Lacerations in Motorcycle Accidents

Many people brush off lacerations as a ‘scrape’ or a ‘cut.’ However, these injuries, when particularly deep or sustained on certain parts of the body, can be not only painful, but sometimes have a permanent impact on victims. Motorcyclists involved in an accident are particularly susceptible to lacerations in motorcycle accidents. These victims have no protection against another vehicle, the road, or other debris that results from a crash. If you’ve suffered lacerations or other injuries in a motorcycle collision, Miami motorcycle accident attorney Robert Dixon can help you determine who is responsible. Motorcyclists injured in an accident face a long road to recovery, along with the costs that come with treatment and rehabilitation. When another party negligently causes this harm, they should bear the financial burden. Mr. Dixon and his team at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon represent injured clients in Miami and the surrounding area. If you’ve been involved in an accident in South Florida, we can assist you in determining your next legal step. Contact our office to schedule a free consultation with a lawyer today.

Lacerations are deep cuts, tears, or gashes to the skin. When a laceration is deep, and sustained to an extremity like a foot, it can affect a victim’s ability to walk and do other activities. Aside from being very painful, lacerations that are not treated properly or quickly can result in a serious infection. These cuts also pose a risk of damage to tendons or nerves, and in extreme cases can require an amputation. Facial lacerations can leave permanent scarring that not only have a physical effect but a psychological one as well.

In motorcycle accidents, victims typically suffer lacerations on their face, arms, hands and torso, due to lack of protection from their vehicles if they are not wearing protective gear. Some common causes of lacerations that result from a motorcycle crash include:

• Blunt force trauma resulting from a victim hitting the ground or different object;
• Victims dragging against the road;
• Compound fractures that make lacerations by breaking the skin;
• Glass, metal or other debris piercing the skin.

Motorcycle riders are extremely vulnerable when involved in a collision, especially when it is with a larger vehicle. If an accident is caused by negligence, victims can receive compensation for their injuries from those liable.

Most motorcycle accidents can be attributable to another party’s negligent acts, at least in some part. Negligence exists when a party has breached a duty of reasonable care owed to another, causing that person’s injury, and resulting in damages. It is often another motorist who breaches their duty to a motorcyclist. For example, those who do not leave enough room when passing a motorcycle, fail to yield, or who follow a biker too closely or aggressively. These all could be seen as a not the actions of a reasonable and prudent person on the road.

In Florida, even if a motorcycle rider has acted negligently in causing their own injuries, they may still be awarded compensation from other parties who were also negligent. Under the state’s pure comparative negligence scheme, damages are given in proportion to each party’s degree of fault. Therefore, a victim who is found 45 percent liable, may still recover 55 percent of their total loss. Damages in these cases may be in the form of property loss, past and future medical expenses, as well as any loss of income or changes to a victim’s earning capacity.

Lacerations in motorcycle accidents can have a lasting impact on victims. When these injuries require extensive medical treatment or time missed from work, the parties responsible for causing them should be held legally accountable. Attorney Robert Dixon pursues these claims on behalf of his clients, working tirelessly to make sure they receive the compensation they need and deserve. If you have questions regarding your legal rights and options in the aftermath of a motorcycle collision, contact us at our Miami office at 877.499.4878 or online and we can schedule a free, no obligation consultation.