Motorcycle accidents pose a unique risk because a rider is more vulnerable to injury in a motorcycle collision than when driving or riding in any other type of motor vehicle.  The two-wheel design of motorcycles means that they are far more prone to tip over leaving the almost completely unprotected motorcyclist especially exposed to catastrophic life-altering injuries.  While any motor vehicle accident victim may be vulnerable to injury, the medical and rehabilitative costs of motorcycle accident injuries can easily force a family to the brink of bankruptcy.  Because incapacitating injuries of this nature may result in permanent partial or total disability, the stakes in litigation are extremely high for those injured in Tennessee motorcycle collisions.

If you are involved in a motorcycle accident in Nashville or anywhere in Tennessee, you should be vigilant about preserving evidence that may be valuable for an accident reconstruction expert.  This means that you should do the following:

• Do not repair your bike because the accident reconstruction expert will need to observe all damage
• Safeguard any parts, components or other debris from the accident
• Maintain your clothes in the same condition without washing, repairing or discarding them
• Avoid any alteration or cleaning of your helmet

The insurance carrier for the driver of the other vehicle in a motorcycle accident will often fashion a defense strategy based on rider error to divert liability for the crash to someone other than the insurance carrier’ insured.  Accident reconstruction experts can often use the listed items, which might seem to the typical rider to be of little value in proving or disproving key issues about how the collision occurred.

There is other critical evidence that may be important, which can easily disappear so the sooner that you can get an accident reconstruction expert to the scene the better.  The accident reconstruction expert may measure distances and examine the physical characteristics of the accident scene to develop sound theories of liability.

The majority of the time those injured in motorcycle accidents will be compensated from a driver’s automobile liability insurance.  Insurance providers are adept at minimizing claims so it is strongly advisable to contact one of the experienced motorcycle accident attorneys at the Nahon Firm rather than communicating directly with the insurance company.  Our experienced motorcycle accident attorneys understand the types of information that insurance companies try to elicit from motorcycle crash victims that may damage a plaintiff’s motorcycle accident case.

Even if you are in only a single vehicle accident on a motorcycle, this does not necessarily mean that you do not have a valid Nashville motorcycle accident claim.  Sometimes single vehicle Tennessee motorcycle accidents may be caused by design flaws in the roadways or the failure to address physical road defects in a timely fashion.  In other cases, the motorcycle may have a product defect, which forms the basis for a product liability claim.  At the Nahon Firm, PLC, we will fight to help you win your Tennessee motorcycle accident case. We treat our clients with the utmost compassion and respect.  Call us today and speak with a Nashville motorcycle accident attorney to discuss the details of your case at (615) 324-2000.

There has been a recent trend to repeal or modify mandatory helmet laws for those who ride motorcycles over the course of the last decade.  The justifications for this trend are varied ranging from concerns about individual autonomy and personal choice to theories that motorcycle helmets may increase the likelihood or severity of a motorcycle accident.  The statistical evidence in states that have eliminated mandatory helmet laws for motorcycle riders suggests that mandatory helmet laws do save lives.

Some argue that motorcycle helmets cause more accidents by impairing visibility and hearing.  While actual impairment of either of these senses would make it more likely that a rider would be involved in a motorcycle accident, there is simply no evidence that motorcycle helmets have this impact.  Studies conducted all the way back in the 1970s to test this theory found that motorcycle helmets do not impair a rider’s vision or hearing.  Since this impairment of perception is the key argument behind the notion that mandatory helmet laws make motorcycle collisions more likely, there would appear to be no basis for this conclusion.

Advocates of repealing mandatory motorcycle helmet laws also argue that wearing a helmet can increase the risk of catastrophic injuries in the form of spinal cord damage.  The position that motorcycle helmets can cause cervical neck and back injuries is based on a 1984 study.  While the studies conclusions were defensible at the time, helmets are substantially lighter than when the study was conducted.  A more current study conducted by John Hopkins found that those who where motorcycle helmets are 22 percent less likely to suffer a spinal cord injury.

There is also an overwhelming body of evidence that motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of head injuries and fatalities.  Approximately 41 percent of those killed in motorcycle accidents are not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision.  Helmets are estimated to be 37 percent effective in preventing motorcycle accident fatalities.  The results of a Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System also study found that motorcycle helmets were 67 percent effective in preventing traumatic brain injuries and that the risk of suffering a brain injury was 400 percent higher when not wearing a helmet.

The bottom line is that motorcyclists have few options to protect themselves from negligent drivers.  Even if a motorcycle rider does everything perfectly, the lack of safety equipment associated with a motorcycle places riders at a serious risk of injury.  At the Nahon Firm, PLC, we will fight to help you win your Tennessee motorcycle accident case. We treat our clients with the utmost compassion and respect.  Call us today and speak with a Nashville motorcycle accident attorney to discuss the details of your case at (615) 324-2000.

While motorcycle use is increasing in popularity, serious injuries that result from motorcycle accidents also continue to rise.  While some of this increase is the result of the decision in a number of states to repeal mandatory helmet laws, the reality is that there has been little progress in making the roads safer for motorcyclists.  A report prepared for the Department of Transportation in 2010 reported that motorcycle accident fatalities had doubled during the previous decade.  There are many causes that contribute to serious motorcycle accidents, which may result in catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, decapitation, spinal cord injuries, amputation injuries and wrongful death.

If a rider understands the most common causes of serious motorcycle accidents, it is easier to employ counter-measures to reduce the risk of serious injury.  Almost a third of all motorcycle accidents are the result of a passenger vehicle driver not seeing a motorcycle.  Because motorcycles are relatively small, it is important to avoid traveling in a driver’s blind spot and to permit a cushion so that a passenger vehicle driver that attempts to move into your established space in the adjacent lane does not collide with your or cut you off.

There are other negligent practices that cause many motorcycle crashes, including the following:

• Speeding and/or reckless drivers
• Failure to check blind spots unsafe lane changes
• Defective motorcycle components
• Drunk or drugged driving
• Inattentive driving
• Failure to repair road defects like potholes, loose gravel or other debris

When a motorcyclist is subjected to negligence by the driver of another vehicle, public entity charged with roadway safety, or a motorcycle manufacturer that produces a defective motorcycle, the consequences can be devastating.  Motorcyclists involved in a collision are 25 times more likely to die and five times more likely to suffer injury than the occupant of a passenger vehicle like a car or SUV.

Because motorcycles require special knowledge and skill to ride, insurance carriers often allege that rider inexperience or error was a contributing cause of a Tennessee motorcycle collision.  Our experienced Tennessee motorcycle accident attorneys at the Nahon Firm employ leading motorcycle accident reconstruction experts so that we can conduct an effective investigation of our clients’ motorcycle accidents and develop a persuasive case for settlement negotiations and trial in Tennessee motorcycle accident cases.  At the Nahon Firm, PLC, we will fight to help you win your Tennessee motorcycle accident case. We treat our clients with the utmost compassion and respect.  Call us today and speak with a Nashville motorcycle accident attorney to discuss the details of your case at (615) 324-2000.

Adverse weather is one of the most dangerous risk factors for motor vehicle collisions regardless of the type of vehicle.  This is never truer than when riding a motorcycle.  The best advice for motorcycle enthusiast is to avoid riding in bad weather.  Adverse weather amplifies all of the disadvantages of riding a bike and makes riders exponentially more vulnerable to being involved in a dangerous collision.  Rain, snow, fog and even strong wind can be extremely dangerous both because they may contribute to negligent driving by passenger vehicle drivers and because they make it much harder to handle one’s motorcycle.

One of the main ways that adverse weather like rain and snow put motorcyclists at risk is that it reduces traction making it more difficult to stop in an emergency.  When a motorcyclist is forced to stop suddenly on a wet slippery roadway, there is a serious risk that the motorcycle may skid and fishtail.  While most motorcyclists know that is a bad idea to ride in the snow, there are many motorcyclists that are not deterred by rain.  The slick roadway combined with the inability of motorcyclists to slam on the brakes to begin with can make riding in the rain extremely treacherous.  If it has not rained for a while, the first rains of the season also may result in additional hazards caused by the accumulation of oils in the roadway.  Motorcycles are particularly vulnerable to a lack of traction because they have only two wheels.

Hydroplaning is another rain based accident risk that faces motorcyclists.  Hydroplaning occurs when a layer of water separates the roadway from the treads of a vehicle’s tires so that the vehicle is essentially drifting on a layer of water rather than maintaining contact with the road surface.  The lack of traction means that the driver has very limited control of the vehicle.  When you hydroplane while riding a motorcycle, you effectively lose the ability to steer, brake or accelerate.  Given the lack of protection if you lay your bike down or collide with another vehicle, hydroplaning on a motorcycle can result in horrific motorcycle accidents.

Fog is also extremely dangerous to ride in because motorcycles are more difficult for drivers to see even in perfect conditions.  Drivers of passenger vehicles that do not see motorcyclists are a leading cause of motorcycle accidents in Nashville and throughout Tennessee.  When the relatively small size of motorcycles is combined with dense fog, drivers of passenger vehicles may not even realize a motorcycle is close by until they feel the force of impact in a motorcycle collision.  Fog also inhibits motorcycle riders who need more time to respond to road hazards and disruptions in the flow of traffic.  The lack of visibility caused by fog can rob a motorcyclist of the critical moments needed to avert a serious Tennessee motorcycle collision.

Because of the vulnerability of motorcycles to tipping over, even riding in strong winds can cause a rider to lose control of his or her bike.  The recent collision involving the former head football coach at the University of Arkansas was reportedly caused by a powerful gust of wind.  Riding motorcycles can be one of the most exciting ways to get around, but you must always keep in mind that riders are far more exposed to the impact of adverse weather.  Weather makes it harder for you to respond to careless drivers of passenger vehicles, especially those drivers of cars, truck and SUVs who make no adjustments to their driving behavior in bad weather.  At the Nahon Firm, PLC, we will fight to help you win your Tennessee motorcycle accident case. We treat our clients with the utmost compassion and respect.  Call us today and speak with a Nashville motorcycle accident attorney to discuss the details of your case at (615) 324-2000.

This is the second installment in our series of articles designed to address specific questions that we frequently receive regarding Tennessee motorcycle accidents.  Motorcycles require a special set of physical and mental skills that are not required for the safe operation of a four wheeled vehicle.  Because motorcycles are less crashworthy, harder to see and less stable, motorcycle riders face a higher risk of suffering incapacitating injuries.  We receive many questions from motorcycle accident victims in Nashville and elsewhere in Tennessee so we have provided answers to some of these questions below:

What if the driver that caused my motorcycle accident does not have insurance?

While the fact that the driver that hit you when riding a motorcycle does not have insurance poses difficulties, our experienced Nashville motorcycle accidents can explore other avenues for recovery.  The person that struck you while driving negligently may have assets, such real property against which we can enforce a personal injury judgment.  Alternatively, there may be more than one driver whose unsafe conduct contributed to the accident.  If these options for recovery are not available, we may explore other potential defendants including the driver’s employer, the owner of the vehicle or other responsible third party that was not involved in the collision.  There is also a chance that the roadway itself was unsafe or the bike was defective; this may give rise to a lawsuit against the government entity that designed or services the road or the vehicle manufacturer.  Even if none of these options are available, we may be able facilitate a claim against your own uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.

Are injuries from motorcycle accidents really more dangerous than cars, trucks and SUV?

There is no question that statistically motorcycles are more likely to be involved in a collision, and the resulting injuries or chance of fatalities is much greater.  A motorcyclist is 25 times more likely to die in a collision then someone traveling in a passenger vehicle according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Do motorcycle helmets really make a difference?

Motorcycle helmets are more than 40 percent effective for preventing fatalities in motorcycle accidents for passengers and 37 percent effective for motorcycle drivers.  Since a number of states began repealing their mandatory motorcycle helmet laws fatality rates in those states have consistently increased.

Does riding a motorcycle with anti-lock brakes (ABS) make a motorcycle much safer?

Braking when operating a motorcycle is much more complicated and requires greater skill than braking in a passenger vehicle.  Because motorcycles have independent controls for the front and rear brakes, braking hard during an emergency can cause the brakes to lock up causing the bike to flip over.  If the rider overcompensates by not braking hard enough, the rider may not stop in time to avoid a collision.  ABS permit the motorcycle operator to brake hard suddenly without risk of locking up the brakes.  ABS systems release brake pressure and then restores it when the motorcycle tire traction has been restored.

If you or a family member is injured in a motorcycle accident in Nashville or anywhere in Tennessee or a loved one dies, our experienced motorcycle accident attorneys at the Nahon Firm are committed to fighting for the compensation motorcycle accident victims need to recover and rebuild their lives.  While we invite you to read Part III of this FAQ if you have more questions about Tennessee motorcycle accidents, the best way to obtain specific detailed information about your situation is to call us to schedule a free initial consultation.  At the Nahon Firm, PLC, we will fight to help you win your Tennessee motorcycle accident case.  We treat our clients with the utmost compassion and respect.  Call us today and speak with a Nashville motorcycle accident attorney to discuss the details of your case at (615) 324-2000.