Common Motorcycle Injuries
Motorcycle accidents in Fort Worth, Texas, often cause more severe injuries than automobile accidents. Motorcycles provide little protection in a crash or collision. As a result, motorcyclists can suffer catastrophic injuries in even minor accidents.
These injuries can cause pain, disfigurement, paralysis, or even amputation, leaving victims facing expensive treatment and therapy while missing substantial time from work.
There are several common types of motorcycle injuries that can entitle victims to pursue financial compensation.
We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to go over your case. Call Stephens Law at (817) 420-7000 today.
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How Stephens Law Can Help After a Motorcycle Accident in Fort Worth
Jason Stephens, founder and lead attorney at Stephens Law, has over two decades of experience representing accident victims against at-fault parties and their insurers. Since founding the firm 19 years ago, he’s recovered more than $100 million in injury compensation for his clients.
The firm has earned many noteworthy honors and recognitions, including:
- AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the company’s highest rating for legal knowledge and ethics
- 10.0 Superb rating by Avvo, the company’s best rating for legal background and experience
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers ranking by The National Trial Lawyers
The firm’s Fort Worth motorcycle accident lawyers can help you in the following ways, to name just a few:
- Internally investigating your case to determine the full extent of your damages
- Negotiating a fair settlement agreement with the other party involved in your case
- Bringing your case to court and all the way to trial if the circumstances call for it
Motorcycle accidents cause severe injuries that can lead to temporary or permanent disablement. If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact Stephens Law in Fort Worth, TX, to schedule a free consultation and discuss the possibility of seeking compensation.
How Common Are Motorcycle Injuries?
Roughly 80% of motorcycle crashes nationwide kill or injure the motorcyclist or motorcycle passenger. By comparison, only 20% of automobile crashes kill or injure the driver or passenger.
Motorcyclists in Fort Worth fare slightly worse than the national average. According to the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Information System (CRIS), Fort Worth saw 316 motorcycle crashes in 2021. Crash records for three of these accidents didn’t report the injury status of the motorcyclist.
Out of the 313 remaining crash records, 18 riders suffered a fatal injury, 265 suffered a non-fatal injury, and 48 walked away unscathed. Close to 85% of Fort Worth motorcycle crashes resulted in a fatal or non-fatal injury, making motorcycle injuries a near-certainty in crashes.
Overview of Common Motorcycle Injuries
The liability for a motorcycle accident injury depends on who caused the accident. If a negligent driver hits your motorcycle, you can seek compensation from that driver.
Common motorcycle injuries can be classified in two ways:
The Severity of Motorcycle Injuries
The U.S. Department of Transportation uses the KABCO scale to rate the severity of traffic injuries. The acronym represents five separate severity ratings:
- K: a fatal injury
- A: an incapacitating injury that required ambulance transportation to a hospital
- B: a visible injury that did not require an ambulance
- C: no visible injury but complaints of pain or other symptoms such as dizziness
- O: no apparent injury
According to CRIS, the most common type of injury in Fort Worth motorcycle accidents in 2021 was a B-level injury. These include abrasions, bruises, minor lacerations, and minor fractures. In the same year, 96 motorcyclists suffered a visible but non-incapacitating injury.
The next most common injury was a C-level injury. Concussions, strains, torn cartilage, and herniated discs fall under this rating. Fort Worth motorcycle accidents caused a total of 81 C-level injuries.
Meanwhile, 70 motorcyclists suffered A-level injuries in 2021. This level includes major fractures, major lacerations, unconsciousness, paralysis, or other disabling injuries.
According to CRIS, 18 motorcyclists suffered fatal injuries, and 48 suffered no apparent injuries.
The Body Parts Injured
Rather than looking at the broad severity level of injuries, authorities sometimes look at the specific region or part of the body that’s injured. Approached this way, the most common motorcycle injury is a leg injury.
Leg injuries often occur when the leg gets trapped under the motorcycle during an accident. In a side-collision accident, for example, your motorcycle could be knocked over, breaking your leg and trapping it under the motorcycle.
Leg injuries can also happen during slides. If you go into a slide with your leg trapped under your motorcycle, you could suffer burns and abrasions that produce road rash.
Arm injuries are the second most common motorcycle injury. They can also happen when a motorcycle tips or slides, or when a rider is thrown and either lands on their arms or uses them to break the resulting fall.
Similarly, the impact of a fall can fracture the bones in your arm, wrist, hand, or fingers, hyperextending or even tearing the soft tissue in the shoulders or elbows.
The third most common injury in a motorcycle accident is a head or facial injury. However, your chances of suffering a head injury drop significantly if you wear a helmet.
According to one study, the odds of a head injury drop from 38% to 24% when a helmet is worn. In the same study, the odds of a facial injury drop from 36% to 17% with helmet use.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Fort Worth Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
If someone else’s negligent driving led to your motorcycle crash, you have the right to pursue injury compensation. Contact Stephens Law to arrange a free consultation and discuss your accident and the injuries it caused with an experienced Fort Worth motorcycle accident lawyer.
