We enjoy riding out motorcycles for many reasons. We get a sense of adventure and open air feels good. The cost of driving a motorcycle is much lower than a car. However, with these benefits come some significant risks of injury. Michigan has beautiful during the motorcycle seasons. With its diverse scenery, including lakes, beaches, winding roads and more, motorcyclists can take full advantage of Michigan’s spring, summer and fall seasons.
There were 5,458 motorcycle fatalities in the United States in 2020 and 257 motorcycle fatalities in Michigan. Fatalities rose 25% from 2019, and bikers continue to account for significant part of fatal accidents.
Due to the lack of crash protection, riding a motorcycle is 8 times riskier than riding in a passenger vehicle. Drivers in cars and SUVs have a difficult time seeing motorcycles due to blind spots, motorcycles smaller size and often cause serious motorcycle crashes. Motorcycles do not have the protection provided to other motor vehicles, such as a vehicle's outer body, airbag system, and seatbelt. Michigan’s changes to the motorcycle helmet law in 2012 appears to have increased the number of average fatalities by 18.8% according to SmartUSA.org. Therefore, the best a motorcycle rider can do is wear a helmet and other protective gear, such as special boots and protective clothes designed for motorcycle riders.
Typically, the impact forces in motorcycle crash send riders flying off the bike. In the United States about 80 percent of the motorcycle riders suffer some type of injuries. A motorcyclist run off the road of struck by a vehicle is most likely to suffer serious injuries. In Michigan, there were 2,285 motorcycle accident injuries in 2020. Common motorcycle injuries include traumatic brain injury, broken bones, fractures, and spinal cord injuries. Road rash is probably the most frequent, resulting in scarring.
Road rash can be a serious motorcycle accident injury that can result in scarring and a lifetime of pain and suffering. In fact, road rash can cause permanent disfiguration, scarring, and limited mobility, which can significantly impact your entire life. As such, injured motorcyclists often need a motorcycle injury attorney on their side from the start to help them fight for compensation. Without a lawyer fighting for you, you may not recover enough money to cover all your medical expenses, future surgeries, and other damages.
Many people don’t understand road rash. Road rash is a burn injury caused by your skin rubbing against the road surface. However, the majority of road rashes tend to be serious full thickness, and often involve other structures underneath the skin. You can develop wound infection too. Even a minor case of road rash can have serious consequences.
In most cases, road rash requires treatment, it can be painful and expensive. The severity of the road rash depends on the force of the crash, the type of surface that inflicted the injury, and what safety gear the rider utilized.
Road rash injuries commonly affect:
Being an uninsured motorcycle rider can lead to financial ruin plus disability, Immediate medical attention is generally advisable after a motorcycle accident to reduce or prevent infection, scarring, and disability. Your medical treatment could get complicated if you have other types of motorcycle accident injuries involved. Usually, medical professionals start with cleaning the road rash burn area before any treatment can take place. Any open wounds can be treated with stitches and staples. Other more serious deep tissue wounds may require plastic surgery or skin grafting. Typically, the skin grafting is done on the more serious road rash motorcycle accident burns. As the victim of a motorcycle accident, you should never delay medical treatment because your injuries could worsen or infection can set in. You should always get examined by a doctor to make sure your road rash wounds are treatable at home.
If only suffered a first degree road rash burn injury, you can treat the wound at home. You should make sure it’s really a first-degree road rash burn category, which is classified as a minor abrasion. Usually, minor road rash burn will heal in a couple weeks should with proper cleaning and application of antibiotic treatment. You can take over the counter pain reliever for pain. In the event you treat your first-degree road rash burn at home, you should follow proper treatment protocol:
In the case of second-degree road rash burn, you will see the outer layers of the are gone and the deeper layers are exposed. The muscle, bone and ligaments should not be exposed. This type of road rash burn requires medical treatment because of the higher risk of infection developing. A trained physician will clean and irrigate the wound, to remove road debris, dirt, and other foreign bodies. After the wound is thoroughly cleaned, application of antiseptic ointment and dressing is necessary. Sometimes the doctor will recommend over the counter or prescription pain relievers.
This is the worst type of road rash burn injury, commonly referred to third degree burns, which absolutely require emergency room care. You can identify this type of burn injury by seeing muscle, bone, ligament, or other structures below the layers of the skin. You can die or lose limbs of you do not seek immediate medical attention. Typically, third degree road rash burn injuries, require surgery to repair the skin or underlying structures.
If for some odd reason, you are pain free, you should not delay in seeking medical treatment. These severe burn injuries can quickly destroy layers of the skin or structures. Third-degree road rash can damage ligaments or nerve endings, causing loss of function or loss of feeling in the affected area. If your wound is painless then you may have suffered nerve damage so immediately seek medical help in an emergency room, if available.
After a motorcycle accident, you may feel grateful or lucky to survive the crash. You may falsely believe the injuries are minor. However, a motorcycle crash, even a minor road rash can lead to medical complications, if untreated. You should pursue medical help immediately if any structure below the skin such as bone, muscle, vein, ligament, or nerve is visible. If you have any dirt or foreign object lodged inside the wound, or the minor wound covers a large area, or the wound does not stop bleeding, you could develop the following complications:
Depending on the degree of Road rash burn injuries, they can be considered less serious than other types of motorcycle injuries, such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury. Any road rash burn can cause pain and leave permanent scarring. A scar can alter your appearance, especially if located on the face and visible to other people, to the point where you can be depressed and lose self-confidence. Road rash scarring and disfigurement injuries can cause emotional and psychological suffering. Road rash burn scars are well known to lead to:
Although Michigan law, does not require wearing a motorcycle helmet, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation recommends that all motorcyclists use protective gear to help prevent or reduce injuries. Leaving you skin exposed, especially in good weather, can significantly increase dangers of road rash burn injuries.
Research has shown that helmets are the most important piece of motorcycle safety equipment is a helmet that complies with federal regulations. Helmets can reduce the risk of death 42 percent and head injury by 69 percent. Helmets protect the motorcycle rider’s head in several ways:
Under Michigan's helmet law, motorcycle drivers over 21 years old are not required to wear a helmet, as long as they carry an insurance policy with at least $20,000 in medical coverage. However, eye protection is required for motorcycle riders in Michigan .
In addition to the helmet, four other pieces of motorcycle safety equipment are recommended:
Don’t underestimate the serious injuries a motorcycle accident can cause such as road rash burn, which can alter the course of your life. The severity of your road rash is measured in terms of degree, but can led to long and painful recovery, which may leave permanent scars both physical and emotional. If your motorcycle accident injury was caused by the negligence of another party then you may be able to seek compensation for your injury’s damages. The Joseph Dedvukaj Firm specializes in helping motorcycle accident survivors with severe injuries or debilitating injuries, by providing legal advice and skill developed over three decades of experience getting satisfied clients the compensation they deserve. Our firm is the best option you have at evening the odds with motorcycle insurance companies that can take advantage of someone not well-versed in personal injury law.
Our firm’s motorcycle accident attorney can help you navigate through the process of determining who is responsible for your damages, what damages you can claim, your accidents’ investigation, contacting the insurance company, negotiating a settlement, or going to trial. Joseph Dedvukaj Firm will deliver on our reputation and deploy the resources necessary to aggressively obtain compensation on your behalf. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident because another motorist was negligent, contact a specialist among the motorcycle accident lawyers today to learn more about your legal options. To contact Joseph Dedvukaj Firm about your motorcycle accident either call our office at 248-352-2110 or toll free at 1-866-447-3563 or fill out a contact form online for a free motorcycle accident consultation.
