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Las Vegas Motorcycle Accident attorneys
Southern Nevada makes a great home for motorcycle enthusiasts. Whatever your ride, whether it is a cruiser, chopper, sportbike, or adventure bike, Las Vegas and its surrounding areas provide open scenery, relatively well-kept roads, and weather that allows for comfortable riding into late winter. Despite the great things about riding in the Las Vegas area, there are a lot of motorcycle accidents.
When these accidents occur, the team at SJW Injury Attorneys is here to represent you. The attorneys at SJW are avid riders who understand the passion for motorcycling that most riders share. We also understand the risks riders face every time they are on the road. This also gives us the unique knowledge and perspective needed to represent riders after a crash. If you were involved in a crash, we will work with you every step of the way towards getting your life back on track, including getting your motorcycle repaired, getting you the medical care you need, and getting you full and fair compensation for what you have been through.
Even minor motorcycle accidents can be much more traumatic than car accidents, often causing greater injuries to the motorcycle rider than the car’s driver or its passengers. Since riders are not protected like the occupants of a car, motorcycle accidents often cause extensive injuries to the motorcyclist. Sadly, the injuries resulting from a motorcycle crash can often include spine and brain injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and even death.
According to the Nevada Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcycle accidents resulted in nearly 5,000 fatalities in 2018. That makes motorcycle riders 28 times more likely to die in a motorcycle accident than the occupants of a vehicle involved in a crash.
The most common area injured in a motorcycle accident is the lower extremities; meaning the area below the waist.
The following are a few injuries you could be facing after a motorcycle accident:
- Fractures
- Abrasions or Road Rash
- Brain Injuries
- Neck and Back Injuries
- Burns
- Nerve damage
- Organ damage
- Torn Ligaments
- Amputations
- Even Death
If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident, seek immediate medical care. Often, injuries appear minor at the scene of the wreck but can cause greater pain in the following days and can be much more serious than they initially appear.
It is also important to remember that even minor car crashes can cause confusion, disorientation, and high levels of adrenaline, allowing injuries to go unnoticed at the scene of an accident. This means that riders who are hurt and even very seriously hurt can be unaware of their injuries until well after the actual crash. This is why it is so important to seek medical attention right after a crash. Even if you don’t notice serious injuries right away, you may be much more hurt than you realize. Allowing a doctor to properly identify the injuries you sustained, and get you the treatment you need, is not just important but could potentially save your life.
Making sure you receive the proper testing and medical care immediately following an accident, can also result in a faster recovery and strengthen your case, should you decide to pursue a claim. Amongst other things, it makes it harder for the insurance companies to falsely deny you were injured or that your injuries resulted from the crash – which they are likely to do.
If you were in a motorcycle accident and have questions about your medical treatment, feel free to give us a call or come by SJW Injury Attorneys and speak with one of the lawyers at our firm.
Motorcycle Accident Related Injuries
What To Do At The Scene Of A Motorcycle Crash
Again, the first thing to do at the scene of a motorcycle crash is to carefully assess the seriousness of your injuries. Next, and only if you are safely able to do so, check on the safety of any other riders in your group. Unfortunately, an automobile may hit more than one motorcyclist during the same crash. So, if the other riders in your group are not immediately present, try to locate them. If they were also involved in the crash, try to determine if they are in immediate danger.
Once you have checked on yourself and any other riders in your group, check on the driver of the car or truck involved. Even though cars and trucks provide significant protection, the vehicle’s driver and passengers can still sustain significant injuries after crashing into a motorcycle. Moreover, the crash may have been the result of some other emergency, such as the driver having a seizure or heart attack. If so, the vehicle occupants may need immediate help.
Next, if you are able, see if your motorcycle is posing a danger to anyone else on the road. If it is, see if someone can safely move it for you. As most riders understand, motorcycles are heavy and difficult to stand up once they are laying on the ground. As such, you should not attempt to lift or move your motorcycle yourself after a crash. Only move your motorcycle if it is absolutely necessary to protect the safety of others and, even then, you should first seek the help of someone else. Moving your bike yourself should be an absolute last resort.
If you have access to a phone, you should always call the police immediately. This is true even if the accident was relatively minor. Do not let anyone convince you it is not necessary to contact the police. Even if the driver of the car or truck that hits you admits that they were at fault, it is not unusual for people to deny responsibility at a later date.
Unfortunately, anytime a motorcyclist is hit by a car or truck, they are almost certainly injured. If you believe that you or someone else may have been hurt, you should always request medical assistance right away. Misjudging the severity of an accident-related injury is common and because people may not feel pain immediately, or because people simply hope the pain will go away on its own, a lot of people do not think they need to see a doctor after an accident. This is true even if any injuries seem minor, as the adrenaline the body often produces right after getting hit on a bike can make it difficult to detect how serious an injury really is. For more on what to do while at the scene of a motorcycle crash, see our discussion of what to do at the scene of any auto accident. It describes the importance of things like gathering evidence and talking to witnesses. You can also find information regarding vehicle repairs, which also apply to motorcycle repairs in the previous link, and what to do and what to do after a crash.
Like most states, before you can legally operate a motorcycle in Nevada, you must first obtain a Class M license from the Nevada DMV. While many states refer to this licensing requirement as a motorcycle endorsement, it is substantively the same as Nevada’s licensing requirement. The important thing is to obtain the class M license before riding in Nevada. If you already have a motorcycle endorsement or a Class M license in other states, the Nevada DMV may allow you to transfer it.
Motorcyclists are entitled to use an entire traffic lane while riding. That means that a driver of a car cannot drive alongside a motorcycle in the same lane. Drivers must leave enough room when driving near motorcycles for riders to travel safely.
The Nevada Helmet Law dictates the helmet requirements for motorcyclists and their passengers. As of October 1, 2019, Nevada has modified the law regarding motorcycle helmet requirements making it mandatory for riders and passengers of three-wheeled vehicles and mopeds to wear safety helmets as well.
Some motorcyclists take advantage of the narrow size of their motorcycles and attempt to advance in slow-moving traffic by traveling between lanes. However, this practice is illegal in Nevada. While riders are not allowed to split lanes, they can share a lane with another motorcycle if both riders consent.
