Approximately 5,000 people killed in motorcycle accidents annually across the United States, with thousands more injured and oftentimes seriously so. The lion’s share of those deaths and serious injuries are people on motorcycles and not drivers or passengers of cars, trucks, and SUVs involved in collisions with bikes. In addition, the largest percentage of these deaths and injuries occur between late spring and into the fall because of the more favorable weather conditions.
News Reports Illustrate the Primary Causes of Motorcycle – Automobile Accidents
There are a number of more commonplace causes of motorcycle accidents in the United States. In fairness, a relatively significant percentage of motorcycle accidents are single vehicle events. The reality is that the motorcyclist is not necessarily at fault even when only a solitary bike is involved in an accident. Rather, some type of mechanical failure is the primary or a significant contributing cause of a motorcycle accident of this nature.
When it comes to motorcycle – automobile accidents, some of the most frequent causes of these collisions include:
- Distracted automobile driver
- Inebriated or intoxicated automobile driver
- Improper and change by automobile driver
- Failure of car driver to properly yield right of way at an intersection
- Automobile driver operating vehicle at an excessive speed
Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Every year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) presents grim statistics about accidents involving motorcycles. The stark reality is that motorcycle rides are an alarming 26-times more likely to die in traffic collisions involving enclosed vehicles. Motorcycle rides are 5-times likely to be injured (many times seriously so) than a passenger in a car, truck, or SUV.
The NHTSA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified the most common injuries sustained by a motorcycle rider when in a collision with a car, truck, or SUV:
- Head trauma
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Facial injury
- Injury to appendages
- Broken bones
- Emotional trauma
- Permanent physical disability
- Permanent disfigurement
In a majority of motorcycle injury cases, a motorcyclist suffers more than one of the injuries identified on this list. A rider is entitled to appropriate, fair compensation when injured in this manner because of the negligence of another motorist.
Injured in a Motorcycle Accidents ?
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*Information obtained from: carabinshaw.com
