Without the protection of a steel cage around you, traveling at 60 mph can be exhilarating!
It can also cause some serious motorcycle accident injuries to your body – but it usually only dampens your enthusiasm for riding until the injuries heal. Motorcycle accidents can be much more devastating to your body than car accidents. As an expert Pennsylvania motorcycle accident lawyer, I am involved in motorcycle injury settlements for the following common motorcycle accident injuries time after time:
- Broken arms, shoulder tears, leg and pelvic fractures seem to be the common types of broken bone injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents. Broken fingers, fractured wrists or knees, and spinal fractures are less common but can lead to permanent disability or even paralysis. It is important for cyclists to wear the correct type of footwear, because toes are easily broken or amputated as a result of a motorcycle crash.
- “Biker’s Arm” is a term for nerve damage and paralysis of the arm from the initial fall off the cycle as a motorcycle accident unfolds. When a biker falls from the cycle in a motorcycle accident, the upper arm typically receives most of the impact, and usually loses the battle with much harder surfaces.
- Of course head injuries play a major role in motorcycle accident injuries. Concussions and brain damage can happen when the head makes contact with the ground. And don’t think that just because you are wearing a helmet that you can’t get a concussion. When the head hits the inside of the helmet the padding keeps your head from opening up, but not from being rattled. With serious bleeding and swelling in the brain, head injuries can also cause paralysis or loss of brain function. You can reduce the risk of a motorcycle accident fatality by up to 37% percent (statistically) if you wear a motorcycle helmet.
- Road rash is also an extremely painful reality if you have an accident. It happens when the skin on any part of your body slides across the pavement. To reduce the severity of road rash, wear leather jackets or pants, reinforced denim, or other thick and durable motorcycle-specific materials. Wearing these can reduce the risk of serious road rash by over 50%.
- If your unprotected skin slides across a hard surface, or impacts against any harder object, aside from road rash, permanent disfigurements can be a reality. Over 36% percent of motorcycle wrecks result in a major impact on the face, causing permanent disfigurement if you are not wearing a full face protective helmet. A motorcycle helmet is designed that way on purpose!
If you have been in a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident because of another driver, poor signage or unsafe pavement, call “The Cycle Attorney”, Pennsylvania motorcycle accident attorney Lee D. Gaber, at 888-292-5352 (888-cycle-law). I offer free home, hospital or office consultations for PA motorcycle accident settlements.