Motorcycle crashes can cause severe injuries because motorcycle riders often fly through the air upon impact, suffering additional injuries when landing. Also, unlike passengers in other types of motor vehicles, motorcycle riders do not have the protection of a vehicle shielding them from direct injury. This blog will discuss the 7 most injured body regions during motorcycle accidents.
If you get injured in a motorcycle collision that was not your fault, a Little Rock motorcycle accident attorney could help you go after compensation for your injuries from the at-fault party.
7 Common Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents
Here are the parts of the body that get wounded most often during motorcycle crashes:
- Head. Wearing a helmet cannot prevent all head injuries, but it can often lessen the severity of the head trauma. Motorcyclists should make sure that their helmet is DOT-compliant. Some helmets are merely decorative and do not provide much protection for the skull and brain.
- Legs. The legs can get crushed in a motorcycle accident because there is no protection for this body part on a motorbike. The legs can take the direct impact of the other vehicle or the full weight of the motorcycle if the bike falls on the rider. Leg fractures tend to be complex fractures that need surgery to implant metal hardware to stabilize the bone.
- Arms. Because of the forward placement of the arms on the handlebars, these parts of the body are particularly vulnerable to devastating injuries. Also, when the riders are ejected from the bike and travel through the air, their natural reflex is to try to break their fall with their arms.
- Upper Trunk. Motorcycle riders often experience blunt force trauma to the chest because of the lack of protection for the body. The heart and lungs can sustain significant tissue damage from the force of the impact. Even where trauma seems relatively minor, injuries like broken ribs can splinter and puncture a lung or damage other organs, leading to more severe trauma.
- Abdomen. The spleen, liver, and kidneys can get tissue damage from the blunt force trauma of a motorbike collision. Internal abdominal wounds are particularly dangerous because they often result in hidden symptoms like internal bleeding, which is not immediately apparent. The motorcyclist might feel so much pain in other areas of the body that he/she does not notice the abdominal wounds until there is a medical emergency from blood loss.
- Spine/Back. People can lose their mobility due to spinal cord damage from a motorcycle collision. Paralysis tends to happen more often in motorcycle crashes than in car accidents. Spinal cord damage is one of the more common causes of fatalities in these crashes.
- Face. Facial injuries are common, particularly when a motorcycle rider does not wear face protection. Injuries to the face can cause permanent scars that are disfiguring. Lacerations, road rashes, broken facial bones, and traumatic tooth loss are just a few of the possible facial wounds a motorcyclist can suffer.
You can talk to a Little Rock motorcycle accident attorney about your motorcycle accident case. We offer a free consultation with no obligation. Contact our office today.
