Marshall – Longview – East Texas Motorcycle Accident Attorney

According to the FY 2006 Texas Traffic Safety Annual Report, Texas has 803,116 licensed motorcyclists representing 4% of the population. If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident you need the help of an experienced East Texas Motorcycle Attorney. The personal injury lawyers at the Texas law office of O'Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath have been successfully representing motorcycle accident victims through Texas. Not only are we lawyers, but we are riders as well. Injuries sustained from motorcycle accidents are almost always severe, such as spinal cord injury, brain injury, paralysis, and amputation. A knowledgeable Texas motorcycle accident attorney must carefully examine your case to determine the cause of the accident and the extent of your injuries. Visit our Texas motorcycle Accident information page to learn more about his area of the law, or contact our law office today to get a free consultation.

Findings from the FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) data illustrate possible reasons for motorcyclist fatalities in single vehicle motorcycle crashes:

• Helmet use among fatally injured motorcyclists below 50 percent
• More motorcyclist fatalities are occurring on rural roads
• High blood alcohol levels are a major problem among motorcycle operators
• Half of the fatalities are related to negotiating a curve prior to the crash
• Over 80 percent of the fatalities occur off roadway
• Undivided roadways account for a majority of the fatalities
• Almost two thirds of the fatalities were associated with speeding as an operator contributing factor in the crash
• Almost 60 percent of motorcyclist fatalities occur at night
• Collision with a fixed object is a significant factor in over half of the fatalities
• Braking and steering maneuvers possibly contribute for almost 25 percent of the fatalities
• More riders age 40 and over are getting killed
• Almost one third of the fatally injured operators did not have a proper license

Motorcycle Serious Injury
A common kind of serious injury associated with motorcycle accidents is head injury. Traumatic brain injuries, such as the closed-head injuries that result when an impact causes the brain to hit the inside of the skull, cause over a third of the injury deaths in the United States. Since motorcyclists are often thrown off of their bikes in a collision, such injuries are 10 times more common in motorcycle accidents than in other vehicle accidents.
Studies have shown that the number one way to prevent these serious injuries is the most obvious one—WEAR A HELMET! Motorcyclists should make sure that the helmet they choose has been approved by the Department of Transportation. If it has, it will have a sticker on it saying “DOT.” When California enacted a mandatory helmet law for motorcycle riders, it saw the number of motorcycle crash fatalities decrease by over 30%.

Cycle Accident Checklist

• Call the police and an ambulance, if necessary.
• Get the name, address, and insurance information of the parties involved and any witnesses.
• Write down the make, model, year, and license number of the vehicles involved.
• Take pictures of the damage to your motorcycle before it is repaired.
• Do not make any statement about the accident to anyone but the police.