Motorcyclists in Louisiana share the road with larger vehicles. Although safety gear somewhat mitigates their physical exposure to accidents, crashes often result in injured riders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed 30 percent of these injuries to the legs and feet after studying the medical cases of 1,222,000 people involved in nonfatal motorcycle wrecks. Head and neck injuries accounted for the second most common type of injuries.

Another study conducted by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine confirmed the prevalence of leg and foot injuries among motorcyclists. The association also examined the influence of helmet use on accident outcomes. After collecting police reports and hospital records about accidents across a four-year period, the researchers concluded that people wearing helmets experienced a greater number of minor injuries and a smaller amount of serious injuries compared to riders without helmets.

The World Health Organization also found that riders’ lower limbs suffered damage most often in motorcycle accidents. Crashes broke people’s tibia and fibula bones more often than femurs. As for fatal accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the majority of deaths resulted from head trauma. This was the top cause of death for both riders with helmets and without.

A motorcycle crash has the potential to disable a rider with extreme injuries. A rider who was hurt because someone failed to yield or was distracted from the road may be able to file a personal injury claim against the negligent driver and any applicable insurance company. An attorney might organize information from an accident report and medical records to illustrate the person’s need for compensation to pay medical bills and replace lost income.