Many people in New Jersey choose to use motorcycles both for recreation and as a primary means of transportation. Unfortunately, some number of those motorcyclists will get into nasty accidents and suffer serious injuries, incurring large medical bills in the process.
Luckily, our lawyers are ready to help out when that happens. We have dedicated our practice to representing plaintiffs injured in motorcycle accidents. We have built up the knowledge base to handle motorcycle accident cases effectively and give motorcyclists the professional representation they deserve when they get hurt.
Our motorcycle accident lawyers offer free case reviews when you call Law 4 Hogs at 1-800-529-4464.
Injuries in Secaucus, NJ Motorcycle Accidents
A lot of different injuries can happen in motorcycle accidents. The way that your particular accident takes place can have an effect on what injuries you receive. Additionally, your damages are largely based on the injuries you suffered in your accident.
Broken Bones
Broken bones are likely to be an injury in any automotive accident, including motorcycle accidents. All fractures are serious, but some, like compound fractures, require more emergency treatment than others.
You will not be able to make much use of a broken limb while it is healing. Moreover, you will likely need to regain strength in the affected area through diet or physical training.
Head/Brain Injuries
Even with a helmet on, the impact force of a motorcycle accident can result in serious head injuries. Your head impacting another vehicle, your motorcycle, or the roadway can result in a traumatic brain injury (TBI). “Mild” TBIs, like concussions, can still have nasty side effects like memory loss and uncomfortable sensitivity to loud noises or bright lights. More serious brain injuries may result in the complete loss of motor skills like walking or speech or even an untimely death.
Nerve Damages
Getting hit hard in the wrong place or in the wrong way can cause nerve damage. This is especially true if part of the impact in a motorcycle accident is to the back or neck and damages the spinal column or cord.
The consequences of nerve damage are varied. You may experience numbness, pain, or other sensations in the parts of the body affected by the damaged nerves. For example, if the neural pathways to your arms are damaged, you may lose some of your range of motion, strength, or dexterousness. Nerve damage might also cause partial or full paralysis, which may result in death because of associated complications.
Bruising
Bruising happens when blood vessels are crushed underneath the skin, leading to pain and discoloration on the surface. Hard hits to any part of the body can result in bruising. While most bruises will heal of their own accord, severe bruising – especially over a large area – can be indicative of something much more serious like internal bleeding. Thus, bruises after a motorcycle accident should not be ignored, and you should seek immediate medical attention.
Wounds From Sharp Objects
Getting cut or impaled is likely not the first injury one thinks of when thinking about motorcycle accidents. However, broken glass, warped metal, and flying debris can cut up or go through a motorcycle rider involved in a crash.
Deep cuts almost universally need stitching to heal fully. Moreover, they can leave unseemly scars where the cut happened, which may be permanent. Puncturing wounds are, by and large, much more dangerous than cuts because they are harder to stop from bleeding and can hit vital organs if they penetrate deep enough into the body.
Disfigurement and Amputation
It can be uncomfortable to think about, but disfigurement and amputation can happen in motorcycle accidents. These injuries are very serious and have long-lasting consequences.
Disfigurement occurs when cuts leave permanent scars that can be unsettling for other people. Generally, disfigurement in lawsuits refers to scarring on the face, but it can be on any part of the body. The loss of smaller appendages like fingers or toes is also considered disfigurement in personal injury cases.
Amputation is the removal of a limb from the body. There are two ways that amputation can happen in a motorcycle accident. First, a medical professional can come to the conclusion that a limb is damaged beyond repair or at risk of infection and elect to remove it in order to save the patient’s life. The other way is called a “traumatic amputation.” This is when the accident itself results in a limb being torn from the body. Traumatic amputation is extremely dangerous and can easily result in death without immediately dealing with blood loss from a lost limb.
Motorcycle Helmet Laws in Secaucus, NJ
Many motorcyclists wear a lot of protective gear while riding their bikes. The most important piece of gear any motorcycle rider can wear – by far – is a helmet. For one, it is required by law in New Jersey that you wear an approved motorcycle helmet while operating one. N.J.S.A. § 39:3-76.7 makes it illegal to operate a motorcycle without an authorized helmet. Authorized helmets are helmets that meet certain standards of government approval. This is usually indicated by a label somewhere on the packaging of the helmet or on the helmet itself.
Not only can wearing a helmet prevent injury and save your life, but it makes you appear more responsible in court. New Jersey uses something called comparative negligence, which means that the court is allowed to consider the plaintiff’s fault in any personal injury lawsuit. If you do not wear a helmet, that fact could be used against you in court by opposing counsel.
Call Our Secaucus, NJ Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Now
For a free case analysis with our great motorcycle accident attorneys, call Law 4 Hogs at 1-800-529-4464.