Injured In A Motorcyle Accident?
Let our DC and Boston Injury Attorneys Help
In September 2009, a 65-year-old from Malden, MA, died from personal injuries suffered when he lost control of a motorcycle while traveling north on Route 1 in Saugus. His passenger on the bike, a woman from Revere, MA, sustained serious injuries. According to the Massachusetts State Police, the driver, on a 2000 Harley Davidson, lost control when the bike turned left at a roadway, and then collided with a utility pole.
Motorcycle accidents, like these, fall under the category of personal injuries. When motorcycles collide with vehicles, riders sustain catastrophic injuries like traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or death because motorcycles are smaller than vehicle and leave riders exposed. In a motorcycle accident, damages the injured person may recover include:
- Medical care
- Loss of earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Psychological counseling
- Property damage
Some cyclists may know to obtain motorcycle insurance to protect from overwhelming loss when an accident occurs but there may not be enough coverage to compensate when there is not coverage in each loss category such as liability, property, medical, underinsured/uninsured, and collision, or when the limits in each category are not enough to pay for damages.
Each seasoned Boston and Washington DC injury lawyer at Pollack & Flanders LLP assists motorcycle accident victims in recovering damages from the responsible party so cyclists may bear injuries with dignity to make the best of accident circumstances like Michelle Kwan who said “…C’est la Vie, right? That’s life…” during the 1998 Winter Olympics when she faced crushing defeat with poise.
Riders look tough on the outside, but that does not mean drivers do not need to stay alert to motorcycle traffic. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report in March 2008, using 2006 data, motorcycles made up nearly 3 percent of all registered vehicles in the United States, but were about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a vehicle crash and 8 times more likely injured. NHTSA estimates that helmets saved the lives of 1,658 motorcyclists in 2006. Helmets are 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists. Motorcycle accidents usually occur when:
- Vehicle drivers do not see cyclists when changing lanes or making turns
- There is poor visibility at night
- There is a crack or bump in pavement
Often the legal aspects of motorcycle accidents require a Washington DC or Boston injury attorney with compassion. Contact a Washington DC or Boston injury lawyer at Pollack & Flanders who will bravely fight for your motorcycle accident losses.
