Common Motorcycle Injuries

Motorcyclists can suffer serious injuries when they collide with another vehicle or a stationary object. In fact, it is not unusual for motorcyclists to suffer a direct hit in a collision. Because they lack the protection that motorists have, motorcyclists can suffer life-changing injuries and possibly even die.

If you have been in a motorcycle accident, you need a Powhatan County, Virginia motorcycle accident lawyer in your corner.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)

Virginia law requires that all motorcyclists wear a helmet. However, even a helmet cannot offer 100% protection against serious brain injuries. After a crash, any blow to the head or the body can change how the brain works, resulting in a TBI.

Common symptoms of a TBI include:

• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Nausea
• Convulsions
• Weakness in extremities
• Sensitivity to light and sound
• Impaired memory
• Slurred speech
• Impaired mobility or loss of coordination
• Mood swings
• Sleep disturbances

The severity of a TBI largely depends on how long you are unconscious and your degree of confusion after waking up. Mild concussions might clear up after a couple months, but more serious TBIs can require months of therapy. Some victims never fully recover.

Broken Bones

The force generated from a collision breaks many bones, including those in the arms, legs, face, hands, and feet. Before a bone can heal, it must be set. Doctors sometimes need to insert a screw, pin, or plate to hold bones together. A bone should heal within several months, though the amount of time will depend on many factors, such as age and overall health.

Nerve Damage

One common injury is “biker’s arm,” which refers to nerve damage in the arm and shoulder. In the moments before impact, many bikers brace themselves by wrapping an arm around their body. This arm then suffers a direct impact, damaging nerves up and down the arm and into the shoulder. As a result, they can experience pain and weakness.

Some motorcyclists can recover from biker’s arm by undergoing physical therapy. However, others experience permanent nerve damage.

Road Rash

Any exposed skin that scrapes along the asphalt can suffer road rash. This painful condition causes scarring, infection, and bleeding. The abrasive action of sliding along the road tears off the layers of skin, often requiring skin grafts. Road rash is a serious injury that often warrants a round of antibiotics to fight off infection. When road rash affects an exposed part of the body, then many motorcyclists suffer severe emotional distress.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Any damage to the spinal cord can be catastrophic. The cord relays messages to and from the brain, connecting it to more distant parts of the body. After a motorcycle accident, the cord can become bruised, stretched, torn, or shredded.

Spinal cord damage can result in loss of sensation or loss of mobility, or both. If the cord is merely bruised, then rest and physical therapy might allow victims to regain some functioning. But when the spinal cord is completely severed, then a victim is completely paralyzed from that point down.

Experienced Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Virginia

After a motorcycle accident, you should receive immediate medical treatment. Also contact attorney Herbert E. Maxey, Jr., to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case. You can reach him by calling 1-800-248-1950. . Mr. Maxey represents injured persons in Richmond, Charlottesville, Farmville, Lynchburg, Danville, Buckingham, Albemarle, Prince Edward, Campbell, Charlotte, Powhatan, Nelson, and other counties throughout Virginia.