Motorcyclists in California have their bodies more exposed to the impact of roadway crashes than individuals riding inside of vehicles. It is important for riders to know what parts of their bodies have the greatest likelihood of being injured in a motorcycle accident.
The Centers for Disease Control reviewed the records of 1,222,000 people who received emergency care in the United States from 2001 to 2008 for non-fatal injuries related to motorcycle use. When the agency took note of the injuries as they related to the location on the body, it determined that injuries to the feet and legs accounted for 30 percent of non-fatal motorcycle injuries.
Trauma to the neck and head were the next most common type of non-fatal motorcycle injury (accounting for 22 percent of the total). Injuries of the upper truck, including the back, chest and shoulders, were next, followed by hand and arm injuries and then lower truck injuries, such as those in the pelvis and hips.
Although the data collected by the CDC provides valuable insight about where on the body a motorcyclist is likely to sustain an injury, it does not specify the severity of the injuries. It also does not specify if wearing the right type of safety gear was a factor in the occurrences of the injuries. However, the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine conducted a study intended to distinguish between the injuries occurring in young and old motorcyclists. The researchers noted how helmet use affected injuries.
A personal injury attorney may pursue financial compensation on behalf of motorcyclists who have been injured in accidents that resulted from the negligent driving behavior of another party. Negligent parties may be held liable for the failure to yield or distracted driving.