Vehicle Accidents - Motorcycle Accidents
There is nothing low-key about motorcycling. It’s both a vastly rewarding pastime and, under all-too-common circumstances, a dangerous one, especially when others (namely, manufacturers and fellow drivers) are negligent. Indeed, over the past decade, motorcycle fatalities have been on the rise, having increased from 2,115 in 1997 to an all-time high of 4,810 in 2006, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). When riding a motorcycle, there is little room for error. But unfortunately, as prudent as a motorcyclist may be, there is little he or she can do about someone else’s errors. And riders are suffering harm more disproportionately than any other type of motor vehicle operator. While motorcycle fatalities accounted for 5 percent of all traffic crash deaths in 1997, they made up 11 percent in 2005, with motorcyclists under age 40 suffering the greatest increases.
Protective gear has helped motorcycle riders survive crashes -- but it is not a panacea. In fact, the NHTSA, which has been compiling fatal motor vehicle crash data since 1975, has found that about 35 percent of helmeted motorcyclists killed in crashes between 2000 and 2002 suffered head injuries. Just as alarming, by 2005, the motorcycle fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered vehicles -- compared with 14 for every 100,000 automobiles.
What motorcyclists, and their families, can control is what they do after an accident occurs. Motorcycle crashes can be life-altering events, but the law provides the means for obtaining redress, and answers, when negligence has caused harm. At Mary Alexander & Associates, we’ve been litigating motor vehicle crashes -- including motorcycle accidents -- for more than a quarter of a century, and that hasn’t just taught us how to litigate these cases. It has taught us how to understand, and leverage, the nuances that mean the difference between winning and losing. We rely on the countless tactics we’ve learned over the years -- and on one overriding strategy: To make our client’s best interests our only interest.
Protective gear has helped motorcycle riders survive crashes -- but it is not a panacea. In fact, the NHTSA, which has been compiling fatal motor vehicle crash data since 1975, has found that about 35 percent of helmeted motorcyclists killed in crashes between 2000 and 2002 suffered head injuries. Just as alarming, by 2005, the motorcycle fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered vehicles -- compared with 14 for every 100,000 automobiles.
What motorcyclists, and their families, can control is what they do after an accident occurs. Motorcycle crashes can be life-altering events, but the law provides the means for obtaining redress, and answers, when negligence has caused harm. At Mary Alexander & Associates, we’ve been litigating motor vehicle crashes -- including motorcycle accidents -- for more than a quarter of a century, and that hasn’t just taught us how to litigate these cases. It has taught us how to understand, and leverage, the nuances that mean the difference between winning and losing. We rely on the countless tactics we’ve learned over the years -- and on one overriding strategy: To make our client’s best interests our only interest.
