Motorcycles do not offer much physical protection in the event of a crash. Injured riders can easily sustain permanent, life-altering injuries after a collision. Amputations, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and crush injuries can drastically alter a rider’s functional capabilities and leave them in need of regular medical care, if not intensive daily support. They may also develop mental health challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), due to their experience.
Basic insurance coverage provided by an at-fault driver may be woefully inadequate for the major costs generated by a motorcycle collision. Riders may need to take legal action to pursue the dignity and care they deserve after a collision.
Expenses mount rapidly
Obviously, the cost of trauma care immediately after a motorcycle crash is a significant financial obligation. Surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation services can potentially consume all of the available insurance coverage.
Injured riders may require ongoing physical therapy for life in cases involving spinal cord injuries and other severe injuries. They may also require mental health support services to work through the trauma they experienced, as well as the anxiety and depression their new medical challenges may generate.
There are also lost future wages and diminished future earning potential to consider. Home health support to administer medical care or assist with daily functions, ranging from personal hygiene needs to home maintenance activities, may be necessary.
Those with permanent injuries may also require modifications to their homes, such as the addition of wheelchair ramps, the adjustment of a bathroom to make it accessible or the relocation of a bedroom to the first floor for accessibility reasons. Those changes can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Modified vehicles, such as a wheelchair-accessible van, can also be a significant investment that the rider and their family may need to make repeatedly over the course of their life, as vehicles eventually fail.
Motorcycle riders are at risk of inadequate insurance settlements or biased jurors awarding them insufficient compensation. They need the assistance of an experienced motorcycle crash lawyer to maximize the financial recovery after a collision causes permanent injuries. Contacting the Edwards Law Firm can give injured motorcycle riders and their families peace of mind, and the support they receive can help them pursue the financial support and dignity an injured motorcycle rider deserves.