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Motorcycle Accidents: Injuries, Fatalities and Lawsuits on the Rise

By Megan Roth

Between 1975 and 1999, more than 38,000 motorcyclists died in single vehicle motorcycle accidents (with account for approximately 45 percent of all motorcycle accidents).

Motorcycle fatalities have steadily increased since then, totaling 4,028 in 2004, 4,553 in 2005 (a 13 percent increase) and 4,810 deaths in 2006 (roughly a five percent jump).

And while motorcycle fatalities are up for all age groups, they're on the highest rise for riders aged 40 and older (furthermore, 90 percent of motorcyclists killed were male).

Now, the fact that motorcycles are becoming more and more prevalent on the roads can be attributed to their convenience and financial benefits (many riders elect to drive motorcycles as the initial cost is lower than that of a car and bikes continue to be economically more friendly (as they get far better gas mileage and generally produce fewer emissions than their full-bodied counterparts).

However, those financial benefits are generally nullified when an accident occurs; granted the emotional toll of a motorcycle fatality is difficult enough. Add to it the thousands and thousands of dollars in costs of each motorcycle accident (plus the increased likelihood of a severe injury or death) and buyers would be better off with a car…

It's difficult to determine an average cost for motorcycle accidents as there are a number of factors that play in, namely: whether other vehicles/individuals were involved, long- or short-term medical costs/disability/wage loss and lost quality of life.

In addition, these costs vary state-to-state, policy-to-policy. Regardless, they weigh heavily on the injured parties.

It sounds somewhat terrible to say, but motorcycle fatalities generally incur lower costs than non-fatal accidents (as medical treatment is not ongoing). For riders who sustain head-injuries and spent time in a trauma center, the average cost per accident was $43,000 (those who were admitted to trauma centers but escaped without head injuries, the cost was approximately $15,500; the cost was much lower for hospital admittance, averaging $22,500 for those with head injuries and $11,500 for those without).

Pretty expensive, don't you think? And the more serious the injuries, the higher the costs. There has been an increase in lawsuits related to motorcycle injuries over the last few years (due in large part to the dramatic increase in fatal motorcycle accidents and fatalities).

In addition, there has also been an increase in wrongful death litigation as it relates to motorcyclists who died at the hand of another. The circumstances of each accident vary greatly, and it's important to determine who (or what) is at fault in the event that an injury (or death) should occur.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Megan Roth

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on April 05, 2009 (boomark / email).