Are you already in need of a Washington DC Motorcycle Accident Attorney?

Anyone searching for a top motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC can offer may already know that injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents can be especially traumatic. For a number of reasons, motorcycles tend to present a higher risk for riders, compared to the risks associated with passenger cars:

• Motorcycles are less visible to other drivers
• Small road hazards and inclement weather may affect a motorcycle more than a car, truck, or SUV
• Motorcycles tend to be smaller, lighter, and less stable than four-wheel vehicles
• Motorcyclists have far less protection in the event of a crash

Helmets and Your Motorcycle Accident Claim: A Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Washington DC Trust’s Opinion

The dangers of motorcycle accidents — and the severity of injuries — are fairly clear when looking at some recent statistics. According to 2014 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation:

• Fatal motorcycle accidents are more likely to occur in urban areas, like Washington DC, rather than rural areas. The percentages for these fatalities is 55% and 44%, respectively.
• Motorcyclist fatalities account for 13% of all motor vehicle fatalities.
• Per mile traveled, researchers estimate that motorcyclists are 26 times more likely to be killed in an accident, compared to drivers and passengers in cars.

At Cohen and Cohen, P.C., we believe that every motorcyclist has the right to drive through the streets of Washington DC safely — and to pursue monetary damages when another driver causes an accident. When injured residents wish to take legal action and pursue damages for a motorcycling accident, they know that our firm can provide a good motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC drivers trust.

One common misconception about motorcycle accidents and injuries is that a motorcyclist may not pursue an injury claim if he or she was not wearing a helmet when the accident occurred. Although this misconception is not necessarily true, it’s important for anyone contacting a motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC respects to understand how helmet laws may affect a personal injury claim.

The Effectiveness of Wearing a Helmet

Several states throughout the country have mandated that motorcyclists wear helmets while driving or riding as a passenger. As any motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC can provide may agree, anyone riding a motorcycle is making a wise decision to wear a helmet, even if his or her state does not mandate it.

Helmet use is by no means a guarantee that riders will survive a serious car accident, but research shows that helmets and other protective gear may be able to provide essential protection in a life-threatening accident.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows some very revealing information about helmet use:

• For every 100 motorcyclists killed in an accident while not wearing a helmet, 37 riders could have survived the accident.
• For every unhelmeted 100 motorcyclists who sustain serious brain injuries in an accident, 67 of those riders could have avoided a brain injury by wearing a helmet.

Helmet Laws in the U.S.

The vast majority of states have some form of legislation mandating that at least some riders wear helmets; typically, this means that a driver must be wearing a helmet but passengers are not required to wear one. Other states have laws mandating that both drivers and passengers on motorcycles be wearing some form of protective head gear.

As any experienced motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC trusts will know, many serious injuries and fatalities occur even when motorcyclists are wearing protective gear. The severity of a motorcyclist’s injuries may have more to do with mistakes made by another driver.

How Helmet Laws Could Affect Injury Claims

When serious injuries result from a motorcycle accident, the injured rider may wish to seek legal counsel from a motorcycle accident lawyer in Washington DC. If a rider did not sustain any head or neck injuries during the crash, the use of a helmet (or lack thereof) may be less likely to impact that person’s injury claim. If a rider sustains a broken bone in the foot, for example, the use of a helmet probably wouldn’t have helped prevent the injury.

When a rider does sustain a head or neck injury in a motorcycle accident, the person’s use of a helmet — or failure to use a helmet — could impact a personal injury claim. Motorcyclists who encounter one of the following situations may find that it is in their best interest to contact a motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC trusts for assistance in a personal injury case:

If the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet and sustained a head, neck, or brain injury in an accident, and…

• The state law requires motorcyclists to wear helmets: It is possible that the motorcyclist failure to abide by the law could impact his or her injury claim in a negative way. If the motorcyclist sustains other injuries that could not have been prevented by using a helmet, an experienced Washington DC motorcycle accident lawyer could still help the person reclaim financial losses for those other injuries. Depending on the situation, the individual may be able to claim compensation for head, neck, or brain injuries.

• The state law does not require motorcyclists to wear helmets: The court may still decide that the motorcyclist was partially responsible for his or her injuries — even if the state does not have a law requiring riders to wear helmets.

In both of these cases, working with a competent motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC drivers trust may be able to increase the person’s chances of winning a favorable settlement. Although helmets lower the risk of sustaining a brain injury or a life-threatening injury to the head and neck, helmets do not entirely eliminate the chance of these injuries. According to the NHTSA data referenced above, 67 motorcycle injuries could probably be prevented with the use of a helmet — but that still leaves 33 cases where the NHTSA believes a helmet wouldn’t have helped prevent the injury.

Working with a good Washington DC motorcycle accident lawyer will not guarantee that injured motorcyclists will obtain reasonable compensation — but because these cases often depend upon such small details, a trusted personal injury lawyer may be able to help.

Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Washington DC Trusts

If you have sustained an injury due to a motorcycle accident, regardless of the injury you’ve sustained, you may wish to take legal action and seek compensatory damages. For more information on how Cohen and Cohen, P.C. could help you seek compensation, contact our firm today by calling our local DC office at (202) 999-3284. We’re proud to be a motorcycle accident lawyer Washington DC drivers can turn to after a serious accident.