The most frequent cause of motorcycle accidents is passenger vehicle driver error. Speeding, drinking, texting, or—often—simply a failure to look carefully for motorcycles when turning, merging, or changing lanes results in far too many motorcyclist injuries and deaths. Most motorcycle crashes that occur in Montour County are preventable. Victims of a motorcycle crash injury have the option to contact a Danville motorcycle accident lawyer to help them seek compensation after an accident caused by an at-fault party.
At Stapp Law, LLC, we practice personal injury law in Danville, PA, Montour County, and the nearby areas of central Pennsylvania. We devote our motorcycle accident practice to representing motorcycle crash victims who were injured in collisions caused by another party’s negligence. If you were injured in an accident you did not cause, you may be eligible to receive compensation for the losses you suffered. An experienced Danville motorcycle accident attorney from Stapp Law, LLC can work with your schedule to set up a free consultation. We’ll discuss what legal steps you can take and how our firm may be able to help you financially recover.
Motorcycle Crash Statistics in Pennsylvania and Danville, PA
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) maintains records of the frequency, type, location, and causes of motor vehicle crashes that happen in PA. The following Pennsylvania motorcycle crash statistics were published for the year 2020:
- 3,227 motorcyclists were injured
- 217 motorcyclists were killed—almost 25% more deaths than the year before
- The motorcycle fatality rate in 2020 was the highest of the past five years
- Motorcycles were involved in only 3% of all crashes, yet over 20% of all deaths were motorcyclists
- 3,491 motorcyclists were involved in alcohol-related crashes
- The majority of motorcycle crashes occurred with a passenger vehicle—rarely with another motorcycle or as a single-vehicle crash
- 94% of motorcycle fatalities were drivers and only 6% were passengers
Montour County is one of the ten least populated counties in Pennsylvania, making up only 0.1% of PA’s population of 12,801,989 people. But our percentage of traffic accidents over the past five years has consistently been .2% or more of all PA crashes—higher than it should be based on our population. And the percentage of accident fatalities in Montour County compared to the state total is even higher—remaining at .3-.4% over the last five years. We tragically lost too many Danville residents this summer in Montour County motorcycle accidents. One rider fatality was caused by a deer running suddenly into the roadway in front of an oncoming motorcycle. In our area, animal crossings, winding rural roads, and a disproportionately high rate of drinking and driving pose serious risks to motorcyclists.
What Are the Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?
People who ride know the catastrophic injuries that can result when a motorcycle crashes. When we refer to an injury in personal injury law as catastrophic, it means that the injury has a long-term, devastating effect on the victim’s life. Because of the vulnerability of bikes ridden among cars, trucks, SUVs, and other larger vehicles, motorcycle accident injuries are often much more substantial than those sustained in car vs. car collisions. Motorcycles do not offer the protection of seatbelts, windshields, airbags, and the enclosed metal of cars, and riders are often ejected from their bikes in a collision.
When Stapp Law, LLC partners with you to help recover full compensation after an injury, a Danville motorcycle accident lawyer will work hard to get a full understanding of exactly how your injuries have impacted your life. In this way we can make sure that you are able to recover all damages—both economic (like medical bills) and non-economic (like pain and suffering) —after an accident. The repercussions of a motorcycle crash can be extremely injurious, and, too often, wrongful death can result. This is especially true when a motorcyclist is not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The following types of injuries are ones commonly seen in victims of motorcycle wrecks:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)
- Concussion
- Head, neck, or spinal cord injury
- Skull fracture
- Whiplash
- Paralysis
- Internal organ damage
- Broken ribs or other broken bones
- Amputation
- Burns, cuts, lacerations, and contusions (bruises)
- Permanent disability
- Scarring
- Facial disfigurement
- Road rash (first degree, second degree, or third degree road rash)
What Compensation May be Available to Motorcycle Crash Victims?
Motorcycle accident attorneys work to protect riders who have been injured through the error of a passenger vehicle driver or other negligent party. Motorcyclists are roughly 29 times more likely to die in an accident than occupants of passenger vehicles. When a car and a motorcycle collide, it is almost always the motorcyclist who is hurt or killed. Car, truck, and SUV drivers need to be aware of this fact and exercise extra caution when sharing the road with motorcycles.
Even if a motorcyclist does everything in their power to ride safely, the negligent actions of another driver can lead to an accident that deprives them of their health, physical or cognitive abilities, or even their life. Motorcycle accident lawyers have a duty to serve as legal advocates for those who are victims of negligence. In central Pennsylvania, we as Danville motorcycle accident lawyers at Stapp Law, LLC devote our efforts to ensuring that injured motorcycle accident victims are appropriately compensated for the losses they suffered through the actions of the at-fault party.
We thoroughly investigate the circumstances and conditions that led to the crash and its impact on our clients’ lives. After an accident, it’s important to know who was at fault and should be held accountable, how the victim’s life was altered, and the amount and type of damages the victim should recover.
Victims of motorcycle accident injuries in Danville may be entitled to recover damages including:
- Medical bills and related expenses
- Cost associated with permanent disability and ongoing medical care
- Lost wages and benefits
- Loss of earning capacity and future income
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Psychological trauma like PTSD
- Property damage
- Loss of enjoyment of life
We have over 800,000 licensed motorcyclists in the state of Pennsylvania. At Stapp Law, LLC, we do all we can to protect even a small percentage of these PA riders from suffering the consequences of another party’s negligence. When you partner with a Danville motorcycle accident lawyer from our law firm, you know that you have a competent, experienced, and compassionate advocate on your team. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident and are considering filing a personal injury claim against the party that caused your injury, we invite you to begin with a free consultation to discuss your legal options with a Danville motorcycle accident attorney from our firm.
