A recent crash in Louisiana demonstrated how so many motorcycle riders are injured in motorcycle accidents because a driver of a vehicle is not paying attention to them. A driver of a 2006 Chevy HHR decided to take a left hand turn and collided with a Harley Davidson motorcycle rider.

The motorcycle rider and all three occupants in the Chevy were injured and taken to the hospital. Fortunately, none of the four individuals taken to the hospital received life threatening injuries. However, the driver of the Chevy HHR did receive citations for a failure to yield, driving without insurance, and driving without registration.

Though I hesitate to call a rider fortunate, most motorcycle accidents end up being much more severe than this one. Debilitation, pain and physical suffering can be long term, and just as frequently motorcycle riders do not survive the crash.

The rider of the motorcycle may face additional obstacles other than the injuries he received in this accident. Since the driver of the vehicle is uninsured, the rider may have to rely on money received from his own insurance company and then possibly try to find additional streams of revenue to pay for medical expenses and any lost wages he may endure.

For all of these reasons, motorcycle riders injured due to someone else's negligence probably will require the advice of legal counsel experienced in litigating motorcycle accidents. No matter how careful a motorcycle rider is on the road, there is little that such a rider can do in the face of other drivers failing to yield or simply not paying attention to motorcycle riders on the road.

Source: Shreveport Times, "Crash on Easy Street injures four," Feb. 17, 2012