Orlando Dirt Bike Accident Lawyer
While dirt bikes offer riders similar associations of freedom and excitement that street bikes do, because off-road riders seek more hazardous riding, dirt biking is more dangerous than on-road motorcycling. Mud, steep grades, sandy dunes, and heavy vegetation are extreme elements that most motorcycles rarely encounter, but dirt bikers love.
The injuries an off-road motorcycle rider is likely to suffer in an accident are similar to the injuries a motorcyclist is likely to sustain in an accident on the road or highway. And, though a high percentage of dirt bike injuries are minor, every year many riders suffer serious fractures, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and even wrongful death. Many of those who are injured in dirt bike accidents are teenagers and young adults, the primary population of off-road motorcyclists.
Reckless drivers represent the single greatest hazard to other responsible users of dirt bikes; most injuries occur when a rider neglects to respect other riders or fails to follow basic safety procedures. But those who sponsor rides for under-age bikers have responsibility for riders under their supervision. If another party’ negligence contributed to your injury or a family member’s injury, that person may be liable for your medical costs, rehabilitation expenses, and pain and suffering.
At the Orlando law office of Frank M. Eidson, P.A., our attorney is an experienced dirt bike accident lawyer who helps accident victims obtain fair compensation for their medical expenses and other losses when they are hurt is accidents that were not their fault.
If you have been seriously injured in an off-road motorcycle accident in Orlando, Kissimmee, Daytona Beach, or elsewhere in Central Florida, or a loved one has suffered wrongful death in a dirt bike accident, contact Frank M. Eidson, P.A., to protect your rights.
Dirt Bike Accident Injuries
Because they do not require a driver’s license, off-road motorcycles of all kinds are popular with teenagers, many of whom continue to ride them as young adults. The adventure of a fast bike particularly draws young men to dirt bikes.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest look at nonfatal injuries from off-road motorcycle riding among children and teens that motorcycle crashes are a substantial public health problem for these young riders. Off-road motorcycle riding is increasingly popular among youths, the CDC added.
For its report, the CDC analyzed 1,319 cases in which patients were 19 years old or younger (and 88.4 percent male) and treated for off-road motorcycle accident injuries in emergency rooms.Twenty percent of the injuries occurred at a motocross area (on a track or at the facility). Injuries were from crashes on dirt bikes or “trail bikes” (70 percent), an unidentified bike (21 percent) or a mini-bike, moped or motor scooter.
Based on the data, the CDC estimates that there are thousands of dirt bike accident injuries each year in each of these categories:
- Fractures
- Contusions (bruises)
- Abrasions (scrapes)
- Lacerations (cuts)
- Strain / Sprain
- Internal injury
- Concussion.
There are also several hundred burns and dislocations every year in dirt bike accidents and more than a thousand “other” injuries, the CDC says.
Serious injuries (i.e., fractures or internal injuries) accounted for 39.1 percent of the principal diagnoses in the CDC study. The primary injury was to an extremity in 61.9 percent of patients, and 35.6 percent of extremity injuries were fractures. The head or neck was the primary body part injured in 16.8 percent of cases, of which 47.4% involved an internal head injury, i.e., traumatic brain injury or TBI.
A study by the Department of Emergency Medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, California, found “no significant differences” between off-road motorcyclists and on-road motorcyclists in terms of loss of consciousness, or hand, wrist, forearm, arm, clavicle, foot, ankle, femur, pelvis, spinal, or head injuries. But, on-road motorcyclists were significantly more likely to require transfusions (because of blood loss) and sustain blunt chest, abdominal or skin trauma; or to die in an accident.
Help With a Florida Dirt Bike Accident
A rider seriously injured in a dirt bike accident will face hospitalization, and perhaps surgery and physical rehabilitation. Such medical treatment is expensive. If a dirt bike accident results in paralysis or traumatic brain injury (TBI) the injured rider may require medical treatment and therapy for years to come.
In many cases, a minor child injured in a dirt bike accident was improperly supervised by the bike’s owner. Perhaps the teenage rider did not have his parents’ permission to ride a motorcycle, but a friend’s parent didn’t ask enough questions to determine this. Or a supervising adult may have failed to ensure that the underage rider wore a helmet or other protective gear, or was capable of handling the planned ride.In such cases, the bike owner and/or supervising adult may be held liable for the young rider’s injuries.
In dirt bike accident involving adult riders, a rider who was careless or reckless and caused an accident could be held liable for injuries another rider sustained.
While you might be reluctant to pursue a legal claim against a friend, neighbor, track owner or another organization that sponsors dirt bike rides, you should keep in mind that a liable party’s insurance company would pay any settlement you obtained. You should also keep in mind expenses and losses the injury has caused you and your family.
Orlando personal injury attorney Frank M. Eidson helps dirt bike riders who have been seriously injured in accidents that were not their fault, or the families of motorcyclists fatally injured off-road accidents. He knows what a seriously injured motorcycle rider faces in recovery, and helps accident victims obtain the compensation necessary to meet their medical expenses and lost wages, and for their pain and suffering and other losses. Frank Eidson also has experience with personal injury cases that involve traumatic brain injury and he understands what living with a TBI will cost a family over the patient’s lifetime.
The Frank M. Eidson, P.A., legal team can conduct a thorough invitation of your dirt bike accident. In addition to interviewing witnesses and reviewing any police reports, we regularly consult accident reconstruction specialists when they may help up determine whether another biker or perhaps the design of a motocross course, or a defective motorcycle or motorcycle part contributed to an accident.
Contact Our Florida Dirt Bike Accident Lawyer
If you or loved one of yours has been seriously injured in an off-road motorcycle accident, attorney Frank M. Eidson understands the physical and financial devastation your family faces. The Orlando firm of Frank M. Eidson, P.A., can investigate your dirt bike accident and develop a legal claim that demonstrates who is liable for your injury and the compensation you deserve.
Frank M. Eidson, P.A., has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of Central Florida residents injured in motorcycle accidents and other motor vehicle crashes in Orlando, Daytona Beach, Kissimmee and other communities. Frank Eidson is the sole attorney in his practice, so his clients quickly get to know him and that they can rely on him to fight for their rights.
If a Central Florida dirt bike accident has left you or a loved one of yours seriously injured, or taken a loved one’s life, contact attorney Frank M. Eidson as soon as possible. Having an experienced dirt bike accident lawyer fighting for your interests is crucial against opposing insurance companies and their lawyers, and Frank M. Eidson, P.A., provides that experience. An initial consultation about your motorcycle accident is free. Call us today.
