Unlike most motor vehicles, motorcycles do not offer the same protections to their drivers. In the event of an accident, that can cause catastrophic injuries to motorists and passengers alike. If you like to ride on the dangerous side, consider these six common injuries and how they could impact your life.
1. Traumatic Brain Injury
Even with a helmet, your head isn’t as protected as you might think. The impact from being thrown off your bike onto the ground at any speed faster than walking can lead to severe brain injury. Those injuries are often classified as traumatic.
Even the mildest traumatic brain injuries leave individuals facing serious issues for months on end. In most cases, however, they leave victims with cognitive disabilities that last a lifetime. Any motorcycle accident attorney will tell you that brain damage is one of the most common injuries sustained in an accident.
2. Spinal Cord Injuries
Without the nerves in your spinal cord, your body doesn’t function. You rely on this part of the body to send signals from your brain to your organs, limbs, and muscles. Spinal cord injuries caused by motorcycle accidents often leave riders with intense pain and muscle weakness.
In more severe cases, riders find themselves partially paralyzed for the rest of their lives. Your back is mostly unprotected aside from the muscles it holds but your spine is prone to injury, especially in an auto accident.
3. Accidental Amputation
Injuries caused by an accident rarely occur at low speeds. In most cases, riders’ bodies endure tremendous force and pressure during a wreck. Add in the size of other vehicles, and it’s easy to see how a rider can suffer an amputation.
Even in the event that a limb isn’t lost during the accident, your body could be injured to the point of no return. When your limbs are unable to be repaired, they have to be amputated by medical professionals. Ask this California motorcycle accident attorney why they spend so much time advocating for motorcycle safety. Amputations are a real threat to any rider.
4. Broken Bones
While a broken bone doesn’t sound as serious as other injuries on this list, the amount of broken bones is what makes this common injury a severe one. Riders rarely break just their arm or a leg in an accident. More often than not, they find themselves in full body casts hoping their breaks will heal correctly and not leave them with permanent damage.
5. Internal Damage
Whether by sheer force or being thrown from your bike, the risk of internal damage is enormous. Internal bleeding, organ damage, and tissue damage are all common and sometimes deadly injuries that riders suffer in an accident. As for recovery, the outlook isn’t always pretty.
6. Lacerations
Gashes and wounds heal over time, but lacerations can leave lasting damage. Aside from permanent scarring, a laceration in the right area can lead to death before the paramedics even arrive. Permanent tissue damage is also common. In come cases, the lacerations caused by an accident require skin grafting and reconstructive surgery.
