A Rhode Island accident involving a motorcycle is usually much different from most common vehicle collisions. This is because the motorcyclist is often propelled from the bike during the accident, landing on the hard roadway or hitting other vehicles. The severe trajectory often causes catastrophic results involving significant injuries and sometimes death. If you were injured in a Providence motorcycle crash or a motorcycle wreck in Rhode Island then contact one of the best Rhode Island motorcycle accident lawyer.
Rhode Island motorcycle accident lawyer
Rhode Island Motorcycle accident Lawyer
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there are more than 100,000 accidents involving motorcycles in the United States every year. In most incidences, the accidents are the result of other motorists not seeing the motorcycle on the roadway or making irrational driving decisions when operating their vehicle around the bike.
Injured motorcyclist
In most situations, the injured motorcyclist is entitled to receive financial compensation from the drivers at fault for the accident to cover their injuries. However, the amount obtained in an out-of-court settlement is determined by severity of the injuries sustained and the skills of the RI motorcycle accident attorney or RI wrongful death lawyer representing the victim or the victims family. Insurance policy limitations might also affect the ultimate outcome.
“In 2014 motorcycle fatalities fell 2.3 percent to 4,586 from 4,692 in 2013. This was the second decrease in motorcyclist fatalities since 2009. In 2013, 56 out of every 100,000 registered motorcycles was involved in a fatal crash, compared with only 9 out of every 100,000 passenger cars, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2013 motorcyclists were about 26 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled and five times more likely to be injured, according to NHTSA.” Insurance information institute
Hiring a Rhode Island motorcycle accident lawyer
For most motorcycle riders injured in a vehicle accident, it is essential to consider hiring a Providence personal injury attorney who specializes in RI motorcycle accident claims. This is because obtaining compensation can be complex. In most scenarios, the motorcyclist has to overcome the stereotype of being an unruly rider handling the bike by disobeying the rules of the road.
Insurance carriers often make it difficult to recoup medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering endured by the motorcycle rider filing a claim. In many incidences, claims adjusters will attempt to deflect responsibility for the accident onto the biker and away from the motorist or large truck driver truly at fault. The insurance company will often send out case investigators to collect evidence of the accident scene and use the information to attempt to minimize or eliminate the final settlement amount. However, hiring a Rhode Island motorcycle accident attorney can circumvent this process. A skilled Rhode Island Personal injury lawyer can dispute any charge by the defendant upon this insurance company. In addition, the attorney can provide an aggressive successful legal defense to obtain adequate recompense for the injured motorcyclists.
Sadly, many motorcycle accidents in RI are fatal necessitating wrongful death litigation in Providence Superior Court. A deadly accident claim must be pursued by the executor or administrator of the estate of the person killed in the deadly crash.
The Need for Compensation
Injuries sustained in a Rhode Island motorcycle accident are often devastating and permanent. In many incidences, the biker is left with life altering changes that require learning to walk again, or accepting the fact that will never be able to walk again. Skilled RI bike crash attorneys handling motorcycle claims often represent clients who have suffered serious injuries that include:
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and head injury causing permanent damage
• Permanent or temporary paralysis including quadriplegia & paraplegia
• Spinal cord injury
• Permanent organ damage
• Disfigurement and scarring
• Leg, ankle and knee injuries
• Neck and head injuries
• Arm and hand injuries
• Amputation
Preparing the motorcycle crash case
To be successful in obtaining financial compensation, the skilled RI injury attorney will need to prepare the claim for negotiation with the insurance company or to take the case to trial. The motorcycle accident attorney in Rhode Island will need to prove the case’s validity by determining three specific factors including:
• The other motorist responsible for the accident acted negligently
• The other motorists at fault for the accident had the responsibility to avoid hurting the motorcyclist
• The injuries sustained by the motorcyclist are the direct result of the other driver’s negligence. In addition, the injuries have generated monetary damages including lost wages, medical expenses or non-monetary damages including pain, suffering, emotional distress or anxiety
Motorcycle accident
The motorcycle accident 2010 statistics are filled with this type of motorcycle accident death news that shows how many bikers were killed. This does not include the motorcyclist that was traveling at high speed or that was doing some maneuvers that led to the crash. Instead it is outside circumstances led to the accident resulting in death.
39 percent of motorcyclists killed not wearing helmets
“According to the latest data available from the Federal Highway Administration, there were 8.4 million private and commercial motorcycles on U.S. roads in 2014, compared with 8.0 million in 2009. 2014 Crash Data: According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2014, 4,586 people died in motorcycle crashes, down 2.3 percent from 4,692 in 2013. In 2014, 39 percent of those motorcyclists killed were not wearing helmets, down from 41 percent in 2013. In 2014, 92,000 motorcyclists were injured, up 4.5 percent from 88,000 in 2013, almost as many as the 93,000 injured in 2012. 2013 Crash Data: According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2013, 4,668 people died in motorcycle crashes, down 6.4 percent from 4,986 in 2012. According to the latest data available from the Federal Highway Administration, there were 8.4 million private and commercial motorcycles on U.S. roads in 2013, compared with 8.0 million in 2009.Over the nine years from 2004 to 2013, fatalities among the 40-and-older age group increased by 39 percent, according to NHTSA, compared to 16 percent for all ages. Motorcyclists were about 26 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled in 2013 and five times more likely to be injured, according to NHTSA. The fatality rate per registered vehicle for motorcyclists in 2013 was six times the fatality rate for passenger car occupants, according to NHTSA.” iii.org
The United States Center for Disease Control strongly recommends helmets to prevent fatal motorcycle accidents as well as brain injuries in Rhode Island (RI) and across the United States. The CDC recommends universal helmet laws for all motorcyclists. Helmets also prevent severe econcussions resulting from motor vehicle and car accidents in Rhode Island
“…the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) has estimated helmets to be
about 37 percent effective in preventing fatalities” NHTSA
Thankfully, the word is getting out. According to the NHTSB, helmet use increased from 48 percent in 2005 to 67 percent in 2009, a 19 percent increase. Helmets reduce motorcycle accident deaths and lead to a decrease in traumatic head injuries as a result of bike collisions!
However, In Rhode Island not all bikers are required to wear helmets while operating their motorcycle. RI Law § 31-10.1-4 sets forth the RI Motorcycle Helmet Law Required equipment by stating in pertinent part “… Any operator under the age of twenty-one (21) shall wear a helmet of a type approved by the administrator of motor vehicles. In addition, all new operators, regardless of age, shall be required, for a period of one year from the date of issuance of the first license pursuant to § 31-10.1-1, to wear a helmet of a type approved by said administrator”
The CDC also recommends basic safety precautions for RI bikers and bikers across the nation. These safety precautions include:
- “Wear protective clothing that provides some level of injury protection. Upper body clothing should also include bright colors or reflective materials, so that other motorists can more easily see you.”
- “Maintain a safe speed and exercise caution when traveling over slippery surfaces or gravel.“
The National Highway Safety Administration emphasizes the need for motor vehicle operators to “share the road” with motorcycles and bikes.
If you or a loved one was injured in a bike crash in Rhode Island or Massachusetts, please contact Attorney David Slepkow at 401-437-1100. It is important that an injured victim retain a RI Motorcycle Accident Attorney or a Providence Personal Injury Lawyer. In the event of a fatal RI Bike crash then contact a Providence Wrongful Death Attorney.
Motorcycle Crash Statistics:
- 2001-2008; 34,000 fatal deaths related to motorcycle accidents
- over 1.2 million non-deadly injuries treated in emergency rooms
- Most fatalities and injuries were from 20-24 year old age group
- Bike crash death rates increased over 50 percent from 2001- to 2002
“In 2010, 4,502 motorcyclists were killed—a slight increase from the 4,469 motorcyclists killed in 2009. There were 82,000 motorcyclists injured during 2010, a decrease from 90,000 in 2009.”
As the weather gets warmer, we see an increased number of motorcycles on the streets, roads and highways of Rhode Island and across the United States.
Motorcycle safety and helmet use
Sadly, the increased prevalence of bikes on the highways and through streets of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts (MA) results in an increased amount of serious motorcycle accidents with cars resulting in personal injury as well as fatal motorcycle wrecks. Motorcycle helmets as well as proper motorcycle safety gear can prevent serious injuries, traumatic head injuries and fatalities. Sadly and unbelievably, only half of the States mandate helmets for ALL cyclists! GHSA
RI has no universal motorcycle law
Rhode Island is not one of those states that requires universal helmet use among ALL scooter, chopper*, cycle and motorcycle drivers. Unbelievably, three states have no helmet laws for bikers! The States of Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire have absolutely no LAWS requiring helmet usage to prevent serious injury in a Motor Bike accident!! Id. It is difficult to understand how people can still engage in motorcycling without proper protective gear such as helmets.
Injury attorney Lapin speaks out
According to Nebraska Motorcycle accident Attorney, Jeff Lapin “The statistics are alarming for accidents caused by driver distraction. “Distracted driving” is usually defined as “any cognitive, manual and/or visual non-driving activity that diverts a driver’s attention away from driving.”
The states who do not require helmets for ALL motorcyclists, bikers and scooter operators largely mandate helmets for younger or inexperienced motorcycle operators. ID
Rhode Island falls within the states that do not require all motorcyclists to wear a protective helmet. Rhode Island Motorcycle Helmet law: § 31-10.1-4 Required Equipment. -“. Any operator under the age of twenty-one (21) shall wear a helmet of a type approved by the administrator of motor vehicles. In addition, all new operators, regardless of age, shall be required, for a period of one year from the date of issuance of the first license pursuant to § 31-10.1-1, to wear a helmet of a type approved by said administrator.”
RI motorcycle helmet law
RI has a penalty of $85 for a violation of its helmet ordinances if a cyclist (operator) is caught driving with no motorcycle helmet. R.I.G.L 31-10.1-4 A motorcycle passenger will also be $85 lighter in the wallet for not wearing a helmet while riding on a motorcycle. RI Law 31-10.1-6 We all know that individual motorized transportation is very popular in RI, the capital city of Rhode Island, Providence, and across the world. Sadly, there are hundreds of motorcycle accidents in Rhode Island each year causing injuries and even death.
If you were injured in a RI Motorcycle accident, please contact a RI bike accident attorney or Rhode Island motorcycle accident attorney. If your loved one, spouse or husband was killed in a fatal motorcycle collision then contact a Rhode Island wrongful death lawyer.
A skilled East Providence personal injury attorney or Rhode Island wrongful death attorney who specializes in motorcycle accidents will use proven methods to determine the actual value of the case. The Warwick, Cranston, Woonsocket or Pawtucket lawyer will gather all the necessary evidence to determine what the parties are at fault before negotiating a financial settlement with all parties responsible for the accident. If necessary, the RI motorcycle accident lawyer will build the case to take the trial in the event that an adequate settlement cannot be reached.