Any motorcycle enthusiast in Worcester will tell you that there’s nothing like the thrill and the freedom of the open road. Unfortunately, negligent drivers pose serious risks to motorcyclists. Riders are particularly vulnerable to injury in a car vs. motorcycle collision, and the costs of those injuries can have additional consequences. Let’s take a look at some of the data one federal agency found in reviewing the costs of injuries resulting from motorcycle crashes.
The review, conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, looked first at the average hospital charges associated with motorcycle accidents. In cases where riders survived the accidents even though they were not wearing helmets, average costs ranged from just over $7,000 to almost $30,000. Treatment in a trauma center was generally more expensive than hospital or emergency department treatment. Even those riders who were wearing helmets were left with average costs hovering around the $15,000 range.
Helmets offer some limited protection against head injuries, as our last blog post discussed, so the review also narrowed in on average hospital charges in cases of head injuries. Treatment of a head injury at a hospital generally totaled in the $20,000 range, while a trauma center could reach as high as $43,000 on average. However, even a motorcycle accident victim who does not suffer a head injury could expect to pay between $10,000 and $15,000 for treatment.
The review did note that victims generally do not bear most of these costs themselves; the government and private insurers do. But as our Worcester readers will be aware, insurance companies in particular may not always be forthcoming with full compensation for a victim’s losses. Even if hospital or trauma center charges are covered, there are other long-term costs associated with a head injury, brain injury or permanent disability. Obtaining full compensation for one’s losses may require legal action.
