Motorcycle Accidents

Sadly, many drivers in the US do not seem to be accustomed to sharing the road with people on motorcycles, bicycles, or other types of vehicle. In the year 2006 alone, 4,778 motorcyclists were killed in accidents. Nearly 75% of the motorcycle accidents that year involved collision with another vehicle, generally a private car.

The majority of these accidents (about 66%) were determined to be the fault of the car driver. The most common cause of these accidents was drivers violating the motorcyclist’s right of way. Weather, road defects and animals were found to be relevant factors in very few accidents. Malice as a factor is even rarer; generally, drivers simply do not see the motorcyclist until it is too late.

Consequences of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents are a very dangerous problem. Head or spinal injury, broken bones, skin lacerations, and even death can result when a person on a motorcycle is struck by a car. The most common bones broken are the pelvis and the shoulder. In a condition known as “biker’s arm,” the nerves in a motorcyclist’s arm are permanently damaged when the person hits the ground during the accident. This can create loss of sensation and/or functioning in that arm. Safety equipment such as helmets and thick jackets can reduce a person’s odds of suffering these injuries, but not eliminate them.

The results of a collision between a car and a motorcycle can be doubly unfair. Often the driver of the car is both responsible for the accident and much less severely injured than the motorcyclist. It does not seem fair for the motorcyclist to pay steep medical bills, miss time at work, and suffer the physical pain and emotional suffering of a serious accident because of someone else’s negligence.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a negligent driver, contact Green Bay motorcycle accident attorneys Habush, Habush & Rottier at 920-437-0900.