Enjoying the open roads and outstanding weather of Florida makes it easy to ride your motorcycle as much as possible. However, motorcycle accidents are all too common across Florida and can have devastating consequences for anyone involved.
This highlights why it is so important to recognize your rights as an injured party, to review the PIP rules in Florida, and to research how to proceed with a personal injury claim and to be prepared for potential recovery of compensation.
Being thrown from a motorcycle might only represent a few seconds in the life of a rider, but it’s those few seconds that can change their life forever. Anyone who suffers in this manner must know that it could be difficult or even impossible for them to go back to work or to live their life with physical activities that they enjoyed prior to the wreck. Given the high stakes in these kinds of cases, a Leesburg, Florida motorcycle accident attorney can be a valuable resource to turn to when approaching litigation.
Understanding the Motorcycle Accident Toll in Florida
Florida leads the country in the number of fatal motorcycle accidents that happen each year and it also has the second highest number of registered motorcycle drivers in all states across the country. Although there is a lot to offer in terms of people who’ll want to ride motorcycles, you should always be aware of the risks associated with this behavior and what to do in the even that an accident happens.
Our Leesburg Florida motorcycle accident lawyer helps victims to evaluate their individual circumstances and bring forward legal claims when injuries have occurred. This also includes significant experience on behalf of the lawyers who know what it takes to represent a motorcyclist who has sustained serious or disabling injuries in crashes.
All too often motorcycle accidents happen because another driver was acting negligently, such as driving under the influence, driving distracted or driving aggressively. This frequently means severe or even fatal injuries for the motorcycle owner who is more exposed to the elements and severe injuries than a passenger inside a car.
Common Causes of Florida Motorcycle Accidents
The vast majority of Florida motorcycle accidents are completely preventable. This is what makes it so overwhelming for a Florida motorcycle accident victim to figure out their next steps and to attempt to recover from an accident that they know was caused by another person. In many of these situations, you might be able to bring a legal claim. Some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents are listed below.
Motorcycles are more difficult to see on the road than bigger vehicles, which means that a driver who is distracted and not paying attention to the road ahead of them might easily miss a motorcyclist or attempt to turn around them. This can lead to problems such as running a motorcycle off the road, rear-ending a bike rider or dangerous lane changes.
Drunk drivers are another common cause for Florida motorcycle accidents. Drunk drivers present a danger to everyone on the road and motorcyclists are no exception. Impaired individuals might not be able to properly focus on the road to spot motorcyclists in their paths and can, therefore, crash into those bikes. Those drivers who become frustrated with traffic can become aggressive and can threaten a motorcycle leading to serious crashes.
Traffic violations are another common cause of motorcycle accidents. Someone who violates traffic laws poses a risk to themselves and everyone around them. Drivers of all types in Florida are responsible for following traffic laws including lane changing procedures, speed limits, yielding rules, and more.
Who is Liable in a Motorcycle Crash?
When a driver violates the law and puts their being in a hurry or ignorance of the rules above the safety of a motorcycle, this can lead to devastating crashes. In some motorcycle accidents in Florida, the liable parties might extend beyond people who are on the road that day. This is especially true in cases involving defective vehicle parts. Some motorcycle accidents might not even be the fault of another driver, but instead of the company that manufactured the motorcycle or its parts.
A motorcyclist can lose control and crash when there is a defective part on the bike. Finally, road hazards are the common cause of Florida motorcycle accidents. Hazardous conditions on the road are especially dangerous for motorcyclists who might more easily lose control of their bike.
Motorcycles struggle to navigate through large cracks, uneven pavement, gravel or potholes. Striking a sudden hazard can mean that a motorcyclist loses control without any opportunity to correct it. These are just a handful of examples of ways in which the negligence can cause motorcycle accidents that will forever change the life of the bike rider.
Severe Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents
There is little to no protection afforded to a motorcycle rider on a bike, even when he or she is wearing a helmet. This is because a motorcyclist could be thrown into stationary objects or oncoming traffic and can sustain injuries like road rash as well. Florida does not require that every motorcyclist wears a helmet, which means that plenty of people on bikes don’t have this important form of protection.
Motorcyclists can still sustain life-threatening injuries even with a helmet on. Some of the most common injuries associated with Florida motorcycle accident collisions include:
- Dislocations
- Eye injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Leg fractures
- Tears and sprains
- Fractured ribs
- Fractured collarbones
- Skull fractures
- TBIs – Traumatic Brain Injuries
These injuries might require emergency medical attention. Others like TBIs can be more difficult to identify at the scene of the accident; meaning that the victim does not get the necessary help to attempt to recover from such an injury until much later. During this period in time, the injuries associated with the motorcycle accident can get much worse and could delay the person’s ability to recover.
Common medical treatments can include surgery, rehabilitative and physical therapy, chiropractic care, home health assistance, medical equipment, and pain medication. Motorcycle accident victims don’t just lose out on money due to the rising medical bills for the treatment, but also their income from work while they attempt to recover from their injuries. These losses can damage many areas of the accident victim’s life and can be devastating.
What’s Next After a Motorcycle Accident?
The legal options and rights following a motorcycle accident will vary depending on the individual circumstances. Florida law does not require two-wheeled vehicle operators to carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. In many cases in which PIP insurance is enacted because the driver also owns a car, these policies don’t cover injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents.
The law gives you the right to hold a negligent party responsible for injuries and losses that they caused in a crash. This can include manufacturers selling defective motorcycle parts, dangerous drivers or government entities who fail to repair or maintain roadways. If you find yourself in the position of attempting to recover from a serious injury in a motorcycle accident, you deserve to hire an experienced and dedicated lawyer immediately.
When you’re concerned about your future, you need a motorcycle accident lawyer in Leesburg, Florida who will stand up for your rights.