Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries in Ohio

These Are Frequent Motorcycle Accident Injuries Our Lawyers See

Every part of your body is vulnerable in a motorcycle accident. You don’t have the protection that a frame of a car provides. Slamming into another vehicle or the ground can cause severe damage.

The HNB motorcycle accident attorneys handle all types of motorcycle injury cases. Some of the most common injuries and situations our lawyers see include:

Road Rash. Road rash occurs when your body skids along the pavement, either after you’ve been thrown from your bike, or your bike is tipped over at speed. Signs of road rash include red or swollen areas, missing patches of skin and bleeding. The injured area may be extremely painful or numb, indicating nerve damage.

Brain Injuries and Concussions. Damage to your brain, known as a traumatic brain injury (TBI), is common in motorcycle accidents. Symptoms include headaches, swelling, dizziness, difficulty seeing, difficulty speaking. These can dissipate or last permanently.

While optional for adult motorcycle riders under Ohio law, helmets protect against TBIs, reduce complications after an injury and shorten hospital stays.

A 2023 study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that 60 percent of helmet wearers recovered, while 64 percent of non-helmeted riders did not.

Spinal Cord Injuries. Motorcycle accidents most often impact the middle and upper back, said another NIH study. That can damage the spinal cord and lead to partial or total paralysis.

Bone Fractures. Most fractures in motorcycle accidents damage the legs, arms, hands, and feet, but there are instances of fractured skulls, ribs, vertebrae, and facial bones as well. Severe pain in one area immediately after the accident, sensitivity to touch, or surging pain when you try to move a certain body part can indicate a fracture.

Leg and Foot Fractures. Lower limb fractures are the most common type in motorcycle accidents in the NIH data. About one out of every five motorcycle-related fractures damages the lower leg. The most common foot injury is a break in the metatarsals—the long bones in the top of your foot.

Chest and Abdominal Injuries. Damage to the central body in a motorcycle accident can be catastrophic. Broken ribs, internal bleeding, and punctured or damaged organs can all lead to long hospital stays, infections and death.

Nerve Damage and Paralysis. Damage to your nervous system is common in motorcycle accidents. The effects can be temporary or permanent. Pain, numbness, tingling, or spasms can indicate damage to your nerve cells. You may be unable to move the affected area—a telltale sign of paralysis. NIH numbers found almost 20% of motorcycle accident victims experienced some form of nerve damage.

Dislocated Joints. The impact of a motorcycle accident can cause your bones to pop out of their sockets, causing severe pain and tenderness at the joint. Emergency rooms see dislocations in shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, hips and knees. Recovery often requires popping the bone back into the joint, immobilizing it, and allowing time to heal.

Muscle, Ligament and Tendon Injuries. Known as tears, sprains and strains, these injuries are common in motorcycle accidents and often accompany other trauma. Ligaments attach your bones to other bones. Tendons attach your muscles to bones. Pain and soreness, swelling and bruising, weakness and loss of mobility are indicators of damage to your muscles, ligaments or tendons.

Herniated Disc Injuries. Your body twists in unnatural ways when you’re in a motorcycle accident, which can lead to a herniated disc in your spine. Also known as a slipped disc or ruptured disc, this is damage to the soft tissue that absorbs shocks for your vertebrae. Sharp pain, numbness, tingling, weakened muscles, and inability to lift objects or bend over are symptoms of a herniated disc.

If you’ve suffered a traumatic injury that wasn’t your fault, you deserve financial compensation to cover the costs of medical treatment, rehabilitation, and the blow to your everyday life.

At HNB Law, we have helped injured Ohioans collect more than $500,000.00 million in awards, benefits and settlements. 

Some drivers seem to want to mistreat, scold or run off the road people on two wheels. HNB respects motorcyclists, understands the joy that comes from riding, and stands up for your freedom. We’re there for you when someone’s recklessness upturns your world.

We’ll look at your case for free, and you don’t pay an attorney fee until we’ve won you the compensation you’re entitled to receive.

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