Riding a motorcycle can be incredibly fun, but objectively speaking, it’s also quite dangerous. Motorcycle riders are five times as likely as occupants in passenger cars to be injured in accidents and 26 times more likely to be killed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) states that front-end impacts are the most dangerous types of accidents, but any crash can lead to the following eight common types of motorcycle injuries.
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1. Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries often have catastrophic results, and unfortunately, they’re a common result of impact collisions. When a rider’s spinal cord is injured, it can result in partial or complete paralysis, leading to lifelong disability for the rider. If you’ve been seriously injured on your motorcycle, get in touch with a lawyer who can help with obtaining initial compensation and permanent disability insurance.
2. Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are one of the leading causes of motorcycle accident fatalities. They can occur both in helmeted and unhelmeted riders, though wearing a motorcycle helmet reduces the chances of sustaining a TBI during a serious accident from 21 to 15 percent.
3. Lower-Extremity Injuries
Leg injuries are the most common type of lower-extremity injury incurred during motorcycle crashes, with bone fractures leading the way. Bone fractures and soft-tissue injuries are not typically as permanently disabling as TBIs or spinal cord injuries, but they are more common and can occur as a result of even minor accidents.
4. Internal Injuries
Not all serious motorcycle crashes result in visible, external injuries. Unfortunately, internal bleeding and organ damage caused by blunt-force or penetration trauma can be just as devastating. Because the results of these injuries may not become evident until well after the crash, accident victims should see a doctor who can diagnose internal injuries even if they look perfectly fine on the outside.
5. Bone Fractures
Since motorcycles are not stable when they’re at a stop, it’s common for novice riders to drop them accidentally. When a heavy bike falls on a rider’s leg, or a motorcyclist puts out an arm to brace against a fall, it almost always results in bone fractures.
6. Road Rash
The term road rash refers to skin abrasions resulting from contact with a road’s surface during an accident. Some cases of road rash are minor, while others are quite serious and require prompt medical attention. Road rash injuries are prone to infections and scarring, so get them looked at as soon as possible.
7. Muscle Damage
Muscle damage can occur anywhere in the body. Wearing a helmet and sturdy clothing like motorcycle boots and a leather jacket can help to protect riders from various forms of muscle damage, as can wearing elbow and knee pads beneath clothes.
8. Neck Injuries
Motorists aren’t the only ones prone to neck injuries during crashes. Whiplash injuries are also very common among motorcycle accident victims. As with internal injuries, the results of whiplash may not be immediately apparent following an accident, so victims should always get checked out by a qualified doctor to rule out neck injuries.
It’s Always Worth Getting Checked Out
Motorcycle accidents tend to result in more serious injuries than car crashes, so it’s always worthwhile for riders to get checked out by a physician as soon as possible. Call an ambulance if the accident was serious. If not, head to an urgent care clinic or schedule an appointment with a chiropractor right away.
