Wrongful Death - Motorcycle Accident
Did You Know?
More than 80 percent of all reported motorcycle accidents result in injury or death.
Motorcycles can be fun to operate, but they are also dangerous. Injuries from motorcycle accidents can be very serious. These injuries can include broken bones, facial injuries, road scrapes and burns, brain and head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and even fatalities.
On average, approximately 2,000 motorcyclists are killed and more than 50,000 are injured in traffic crashes each year. Unlike a car, a motorcycle is lightweight; it has no door, no roof, no airbags, and no safety belts. A motorcycle is less stable than a car because it only has two wheels. Motorcyclists are about 16 times more likely than those in passenger cars to die in a motor vehicle crash, and they're about 3 times more likely to be injured.
Head injury is the leading cause of death and serious injury in motorcycle crashes. Wearing a helmet lowers a motorcycle rider's risk of fatal injury by 29 percent and reduces the risk of traumatic brain injury by 67 percent. Because of the dangers associated with motorcycles, riders should always put safety first.
Several factors can contribute to a motorcycle crash. Two of the most common are operator inexperience and the operator's failure to appreciate the limitations of the motorcycle. Experience and knowing the limitations of the bike are crucial because motorcyclists need to drive defensively. Approximately one-third of multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes result from a motorist turning into the path of the motorcycle.
Motorcyclists and passengers can be injured due to the negligence of another driver, defective equipment, or hazardous roads. If injured, you need an experienced attorney on your side that respects the rights of motorcyclists, understands motorcycle law, and is willing to fight for your rights.
Motorcycle Accidents - Statistics
- Three quarters of accidents involve a collision with another vehicle, which is most often a passenger automobile.
- A quarter of accidents involve no other vehicle.
- Mechanical failure accounts for less than 3% of accidents and is most often due to a puncture flat.
- Rider error is the cause of two thirds of single vehicle accidents with the typical error being a slide out and fall.
- Roadway defects cause 2% of accidents.
- Animals are involved in 1% of accidents.
- Two thirds of multiple vehicle accidents are caused when the other vehicle violates a right of way.
- The majority of accidents are caused by the failure of motorists to see motorcycles in traffic.
- The most frequent configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight when a car makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.
- Intersections are the most frequent place for an accident.
- Weather is a factor in only 2% of accidents.
- Most accidents involve a short trip, close to the trip origin.
- In almost half of the multiple vehicle accidents the view of one of the drivers is obscured.
- The use of headlamps in daylight and the wearing of high visibility jackets reduce accidents.
- Over 60% of accidents result in fuel system leaks and spills causing a fire hazard.
- The average speed of an accident is less than 30mph.
- Riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are more likely to be involved in an accident and those between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly underrepresented.
- Motorcycle riders with dirt bike experience are underrepresented.
- A half of fatal accidents have alcohol involvement.
- Large displacement motorcycles are less likely to be involved in accidents but are associated with more severe injuries
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