In 2017, Mr. O, a 58-year-old man, was driving his motorcycle on the main road when the driver of a third party car pulled from a side road without checking for motorcycles. The car entered the direct path of Mr. O’s motorcycle and the resulting accident was devastating for him. The man suffered multiple injuries on his body including fractures to the left scapula, clavicle, ribs, L5 vertebrae, and left ankle. He also received ligament damage to the right shoulder, scarring, bruising, and psychological trauma.
For Mr. O, this accident had been the most recent in a series of traffic accidents. He had also been involved in road traffic accidents in 2011 and 2013 where he had received a serious injury to his right leg. The additional injuries that he received in the 2017 accident had a devastating impact on the man’s mobility. As a result, Mr. O’s social, leisure, and domestic life were heavily affected. He was forced to begin to rely more on his wife for everyday tasks and was no longer able to live the life he wanted.
This story is unfortunately not unique. In the UK in 2017 alone, there were a total of 170,993 casualties of varying severity reported as a result of road traffic accidents. A road traffic accident in the UK is generally defined as “an accident that results in the bodily injury of any person, or damage to property caused by, or arising out of the use of a motor vehicle on a road or any other public place.” Although this data actually shows a 6% decrease in accidents from data collected in 2016, Mr. O’s story shows us that even one accident is too many.
Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable. Although they accounted for approximately 19% of traffic fatalities in the UK in 2017, data collected shows that the casualty per mile rate is far higher than that of any other mode of transportation. In many cases, the accident is the fault of other drivers on the road who are driving negligently or not looking for motorcycles. The result is a rising need for expert representation for motorcycle accident victims in the UK. When the motorcyclist is not at fault, motorcycle claims can help them regain some of what they lost through the accident.
There are many reasons that a motorcyclist may be involved in an accident that is not their fault. They remain among the most vulnerable on the road and account for a good portion of yearly accidents despite making up only 1% of vehicles on the road in the UK. Here are several of the reasons for a no-fault motorcycle accident.
One of the top causes of motorcycle accidents is other drivers on the road either not looking properly before pulling into a road or intersection, colliding with a standing motorcycle, or misjudging how fast a motorcycle is going. Like Mr. O’s case, the results of this can be disastrous. Despite the UK’s participation in Vision Zero and programs to raise more awareness of motorcyclists, other vehicles remain a danger for even the safest of riders.
Motorcyclists are particularly at risk when it comes to roads that are poorly maintained. Hazards that are not a problem for other vehicles such as potholes, wet leaves, and fallen debris can be dangerous for motorcyclists. Although this can happen anywhere, this is particularly true on country roads where motorcyclists can meet anything from branches to livestock in the road.
When a motorcyclist is involved in an accident, serious injuries and even death can occur. Without the protection that drivers have in their cars, riders are particularly vulnerable. Some of the injuries that can be sustained while riding include traumatic brain injuries, damage to the spine, broken bones, burns from hot metal, road rash, internal bleeding, damage to internal organs, and fatal trauma.
The financial ramifications of these injuries can be extreme and overwhelming for the victim. Not only do these injuries come with a large number of medical bills, but there can also be other costs involved as well. Travel costs to get to hospitals or specialists, loss of income from being away from work, and the costs of ongoing physical therapy can take its toll on the victim.
The financial burden is not the only thing that victims will have to face after an accident. There are numerous social impacts as well. Victims suffer pain from the accident, reduced quality of life, psychological trauma, the inability to go to work or to engage in everyday activities, and the burden of ongoing medical problems. Victims can gain compensation for all of these through MRH Solicitors.
Although there can be no price put on a life and no amount of money can make up for lost time, injuries, or the loss of a loved one, financial compensation can make a big difference in the lives of victims. Financial compensations for injuries can range all the way from £1,500 to over £300,000 for head injuries leading to extensive brain damage. An experienced motorcycle injury solicitor will be able to go over all of the evidence, including medical bills, time and income lost from an inability to work, and the amount of psychological trauma from the accident. Anyone who has been in an accident and believes that it was a result of someone else’s negligence has the right to pursue compensation by filing a claim.
Although Mr. O’s life was forever changed by that accident in 2017, he was thankfully able to gain representation through his solicitor. Through the compassionate care of his solicitors, he was able to acquire a large settlement as well as a sense of justice. This settlement brought about a much needed positive change in Mr. O’s life as well as that of his family. This is simply one example of how a solicitor can help in the wake of a devastating motorcycle accident.
