If someone else’s negligence has caused you to suffer an injury in a motorcycle crash then you need help. You need a doctor to diagnose and treat your injuries and you need an attorney who will fight hard for your fair recovery.
Depending on the type and severity of your injury, you may have to be hospitalized and receive long-term therapy, while accumulating massive medical bills. Some riders suffer symptoms of their injuries for the rest of their lives. It is important that you understand the extent of your injuries and your prognosis before you settle a motorcycle accident claim.
Below are descriptions of some common injuries suffered in Wisconsin motorcycle accidents.
Brain and Head Injuries
riders who are thrown from their motorcycles or who hit their heads during a crash may suffer:
- Skull fractures. When a motorcyclist is struck by another car or truck, chances are that the rider is going to hit his head on either the pavement or the other vehicle. There is a strong chance that the rider could suffer a fracture to the skull. Some types of skull fractures, like a depressed skull fracture, can cause bones fragments to become lodged in the brain. Skull fractures can result in mild or catastrophic brain injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injury is a broad term that is used to describe most brain injuries. A traumatic brain injury may be mild or severe. Victims may be able to fully recover from their injury or the injury could result in their death. Prompt medical attention is important for traumatic brain injury victims so that a diagnosis and treatment plan can be developed.
These head and brain injuries can be life-changing.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can also be life changing. riders may suffer from the following kinds of spinal cord injuries after accidents:
- Incomplete spinal cord injuries. Not all incomplete spinal cord injuries are the same. Incomplete spinal cord injuries include conditions such as anterior cord syndrome, central cord syndrome, posterior cord syndrome, Brown-Sequard syndrome, and cauda equina lesions. riders who suffer from one of these types of incomplete spinal cord injuries may retain some sensory or motor function.
- Complete spinal cord injuries. Complete spinal cord injuries are currently irreversible. People who suffer these types of injuries in bike crashes will likely be paralyzed. The parts of the body that are paralyzed depend on where on the spinal cord the injury occurred.
- Spinal stenosis. Pain, numbness and weakness can all result from spinal stenosis. This condition occurs when the spinal canal is narrowed and pressure is put on the nerves. Dislocation of the spine or a fracture that impedes on the space around the spine can cause this condition when a trauma such as a motorcycle accident occurs.
The effects can be devastating.
Other Serious Injuries
It is not only the head, brain and spine that are at risk of injury in a motorcycle crash. Other serious injuries include:
- Broken bones. When a rider is thrown from his or her bike, it is very likely that broken bones will be suffered upon hitting the pavement. Common injuries include fractures to the legs, arms, hands, and feet. Broken ribs, collarbones, pelvises, hips, and other bones are also possible.
- rider’s arm. rider’s arm occurs when a rider’s upper arm is damaged in the fall from the motorcycle and permanent paralysis of the arm results.
- Chest injuries. Among the chest injuries that can occur after a wreck are lacerated lungs, fractured ribs and sternum, excess fluid in the heart, and rupture of the aorta. These can be life-threatening and require extensive medical treatment.
- Eye injuries. Blindness or vision problems and significant pain can result when debris or another object enters the eye during a motorcycle crash. Changes in vision may be permanent.
- Open wounds. When a bone breaks through the skin or the skin is torn open, other tissues beneath the wound may be exposed to injury and infection. Tendon, joint, and nerve damage may occur.
- Facial and dental injuries. Broken teeth, jaw damage, and facial lacerations are frequently the result of motorcycle accidents. In addition to the pain associated with these injuries, dental and plastic surgery can be expensive and take many sessions to complete, and you may still be left with scars or disfigurement.
- Road rash. Road rash happens when a rider’s body “slides” down the road after being tossed from a motorcycle. Serious scrapes, open wounds, nerve damages, and permanent disfigurement can result. It is one of the most common injuries suffered in a crash.
- Amputations. A limb may be severed at the scene of a crash or later due to significant infection or a complicated break. A motorcycle accident victim who suffers this injury not only has to learn how to live without an arm, hand, finger, leg, foot, or toe but must also incur significant medical bills and suffer physical pain as a result of the injury.
- Death. Part of what makes motorcycling great is the freedom from the confines of a car, but that freedom is also what makes it dangerous. riders are more likely to suffer significant injuries without the protective metal and airbags of other vehicles and those injuries can result in death.
If you have suffered one of these injuries, or your loved one has died in a bike wreck, then it is important to take action now. You may be able to recover damages for the harm that you have suffered, but you have to take specific actions. To learn more about your rights and about what you can do to recover from a motorcycle accident injury, please click on the links above or start a free chat with us now.
