves sit towards the lower part of the spine. If you suffer an injury to your lumbar section, you might be able to walk, but it depends on your leg strength. In many cases, this type of injury can cause problems with hip and leg function, as well as loss of bowel or bladder control.
- Sacral spine injuries: The sacral nerves sit just above the tail bone. Typically, injuries at this level result in hip and leg function problems, but people are usually able to walk following the injury.
Spine injuries can result in long-term damages. Unfortunately, motorcyclists can experience these injuries often when someone else is negligent.
Burn Injuries
You might wonder how a motorcycle accident can cause a burn injury. One of the most common injuries in a motorcycle accident is road rash. While this looks like multiple lacerations across the affected area (which can occur because of items on the ground), road rash is a friction burn. It occurs when a person’s skin rubs against another surface — the road in this case.
Depending on how severe the burn is, a motorcyclist can experience long-term damages. Physical and emotional damages are common as the burn can leave scarring, nerve damage, and more.
Internal Organ Damage
A motorcyclist that falls can experience internal damage that they might not even recognize early after an accident. Internal organ damage can also result in internal bleeding. If not treated in a timely manner, you can start to experience severe problems. Blood loss can quickly turn fatal in situations where broken bones puncture organs.
It’s vital to seek medical care quickly to treat any internal problems you may have. The longer the bleeding lasts, the more damage you can experience.
Leg Injuries
Leg injuries might sit near the top of the list for most common motorcycle accident injuries. Not every crash causes the motorcyclist to eject from their vehicle. In some cases, the motorcycle will fall and trap the motorcyclist’s leg underneath it. These injuries might cause burns on the leg, but they can also cause broken bones, contusions, and other problems.
Severe fractures can result in long-term problems, especially if they don’t heal as they should. Ongoing pain and other damages because of the fractures can significantly impact a person’s life.
Our Fairfax motorcycle accident lawyers know how devastating it can be to experience a crash. You deserve to have your rights protected, and we will work hard on your behalf. After a motorcycle accident, you might need compensation to cover your medical expenses, motorcycle repairs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Our goal is to seek the full amount available to you with tenacity and grit.
Shevlin Smith aims to give you the peace of mind you deserve. We focus on your claim and your best interests because we know these types of claims often involve insurance companies that put profits over people. Let us give you a voice and seek maximum compensation when you deserve it most.
Contact us at 703-721-4233 today to discuss your options.