Motorcycle accidents are much more dangerous than car accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcyclists are 28 times more likely to die in a motorcycle crash and four times more likely to get injured in a collision than an occupant in a passenger vehicle.
These numbers, while shocking, make sense. Motorcyclists do not have a passenger compartment to protect them in a crash. Since motorcyclists do not wear seat belts, they are more likely to get ejected during a collision.
Here is an overview of the five most common motorcycle injuries and how you can seek injury compensation after a motorcycle accident. A Miami motorcycle accident lawyer at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you hold the responsible parties liable for your injuries.
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How Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Motorcycle Accident in Miami, FL
Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers was founded in 2007 to help victims get the compensation they deserve after devastating accidents. Our firm includes a board-certified civil trial lawyer, and our Miami personal injury attorneys have over 100 years of collective experience.
Some of the motorcycle accident cases handled by the firm include:
- Motorcycle injury case settled before trial for $9 million
- Motorcycle/scooter death case settled before trial for $3.1 million
- Motorcycle injury case settled before trial for $725,000
Motorcycle accidents in Miami, Florida can leave you with serious injuries that require substantial resources to treat. To discuss the compensation you can seek for your motorcycle injuries, contact or give Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers a call at (305) 937-0191 for a free consultation.
How Common Are the Top 5 Motorcycle Injuries?
Motorcyclists get injured at an astronomical rate. According to the insurance industry, motorcyclists had an injury rate of 426 injuries per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. This number might seem abstract, but for comparison, car occupants had an injury rate of about 77 injuries per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
This means motorcyclists get injured 5.5 times more often than motorists over the same distance traveled.
Another way to quantify the risk of riding a motorcycle is to compare the number of crashes to the number of injuries. In 2020, Florida had 8,045 motorcycle crashes. These crashes caused 6,920 injuries to motorcycle riders and passengers.
In other words, 86% of the motorcyclists involved in a motorcycle crash in 2020 got injured. If you get into a motorcycle accident in Florida, the odds are high that you will sustain an injury.
Overview of the Top 5 Most Common Motorcycle Injuries
The top five most common motorcycle injuries depend on several factors. The most significant factor is whether the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet. If the motorcyclist wore a helmet during the crash, the likelihood of a head injury fell.
Even more significantly, face and neck injuries fell out of the top five when the rider or passenger wore a helmet.
Another factor in counting the top five most common motorcycle injuries is whether you account for the severity of the injury. Some reports do not include injuries like road rash because they generally don’t cause death or disability. If you ignore the severity of the injury, leg injuries are the most common but least severe motorcycle accident injuries.
Finally, some surveys include fatal injuries, while others only include non-fatal injuries. If you include fatal injuries, head injuries rise on the list. But if you only look at non-fatal injuries, head injuries drop to third place.
Where Are the Most Common Motorcycle Injuries?
With all of the caveats in mind, the most common areas of the body where motorcycle riders are injured while wearing a helmet include:
- Lower extremity
- Upper extremity
- Head
- Chest
- Abdomen
For riders who do not wear a helmet, the five most common areas of the body that are injured include:
- Lower extremity
- Upper extremity
- Head
- Face/neck
- Chest
Finally, if you account for severity, motorcycle injuries usually affect the following areas of the body:
- Lower extremity
- Upper extremity
- Head
- Chest
- Spine
The top three injury areas stay the same. But the bottom two change depending on whether the rider wore a helmet and whether the survey accounted for severity.
How Do These Common Motorcycle Injuries Happen?
Lower extremity injuries often happen because most motorcycle accidents involve a slide-out. When your motorcycle tips over and you slide, you can suffer bone fractures, bruises, burns, and abrasions (such as road rash) on your legs, feet, and hips.
Upper extremity injuries occur when your arms, hands, or shoulders hit the ground. This often happens when you try to stop yourself during a slide-out or get ejected from the motorcycle.
Head and face injuries can happen in the initial collision with the vehicle or the secondary collision with the pavement.
Florida no longer requires adults to wear motorcycle helmets. As a result, helmet use in Florida dropped from 99% to 53%, substantially increasing the risk of head and face injuries.
Injuries to the chest, abdomen, and spine can happen in the initial collision or the impact with the ground.
Who Might Be Liable for Motorcycle Injuries?
Any party who contributes to the cause of an accident could be liable for injuries sustained in a motorcycle collision in Miami-Dade County, including:
- Drivers of cars, trucks, and motorcycles
- Pedestrians
- Bicyclists
- Government entities
We’ll help you identify any parties who may share liability for the cause of your motorcycle accident to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Miami Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
Motorcycle accidents almost always leave you injured. These injuries can range from minor to catastrophic. To discuss your options for seeking compensation for your motorcycle injuries, contact Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation.