Injuries from Motorcycle Accidents in Rockaway Beach
A motorcycle crash with a negligent motorist can turn your life upside down, leaving you with severe injuries, trauma, and significant financial losses. While traveling by motorcycle provides riders with many benefits, they also leave them highly vulnerable to sustaining life-threatening and fatal injuries.
Understanding the typical causes and potential damages is the most effective way to avoid accidents and protect yourself while riding. Speak to a seasoned attorney for questions about severe injuries from motorcycle accidents in Rockaway Beach.
The Most Common Injuries from Motorcycle Crashes
Some examples of the most common injuries from motorcycle crashes in Rockaway Beach include the following:
- Lower extremity injuries
- Head and brain injuries
- Back and spinal cord injuries, including paralysis
- Severe road rash
- Serious and debilitating neck injuries
- Crush injuries from being trapped and squeezed between objects
- Abdominal trauma and internal organ damage
- Severe trauma leading to post-traumatic stress disorder
A knowledgeable attorney could investigate to determine the cause and help collect evidence to prove fault.
Proving Fault and Collecting Compensation After a Collision
Proving fault after a motorcycle crash caused by another driver’s negligence requires collecting evidence to demonstrate their actions were directly related to the collision. That may include documentation establishing they violated traffic laws, such as texting while behind the wheel or failing to yield the right-of-way. Evidence may include driving citations, witness statements, or traffic camera footage. After establishing fault, the court typically awards compensation in two primary categories.
The first is economic damages, which cover the verifiable expenses the Rockaway Beach rider sustains due to the motorcycle crash injuries, including medical costs and lost salary while recovering at home. Noneconomic damages are subjective injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and pain and suffering.
Safety Helmet Requirements for Motorcycle Operators and Passengers
Compliance with state motorcycle laws helps riders keep themselves safe while avoiding traffic violations. Under New York Vehicle & Traffic Code § 381(6), every motorcycle operator and their passengers must wear a helmet that meets the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) standards. The headgear must fit the head firmly and meet the requirements of the statute, including:
- Provide the individual with at least 105-degree peripheral vision on each side
- Show the DOT-approval symbol
- Have protruding ridges inside the shell of over 0.2 inches from the outer shell
- Must entail a continuous protective curved surface
Operators must also wear eye protection, such as a face shield or goggles, while riding.
Equipment Requirements
New York laws require that all motorcycles must have the following equipment to travel on state roadways legally:
- Headlight, taillight, brake light, and a license plate lamp
- Adequately maintained brake systems on both wheels
- At least one side view mirror mounted on the handlebars
- Properly maintained tires meeting the requirements of the statute
- A functioning horn
- Rear fender benders
All motorcycles must have seats at least 25 inches from the ground, and those built after 1985 must have working blinkers. These regulations help prevent Rockaway Beach motorcycle collisions and severe injuries.
Contact an Experienced Attorney for Information About Injuries From Rockaway Beach Motorcycle Accidents
Bikers love getting out and riding whenever the weather permits. Unfortunately, motorcycle operators are at a heightened risk of sustaining severe or fatal injuries during crashes.
You have the right to pursue a settlement to cover your damages and losses if a reckless driver’s actions caused you harm. Contact a skilled lawyer today to learn more about injuries from motorcycle accidents in Rockaway Beach.
