Recovering Compensation for Motorcycle Accident Road Rash Injuries

Riding a motorcycle is a fun and economical mode of transportation. However, it can also be extremely dangerous. In one recent year, 460 people died in Texas in motorcycle accidents. Not every motorcycle accident results in death, but motorcycle accidents do tend to be more severe than regular car accidents.

Because motorcycles provide you with less protection than a car, your injuries in a motorcycle accident are often more severe. You can certainly help minimize your injuries by ensuring your motorcycle is in proper working order, wearing a helmet, and wearing protective clothing. Helmet use is on the rise, but there is only so much protection a helmet can provide in a collision.

If you or a loved one are in the unfortunate situation of having been injured in a motorcycle accident in Texas, you deserve to have a motorcycle accident lawyer on your side who will aggressively fight to protect your rights. While every case is different, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney can evaluate your case and let you know what they believe you can claim for your injuries and fight to help you seek that compensation.

Types of Road Rash

People often assume that road rash is a minor injury – something a few band-aids can treat. That could not be further from the truth. Road rash is a burn on the skin that happens when your body rubs against something rough, like pavement.

In many motorcycle accidents, the riders are often thrown off the motorcycle. Even if you are traveling at a reasonable speed, when you fall from your motorcycle, you may slide across the road. This can cause road rash even if you are wearing protective clothing.

The severity of your road rash injury will depend on many factors including:

• The clothing you were wearing at the time of the accident;
• Your speed;
• The type of road you were riding on;
• How the accident happened; and
• The speed of your impact.

Road rash injuries commonly happen in these parts of the body:

• Face;
• Knees;
• Palms;
• Legs; and
• Thighs.

Road rash can be extremely painful when the burn removes several layers of skin. There are three common types of road rash you may experience in your motorcycle accident, and you may even experience more than one at one time:

1. Avulsion – This is the most common type of road rash. Avulsion road rash injuries scrape away layers of skin exposing the lower layers of your skin or your muscles to the elements. Sometimes, avulsion injuries scrape off your tissues all the way to the bone.
2. Compression – This happens when your body is trapped, usually between your motorcycle and the pavement. As your body slides along the road in between the pavement and your motorcycle, road rash happens as both the road surface and your motorcycle compress and scrape away layers of skin.
3. Open wounds – Open wounds are common with road rash and usually require stitches to help the body heal. In the most severe cases, your injury may also require skin grafting.

Treating Road Rash

The best way to treat road rash is to be seen by a medical professional as soon as possible after your accident, preferably at the accident scene. Treating road rash presents challenges because there is usually debris or pieces of pavement that are stuck in the road rash. Medical professionals must remove this debris before proper treatment can occur.

Depending on the severity of your road rash, treatment can include:

• Antibiotics;
• Dressing the wound;
• Taking pain medication; and
• Skin grafting.

Never ignore road rash—not that the pain will allow it. In extreme cases, road rash can kill you if not properly treated. You may think your road rash is not that serious, but it’s best to not take any chances. Don’t refuse medical help. Make sure a medical professional properly treats your injuries and gets you on the path to recovery.

Damages to Fight For

When you are injured in a motorcycle accident, you deserve to focus on your physical recovery. You should not have to worry about your financial needs.

If we take you on as a client after you schedule an initial, free consultation, our goal is to attempt to get you compensation for all of your expenses. No case is exactly the same, but in addition to the damage to your bike, we may also help you seek compensation for:

• Pain and suffering;
• Emotional distress;
• Depression;
• Anxiety;
• Medical bills; and
• Rehabilitation costs.

Road rash does not sound like a serious or long-lasting injury. But it is. It can even keep you out of work for a period of time, which can make it even harder for you to pay your bills and adds unnecessary stress.

This is why it’s important to work with a trusted motorcycle accident lawyer. When you work with us, we can investigate your accident, review police and medical records, speak with witnesses, negotiate with insurance companies, and represent you at trial.

We know you want to put this tragic situation behind you as quickly as possible and it’s true that most personal injury cases settle out of court. But we only settle if it’s right for our client’s specific situation. We do not want to see our clients put through financial hardship. That’s why we are fully prepared to take our clients’ cases all the way to trial, if that’s what is required to maximize their financial recovery.

Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today

Dealing with the aftermath of a motorcycle accident is no fun. You may lose your job, cannot go out and see friends, and worry about your health. All of this can compound to make this an incredibly stressful time in your life.

If you choose to hire a motorcycle accident lawyer after an initial consultation, his or her goal is to maximize your financial recovery so you can focus on your physical recovery. Let that motorcycle accident attorney take the legal stress off your shoulders. Working with a law firm you trust may help you recover faster and get back on your feet—and maybe even back on your bike.