There are many reasons why individuals choose to ride motorcycles in Greenville, South Carolina, including the thrill of feeling so closely connected to the road, increased savings at the gas pump, and to decrease negative environmental impacts. While there are many perks connected to using a motorcycle, riding one also involves a serious risk of injury each time you hop on your bike. According to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 186 motorcycle fatalities in 2016.
Greenville intersections where motorcyclist should drive carefully and take extra safety precautions are:
- Academy Street and College Street
- Academy Street and Pendleton Street
- Stone Avenue and Rutherford Street
- Edwards Road and Wade Hampton Blvd
- State 14 approaching Tandem Road
- Haywood Road and I-385
- Haywood Road and Pelham Road
- Several Pleasantburg Drive intersections
- Faris Road and Cleveland Street
- Woodruff Road and Roper Mountain Road
- Roper Mountain Road and Independence Boulevard
The injuries involved in motorcycle accidents are often severe, and fatalities are also possible. In fact, the NHTSA reported that 80 percent of motorcycle crashes resulted in a fatality, and in most cases, the 20 percent of motorcycle passengers who survive their accidents suffer severe injuries.
Avoiding Motorcycle Accidents
The good news is that there are some things you can do to decrease your risk of getting in a motorcycle accident. First, wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet might not be as fun as feeling the wind in your hair, but helmets significantly decrease the odds of you suffering a life-ending head injury if involved in a crash. Second, while riding your bike down a street lined with parked cars, watch out for drivers opening their car doors, which is actually a common cause of motorcycle accidents. Don’t assume that the driver sees you. Next, always keep your bike’s headlight on while riding. The headlight makes it much easier for other drivers to see you, and helps you see what’s in front of you and avoid obstacles.
Also, it’s important to slow down. Bikers have a bad habit of exceeding the speed limit, in large part because they can easily weave in and out of slower traffic. This unsafe driving drastically increases a driver’s odds of sustaining a motorcycle accident injury. According to the NHSTA, 34 percent of the motorcycle accident fatalities in 2013 were caused by excessive speeding. Finally, make sure to use a great deal of care when making left-hand turns—especially if other cars are present at the intersection. There have been many instances of drivers who were either traveling straight through an intersection or making a right-hand turn who failed to notice that a biker making a left-hand turn was still in the interception. As always, the best way to avoid a motorcycle accident is to drive defensively and take extra safety precautions.
Actions You Should Take if You’re in a Greenville Motorcycle Accident
If you’re in a Greenville motorcycle accident, your first priority should be seeing a doctor, even if you think you are uninjured; don’t assume you didn’t sustain any injuries in your crash just because you don’t have visible cuts or bruises. The adrenaline rush triggered by the accident may be blocking pain or discomfort, and once you relax, you may realize that you did, in fact, get hurt. It’s in your best interest to accept any help the first responders provide and to let them take you to the emergency room for x-rays and other tests. Make sure the emergency room doctor examines you for hairline fractures, closed head injuries, whiplash, internal organ damage, and skin contusions. Keep any medical records connected to the accident, as these may be important evidence should your case eventually go to trial.
An emergency room visit constitutes just a small portion of medical expenses that a Greenville motorcycle accident may involve. In most cases, the injuries require occupational therapy, physical therapy, surgery, and medication.
The Aftermath of the Accident
Ideally, the insurance companies of the parties involved in the motorcycle accident would cover all the expenses connected to the accident, all the time; but that rarely happens. Often, insurance companies try to pay for as little as possible, delay the entire claims process, and make every effort to avoid having to pay. When this happens, working with an experienced personal injury attorney is your best course of action. At the Hughey Law Firm, we negotiate with insurance companies to secure favorable settlement amounts for our clients, or we take cases to trial.
There are several steps you should take to improve your chances of securing compensation for the full cost of your injuries, including:
- Documenting the road conditions at the time of the accident
- Writing down what happened right before and right after the accident
- Getting a copy of the accident report from the police
- Keeping copies of all your medical bills and medical reports
- Enlisting the services of a highly skilled personal injury lawyer
Determining Responsibility Following a Motorcycle Accident
Oftentimes, motorcycle accident cases are made more complex because the multiple insurance companies involved will dispute how much compensation each must pay. In most cases, the accident is clearly the fault of one party, but sometimes other factors may contribute to the accident, such as poorly maintained roads, a flaw in one of the vehicles designs, or an outside influence—such as a runaway pet or poor reactions from the first responders. A good personal injury lawyer will investigate the accident and determine exactly who is at fault for each part of the accident, and he or she will make sure to name each party as a defendant in the claim.
What Types of Expenses Does a Greenville Motorcycle Accident Settlement Cover
The size of a motorcycle settlement varies from one case to the next. Factors that come into play include the cause of the accident, the severity of the injuries, and whether the victim will suffer lifelong complications.
In most cases, settlement amounts include:
- Medical bills that are connected to the accident
- Property damage costs
- Lost wages
- Compensation for pain and suffering
Trust an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer to Handle Your Motorcycle Accident Case
It’s in your best interest to contact one of our experienced attorneys and schedule a free consultation today. We’ll listen to the details of your case and help you determine if you should pursue legal action. We fight hard for your rights, allowing you to focus your time and energy on recovering from your injuries and getting back to work. Call the Hughey Law Firm today at (843) 881-8644, or contact us online, to speak with one of our personal injury attorneys. We proudly serve all of South Carolina, to include but not be limited to, Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Myrtle Beach, Summerville, Florence, Columbia, and Greenville.