Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Motorcycles are some of the most dangerous vehicles being driven on the
road. While driver experience and attention promote safer motorcycling,
accidents do occur due to negligence on the part of another motorist.
It has been found that motorcycles are more accident prone than any other
motor vehicle, claiming over 5,000 lives every year.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that fatal car accidents
reached a historical low in 2008. However, the most troubling information
from this study revealed that during that same time period that car accident
deaths decreased, motorcyclist deaths more than doubled between 1999 and
2008. The reason for the dangers involved with this recreation are due
to the design of the motorcycle, which offers little to no protection
to the driver in the event of an accident. Motorcyclist, with the little
protection they receive from helmets and riding gear, are at the mercy
of the road should they ever find themselves in an accident.
Catastrophic Motorcycle Injuries
The damage that ensues during a
motorcycle accident is almost always catastrophic. Since there is little protection offered
by the actual vehicle and motorcycles are designed to be quick and light,
the most seemingly insignificant elements can cause a high speed accident
with serious ramifications. The driver of the motorcycle is subject to
broken bones, traumatic brain injury, paralysis and even death.
Catastrophic injuries are known as such for their extensive damage and possibly permanent implications.
Traumatic brain injury is one such injury that affects more than just
the damaged part of the brain. Because the brain is involved in the control
of almost every other body function, traumatic brain injury can hinder
an individual's overall ability to live life. Traumatic brain injury can
cause difficulty in comprehension, memory loss, mood disorders and even
paralysis.
Another catastrophic injury that is common to motorcycle accidents is spinal
cord injury. Trauma to the spinal cord can lead to paraplegia or even
quadriplegia. Partial or total paralysis can be permanent if the injury
is severe enough and can cause difficulty in other vital functions such
as breathing and sensation.
The high impact of motorcycle accidents also causes great trauma to other
parts of the body and can be extremely damaging to the bones of the body.
Fractures and breaks are some of the most common motorcycle injuries,
ranging from mild to severe depending on the speed and intensity of impact.
While broken bones are common injuries and usually treatable, many severe
breaks will never reach the point of full recovery.
Road Rash
One injury that is exclusive to motorcycle injuries and bicycle injuries
is road rash. Due to the open design of motorcycles, accidents often cause
the driver to be thrown from the vehicle or caught underneath it and dragged
along the asphalt of the road at the speed of the motorcycle before the
accident. Protective clothing is little to no match for the high speeds
of motorcycle accidents, which means that the driver is likely to experience
extensive abrasions and road burns.
While the term seems as if it implies only superficial injury, road rash
can be extremely damaging to internal layers of skin. Much like burns,
road rash is categorized in degrees based on how deep the damage goes.
While first degree road rash is considered a mild injury to the top layers
of skin, second and third degree road rash require extensive medical treatment.
Second degree road rash occurs when the skin breaks and leaves the inner
layers exposed. Third degree road rash reaches through all five layers
of skin and even the muscles beneath. This degree of road rash often requires
surgery and is subject to immense scarring and disfigurement.
Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Lawyer
The seriousness of motorcycle injuries calls for extensive medical treatment
and long periods of recovery. Some of the most serious cases of traumatic
brain injury and spinal cord damage may even cause permanent injuries
that keep the victim from returning to their life and work. When motorcycle
accidents cause such injuries, the victims of the accident will find themselves
facing extreme losses on top of the pain and struggle of being injured.
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident and are not facing the high
costs of the damage, the
Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys at Feingold & Posner, P.A. want to help you recover the compensation
you need to meet those costs. We understand that hospital bills, property
damage and the losses incurred from the inability to work can reach unbearable
heights. That is why we believe that innocent injury victims of motorcycle
accidents should be provided for with the means to recover as fully as
possible and be compensated for the pain they have been forced to endure.
Call a personal injury attorney in Fort Lauderdale at (888) 223-2802 to schedule a free case evaluation and learn more about how we can help you.