Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog

The Riverside Press-Enterprise in California reports that the number of marines killed on motorcycles after returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is alarmingly high. Last year, there were 19 marines killed while riding motorcycles. In addition, 77 army personnel were killed in 2006, and five Air Force personnel were killed. Between 2001 and 2006, more soldiers died in motorcycle accidents in the US than were killed on the Afghan field of battle during the corresponding years.

According to military commanders, the reasons so many motorcycle deaths have occurred are "boredom, bonus pay that can top $20,000 to $30,000, and adrenalin to burn off after troops return from [the wars]." Add to this list their inexperience, and the chance that there will be an accident increases.

As a result, all marines stationed at Twentynine Palms who own motorcycles are required to pass a competency test before they are allowed to ride on the base. The marines call them "don't be stupid" lectures.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact the Motorcycle Accident Lawyer site to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

A motorcycle accident in Lincoln County, Nebraska killed one woman and sent another woman to the hospital earlier this week. The driver, 43-year-old Susan McConnell, died at the scene of the accident on Route 27 near the town of Wiscasset. Her passenger, 32-year-old Tamara Hoke, was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A preliminary investigation has stated that both women were wearing helmets at the time of the accident. No information has been gathered to point to drugs or alcohol being a cause of the crash. The investigation now points to an underinflated front tire that caused McConnell to lose control of the motorcycle in the early afternoon. Both McConnell and Hoke were thrown from the motorcycle into the southbound lane.

Motorcycle accidents are often caused by factors such as speed or alcohol, and death is most often caused by the rider not wearing their helmet. However, in this case, something like an under inflated tire, which seems a minor detail killed a woman wearing a helmet. This should help to reinforce the idea of looking over your motorcycle before you get on to be sure everything, including properly inflated tires, is maintained correctly.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact the Motorcycle Accident Lawyer site to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area. They will be happy to answer any questions you have, and help you decide if you should pursue a claim.

According to a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Center for Statistics and Analysis, between 2001 and 2005, a majority of fatal motorcycle crashes (55%) were between a motorcycle and another vehicle. The fatality rate of motorcycle riders in these accidents was a staggering 90% of the operators, and 8% of their passengers. Only 2% were the occupants of the vehicles. Furthermore, 75% of the time, the motorcycle hit the vehicle they were involved in the accident with.

And, finally, in 2006, 27% of motorcycle operators killed in accidents had a blood alcohol content of at least .08. This is the legal limit across the country.

Drinking and Riding

We've already covered some statistics and ways to protect yourself if you are riding a motorcycle. Because there are so many motorcycles on the road, these statistics will probably continue to increase. To be fair, the percentage of motorcyclists who were legally impaired at the time of their death has gone down from 35% in 1996. This could be because fewer motorcyclists are getting drunk and then riding their bikes, or perhaps they survive more often these days due to safety issues like helmet laws. It's much better to be in a body cast, stuck in bed instead of riding your motorcycle, than it is to be pushing up the daisies and another statistic in reports from the NHTSA or blogs like this.

The percentage of motorcyclists legally impaired when they died was higher than any other type of vehicle. Certainly this percentage can be parsed; there are thousands of more cars and trucks on the road than there are motorcycles, so their percentage of drunk drivers is a bit lower. However, this alone is still terrifying in many ways. Almost a quarter of those killed in auto accidents or truck accidents were impaired at the time of death. Think of the many others out there who weren't in this report because they weren't killed, but instead injured or simply walked away. And how many of those hit and killed a motorcyclist because they were drinking and driving?

Remember, even on a good day you are less likely to be seen by another vehicle simply because the size of your motorcycle is smaller than that of a car. On a bad day you might find yourself staring down a driver who has crossed the center line. What then?

While we all take risks when we drive, motorcyclists need to consider that wearing a helmet can do more good than harm. That's one of the many differences between motorcycles and vehicles, and one of the facts that the NHTSA has covered: helmets have saved just over 750 lives.

So, three things to take away from this: 1) Don't drink and ride your bike; 2) wear a helmet; and 3) beware of what is going on around you on the road.

Finally, if you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident due to another driver's negligence, please contact the Motorcycle Accident Lawyer site to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

With spring here, and the weather warming up, it's only natural that more people are going to want to be outdoors. What this means for more and more people, is that they will climb onto a motorcycle for the first time.

Just like driving a car, it takes experience to really learn how to drive. Perhaps because many motorcyclists don't get their bikes until they've been driving for years they feel as if they already have the experience needed and know the rules of the road. What they don't take into account are the many differences between riding a motorcycle and driving a car. Even the simple, and obvious, differences such as motorcycles have two wheels, and cars have four. And riding a motorcycle is not like riding a bicycle.

Looking beyond the numbers from places like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which show through statistical evidence that more people are riding motorcycles, all we have to do is look around us on the roads during the warm months. It has also been surmised that rising gas prices are part of the reason so many people are on motorcycles. Whether or not this is true, the end result is usually a rise in deaths. Statistical evidence shows that this is also the case.

Though spring has just begun, there are reports from all over the country about the death of inexperienced and experienced riders. They come from all walks of life and all ages. However, the one trait they had in common was climbing onto a motorcycle. There are several ways to avoid becoming a statistic that will wind up as part of the NHTSA's yearly report.

Tips

• Take classes on how to ride a motorcycle. Just like driver's ed, these classes will teach you what you need to know – and help you get your license.
  
• Wear a helmet. Though many states do not have mandatory helmet laws, except for people under 18 years old, more people are alive today because they wore a helmet.
  
• Obey the rules of the road. Stop signs, speed limits, distance between vehicles, and other laws are not only for cars and trucks.
  
• Do not assume other drivers can see you. Motorcycles are harder to spot due to their size and cars will always win in accidents on the road.
  

If you, or a loved one, have been injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact the Motorcycle Accident Lawyer site to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

Accidents claimed the lives of three people in Mobile County, Alabama between 10:30 am Sunday, March 30^th, and 12:30 pm Monday, March 31^st. All three were killed in separate accidents.

Accidents

• Sunday, 10:30 am – A 47-year-old man was killed when his northbound Harley-Davidson collided with a southbound El Camino. The car was attempting to turn left into a parking lot.
  
• Monday, 6:30 am – A 37-year-old man was killed when his Kawasaki collided with an SUV. The rider fell, and was then hit by a pickup truck.
  
• Monday 12:30 pm – A 20-year-old man was killed when his motorcycle hit the side of a utility vehicle making a left turn. He hit the truck, and then was run over.
  

Road Safety Stressed

After these three accidents, Alabama state troopers have stressed safety on the road, not just for motorcyclists, but also for drivers of automobiles. They also want people to know that these accidents are preventable. Lt. Lee Peacock states, "The worst thing for a motorcycle is failure to yield the right of way." He explains that many times people will simply turn in front of motorcycles simply because the drivers are not looking for motorcycles. They're looking for larger objects – like cars.

Jimmy Herman, who co-owns Xtreme Motorsport and Repair, states that bike riders need to be on the defensive at all times, because when a bike and vehicle collide, "the bike is going to lose every time whether [they're] in the right of wrong."

Other Safety Suggestions

Some other things Herman suggests are, because bike riders are generally unprotected and therefore vulnerable on the road, to not take any chances. It might only take a few seconds for a bike speeding down the road at 150 mph to reach a vehicle, and the vehicle's driver isn't expecting that small amount of time when they turn in front of the motorcycle. Herman says riding in groups is safest, giving space between yourself and cars, and staggering the bikes along the road to make yourself more visible.

Officials stress that it is important for drivers to watch out for motorcyclists during fog, dawn, and dusk because that is when the chances of being involved in an accident are greatest.

If you, or a loved one, have been injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact the Motorcycle Accident Lawyer site to find an experienced personal lawyer in your area.