Tenacious.
Compassionate.
Motorcyclists are vulnerable. Everybody knows that. But everybody doesn’t necessarily know what that means. This vulnerability means that common situations that are not overly risky for people in full sized vehicles can be life or death events for someone on a motorcycle. One example of this is when a driver takes a left hand turn into a motorcycle traveling in the opposite direction.
There are almost an infinite types of motorcycle accidents that can occur at an intersection. However, one of the most common, and most dangerous, for motorcycle riders are left hand turn accidents. These occur when a motorcycle and another vehicle are traveling in opposite directions. If the other vehicle wants to take a left-hand turn, it must yield to the motorcycle coming in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, vehicles often do not yield to motorcycles. This can happen for many reasons. The driver might not have taken the time to look for motorcycles. Or, the driver might have been texting and driving. Regardless of the reason, a full sized vehicle turning into a motorcyclist’s lane of travel can have catastrophic consequences.
Motorcycles don’t have the same safety mechanisms that are common, if not required, in normal passenger vehicles. A motorcycle does not have a seatbelt, which can result in a biker being thrown from the bike. Motorcycles don’t have air bags that can absorb some of the impact.
Even taking evasive action to avoid a collision is more dangerous in a bike. A car entering a biker’s lane of travel sometimes causes the biker to ditch the motorcycle. These collisions with the pavement can cause serious injuries as well.
There are many types of serious and catastrophic injuries that a biker can sustain. These include:
Unfortunately, these types of collisions can also cause injuries that can be fatal. Whether a motorcyclist collides with another vehicle, a tree, or simply the pavement, these sudden stops cause serious injuries. Human bodies were not built to come to abrupt stops after traveling at 40, 50, or 60 miles per hour. This means that collisions that cause relatively minor injuries to someone in a car, truck, or SUV can be fatal to a biker.
If you’ve been in a motorcycle accident, you need an experienced lawyer. Even when a case seems obvious, insurance companies and defense lawyers do everything they can to deny your claim. Sometimes they create bogus arguments, like claiming the motorcyclist was speeding. Other times, they use the general bias that society has against motorcycle riders to try to get you to settle for short money. Regardless of the tactics, an experienced lawyer will put you on more equal footing.
If you or a loved one was hurt in a motorcycle accident, you’ve likely had a lot added to your plate. You still need to work. You still need to take care of your family. But now you also have to take care of yourself or your loved one. An experienced lawyer can help.
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle, call the experienced motorcycle accident lawyers at Marcotte Law Firm for a free consultation.