Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
In a report that was recently published in the journal Injury Prevention, researchers claim motorcyclists over age 60 are three times more likely to sustain a serious injury in a crash than their younger counterparts. As part of the study, researchers at Brown University reportedly analyzed motorcycle accident data included in the United States National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program between 2001 and 2008. The study authors then allegedly identified about 1.5 million collisions that involved a person over the age of 20 who received care at a hospital emergency room and divided the victims into three age groups. According to researchers, although motorcycle crash rates increased for all age groups between 2001 and 2008, injury rates for individuals over age 60 purportedly rose by nearly 250 percent. In addition, riders who were between the ages of 40 and 59 were purportedly twice as likely to be treated at a hospital after a wreck as younger motorcyclists.
Researchers claim that the two older age groups were significantly more likely to sustain a severe injury than those between the ages of 20 and 39. The most common injuries reportedly included broken bones and dislocations. The study authors claim older riders were at an increased risk for such injuries, especially near the rib cage. In addition, internal organ damage and traumatic brain injuries were also allegedly more likely to occur as a biker advanced in age. Regardless of age, researchers claim that approximately 85 percent of individuals hurt in a motorcycle crash across the nation are male.
Researchers stated the results of the study are particularly troubling because statistics demonstrate that an increasing number of older Americans are now driving motorcycles. In fact, the number of riders over age 50 increased from one in 10 to one in four between 1990 and 2003. Additionally, the age of injured motorcyclists purportedly increased steadily between 2000 and 2006. The study authors hypothesized that the rate and severity of injuries among older riders may have resulted from physiological changes such as decreased elasticity and weaker bones that normally occur with the aging process.
Too often, motorcycle riders are catastrophically hurt or killed when involved in a collision with another vehicle. Because riders are provided with little protection, motorcyclists may suffer paralysis, traumatic head and spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, fractured bones, or even death. Although some reportedly believe motorcyclists are more likely to engage in unsafe driving behavior, most motorcycle crashes in our state are caused by another driver’s negligence. Because Illinois is a comparative negligence accident state, a motorcycle rider may be eligible to recover financial damages for any injuries sustained in a wreck even if he or she was somehow partially to blame. If you or a loved one was injured a Chicago motorcycle accident, you should contact a skilled lawyer as soon as you are able.
If you were hurt in an unexpected motorcycle crash, please call Abels & Annes, P.C. at (312) 924-7575. At Abels & Annes, P.C., our experienced Chicago area motorcycle accident attorneys are available to assist you 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Our dedicated lawyers are committed to helping injured clients achieve the compensation they deserve following an unexpected injury accident. To speak with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney today, do not hesitate to contact Abels & Annes, P.C. through the law firm’s website.
More Blogs:
Proposed Federal Law Would Require Data Recorders in All New Vehicles Sold in Illinois and Nationwide, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, February 21, 2013
Orland Park Man Killed in Tragic Carroll County Single-Vehicle Crash, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, February 17, 2013
Additional Resources:
Older Motorcyclists More Likely To Be Severely Injured In Crashes, by Sarah Glynn, Medical News Today