Safely riding a motorcycle requires deep coordination and skill. Even a near miss can cause an operator to lose their balance and bring the motorcycle down, resulting in some of the most common injuries from motorcycle accidents in Baltimore, MD.
Unfortunately, collisions with motorcycles are likely to cause more severe injuries than accidents involving other cars, as the vehicles have no passenger compartment to protect riders in such circumstances.
With that being said, the compensation you can pursue after a motorcycle accident depends on the injuries you experience. WGK Personal Injury Lawyers can analyze your case and the involved losses to help you determine the value of your motorcycle crash claim.
Contact our Baltimore personal injury lawyers today, you can call (410) 837-2144 for a free case assessment to learn more.
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How WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Motorcycle Accident in Baltimore, MD
Founded in 1977, WGK Personal Injury Lawyers represents and defends those injured in Baltimore, Maryland, against the parties responsible.
Our family-run firm has recovered millions of dollars in compensation for its injured clients.
If you suffer a crash-related injury, our Baltimore motorcycle accident lawyers will provide the following:
- A free case evaluation to get to know you and your situation
- An investigation into the specifics of your motorcycle crash
- A tailored legal strategy to seek a fair negotiated settlement with the insurer
- Lawyers with decades of courtroom experience, if opposing parties won’t settle
A motorcycle crash can cause disabling injuries that require expensive hospitalization and thus prevent you from working. Do not hesitate to contact WGK Personal Injury Lawyers to discuss your motorcycle collision and the compensation you can seek for the injuries it caused.
How Many Motorcyclists Get Injured in Baltimore, MD?
In 2022, Baltimore City experienced 130 motorcycle crashes, and Baltimore County saw 203. Together, these two jurisdictions accounted for just over 25% of the entire state of Maryland’s motorcycle accidents that year, causing totals of 235 injuries and 19 fatalities.
By comparison, just over 31% of Baltimore City’s car accidents and just under 23% of Baltimore County’s car accidents caused injury or death between 2018 and 2022.
How Are Motorcyclists Most Often Injured in Crashes?
Motorcycle crashes cause injuries in a few ways. First, a cyclist can be hurt in the initial collision, with the impact causing crushing injuries that shatter bones and cause massive tissue death, even if a rider’s body is not entirely crushed.
Secondly, the motorcyclist can be ejected from the motorcycle. The resulting impact with the ground or other objects, such as guardrails or bridge supports, can produce head, spine, chest, or abdominal trauma that leads to brain, spinal cord, and thoracic injuries.
Additionally, the crash can knock the motorcycle over, trapping the rider under it and dragging them along the roadway’s surface, resulting in injuries to the rider’s limbs, chest, and head.
Which Injuries Do Motorcyclists Most Often Sustain?
Some of the most common motorcycle crash injuries include the following:
Head and Brain Injuries
About 50% of motorcycle fatalities involve a head injury alone or combined with another injury, and up to 38% of non-fatal injuries from motorcycle crashes involve the head as well. Head trauma can injure the brain by causing it to shift violently inside the skull.
Fortunately, helmet use reduces your risk of a head injury by up to 69%. Helmets also reduce the risk of death by up to 37% for operators and up to 41% for passengers.
Burns
Motorcycle crashes can cause thermal, combustion, and chemical burns. Thermal burns happen when skin contacts a hot surface, like the exhaust system of a motorcycle. Combustion burns involve skin catching fire due to exposure to a flammable substance like gasoline, and chemical burns result from contact with caustic chemicals like brake fluid.
First and second-degree burns destroy outer skin cells, leaving behind painful wounds. Third-degree burns destroy the skin and its nerve endings, leaving victims with little sensation in the burned area and no protection from infections.
Skin Abrasions
When a rider’s body scrapes across the road surface, their skin can be scratched and torn. In some circumstances, these injuries may only involve simple scrapes, but riders can also suffer more severe abrasions, collectively known as road rash.
Road rash combines an abrasion and a burn, and it occurs when skin is dragged across the road surface at such high speeds that it burns from the heat generated by the applied friction. These injuries can take two or three weeks to heal. They can also develop complications like infections and traumatic tattooing when debris gets permanently embedded in the skin.
Fractured Bones
The weight of a motorcycle falling onto a rider can fracture their bones. The impact of a vehicle or fixed object can also break bones, but in either case, bone fractures can cause immense pain and instability in your skeleton until they heal.
Regarding healing, most broken bones will do so in six to eight weeks without any complications. But occasionally, these injuries can cause nerve damage, blood clots, and chronic arthritis.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation With Our Baltimore Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
Motorcycle crashes can cause incapacitating or fatal injuries to both riders and passengers. Contact WGK Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your injuries and the compensation you can seek under Maryland law.
