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How can you speed up your recovery after a motorcycle accident?

By Ken Gibson on January 10, 2022

Motorcycles are smaller, lighter, less visible, and less stable than cars. Motorcycle riders lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, so they are vulnerable to serious injuries in a crash. Depending on the nature, severity, and extent of injuries, recovery from a wreck can take weeks, months, even years. Some riders never recover completely from certain motorcycle injuries.

What are the most severe types of motorcycle injuries?

Even if you just lay down your bike to avoid a head-on impact, you are going to get hurt. Even worse, motorcyclists can be thrown from the bike in a collision with nothing to protect them but their helmet and gear. They are vulnerable to a wide range of injuries, from minor to life-threatening. Some of the most severe injuries in motorcycle accidents include:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI): Without seat belts, riders are often ejected from the bike in a crash. A rider may suffer trauma to the brain when the head collides with the roadway or an object. Among other symptoms, severe TBI can lead to memory loss, behavioral changes, cognitive issues, and decreased mobility or range of motion.
• Internal injuries: The trauma of a motorcycle crash can cause internal bleeding and other internal injuries. Organ damage may involve the lungs, heart, liver, or spleen. Internal injuries in a motorcycle accident may be caused by blunt force trauma or by penetrating trauma, when a sharp object penetrates the body.
• Spinal cord injury: Motorcyclists who are hit by a car and thrown from their bike can suffer severe trauma. In many cases, the back and neck are seriously injured. These types of injury can lead to partial or total paralysis.
• Road rash: When the skin scrapes across a rough surface, the outer layer can be ripped away. Road rash – a friction burn or skin abrasion — is a common injury when a rider is thrown from the bike and slides along the pavement. Glass, rocks, and foreign objects may become embedded in the skin. In severe road rash cases, muscle and bone may be visible.
• Bone fractures: Broken bones are a common motorcycle crash injury. With the impact of a collision, a biker can suffer fractures of the skull, collarbone, legs, arms, ribs, pelvis, hips, hands, fingers, feet, or toes. Treatment for bone fractures may involve immobilization, casting, or surgery.

What does the recovery process involve after a serious motorcycle accident?

Serious motorcycle accident injuries may require emergency medical treatment, surgeries, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and specialized care. Treatment may involve extensive hospital stays and a lengthy recovery period, during which time you are not able to work. Certain types of injuries may cause permanent physical or cognitive impairment, in which case special care may be required.

What can you do to speed up the recovery process?

Attitude seems to play a role in the speed of recovery. Patients with a positive outlook often recover faster, even with more serious injuries.

Other factors that can help speed up recovery include:

• Getting plenty of rest
• Eating a balanced diet
• Not smoking
• Following doctor’s instructions carefully for injury care

How do you recover compensation after a motorcycle accident?

If you have been seriously injured in a motorcycle crash that was someone else’s fault, you may be entitled to recover compensation for the losses you have suffered. Speak with an experienced Virginia motorcycle accident injury lawyer as soon as possible to find out if you have a case and what damages you can claim.

At GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys, we bring you big city experience, and small town care.  We’ve worked for big insurance companies, and as trial lawyers. We will advocate effectively for you, taking your case to trial if necessary, to get you full compensation.

Call us at (804) 413-6777 or toll-free at (855) 781-6777. We work on a contingency basis, meaning we don’t get paid until we recover compensation for you.