Motorcyclists should drive safely, but if another driver causes a crash, get medical attention and talk to a personal injury lawyer about your legal remedies.
Motorcycle enthusiasts across our province are readying their bikes for the 2019 season as temperatures climb and snow recedes. Some use their bikes to commute to work, to do errands or for recreational rides while others delight in long trips such as those hugging the coasts of Lake Erie or Georgian Bay.
Drive safely
Every Ontarian who rides a motorcycle can take common-sense steps to stay safer on the road:
- Wear heavy clothing, boots, eye protection, gloves and a helmet.
- Keep your bike well maintained and check tire pressure and fluid levels often.
- Never drive while tired or under the influence of alcohol, drugs or strong medication.
- Adjust your driving for weather conditions that can impede visibility or cause wet or icy pavement.
- Follow traffic laws.
- Avoid speeding and slow as needed on curves, rough roads or gravel.
- Do not follow other vehicles too closely.
- Do not attempt to use your mobile phone in any way.
Crash factors
According to the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, some of the common scenarios involving motorcycle accidents:
- At higher risk of crashing are recreational motorcycle riders under 20 and over 40.
- Motorcycle collisions with other vehicles often involve other vehicles making left turns, head-on crashes, other driver inattention or failing to yield, and "right-angled" collisions.
- Motorcycle accidents are more likely from June through September, in dim light or in the dark and on the weekend.
Accidents with at-fault drivers
Unfortunately, despite a motorcyclist exhibiting reasonable driving behavior and following safety practices, sometimes the driver of larger, heavier vehicles drives negligently, recklessly, aggressively, under the influence or in violation of traffic laws. When such a driver causes a collision with a motorcycle or forces a biker to swerve to avoid one, if injury, motorcycle damage or even a fatality results, the at-fault driver (and involved insurers) will be legally liable.
Obviously, motorcycle drivers and passengers are at higher risk of severe injury than people in enclosed vehicles. Common injuries include road rash, facial injuries, bone fractures, fractured limbs, traumatic brain injury and more. A lawyer will advocate for fair compensation for losses like:
- Loss of income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Medical benefits
- Rehabilitation benefits
- Pain and suffering
- Other expenses
The lawyers at the London office of Ledroit Sabo represent injured victims of motorcycle accidents and the surviving loved ones of motorcyclists who have died in such crashes in the London area, in southwest Ontario and across the province.
