Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Motorcycles provide riders with thrilling adventures but offer little protection to drivers and passengers involved in an accident. Motorcycle accident injuries often cause severe disfigurement, as clothing does not adequately protect skin from the ravages of the road during a crash.
Helmets offer some protection from head injuries, but not all riders and passengers on motorcycles wear them, even where they’re required by law. Insurance coverage and laws regarding motorcycles differ from state to state and from other types of automobile accident laws.
If you’re injured in a motorcycle accident, it’s important to speak to an experienced Massachusetts and Rhode Island motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible after a crash. The Botelho Law Group is the top motorcycle accident law firm in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, serving Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk counties.
Were you injured or involved in a motorcycle accident? Contact the best motorcycle accident attorneys in Fall River, Massachusetts at the Botelho Law Group to handle your case. Call (888) 269-0988 to schedule a free confidential consultation.
Motorcycle Helmet Laws In Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Head injuries cause the majority of motorcycle accident fatalities and using helmets can have a huge impact on limiting such catastrophes. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS,) helmets are 37% effective at preventing deaths and 67% effective at preventing traumatic brain injuries (TBIs.)
That’s why Massachusetts requires all motorcycle operators and passengers (and anybody riding in a sidecar) to wear helmets, and Rhode Island requires helmets for riders under the age of 21 and for the first year after obtaining their motorcycle operator’s license.
Rhode Island requires operators to wear eye protection and passengers on motorcycles must wear helmets. In Rhode Island, all helmets and eye protection must be approved by the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles.
What Should I Do After A Motorcycle Accident?
If you or your passenger have been injured, call 911 to summon the police and an ambulance to the scene. If the injuries are especially severe, it’s important to alert the operator, as they may need to send a medivac rather than just an ambulance.
Assess yourself and your passenger to determine if there is a great deal of pain upon movement or excessive bleeding. If yes, you should remain still until help arrives. If you’re able, take photographs of the scene that help establish how the accident happened, and get contact information from all involved.
When help arrives be sure to accept the ride to the hospital, even if you don’t think you’ve been very badly hurt, as life threatening internal injuries can have mild symptoms and lacerations can result in unsightly scars without immediate treatment.
The next step is to hire an experienced Massachusetts and Rhode Island motorcycle accident attorney that can help you collect money for your out of pocket medical expenses, lost earnings, pain, suffering and mental anguish. The Botelho Law Group is the top motorcycle accident law firm in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, serving Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk counties. Call (888) 269-0988 to schedule a free confidential consultation.
Injuries From Motorcycle Accidents
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs): Head injuries are the most common serious injuries suffered by motorcycle accident victims. Helmets are helpful for preventing or reducing the severity of head injuries, but according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA,) fifteen percent of helmeted motorcycle riders still suffer TBIs.
- Road Rash: When your skin makes contact with the road, it can cause serious abrasions that can result in substantial blood loss, severe infections and disfiguring scars. Serious riders often wear thick leather clothing to protect themselves from road rash, but casual passengers in t-shirts and shorts are vulnerable to severe road rash.
- Leg Injuries: NHTSA studies show that leg injuries are prevalent among motorcycle accident victims, often caused by the weight of the bike falling on their legs or other types of crush injuries. In some cases a foot, ankle or larger portion of the leg is traumatically amputated from the victim’s body, requiring immediate reattachment surgery. In other cases the leg injury is so severe that it requires surgical amputation. Advances in prosthetics can bring back a substantial amount of mobility for amputees, but they are very expensive and require access to state of the art healthcare.
- Other Catastrophic Injuries: Motorcycle accident victims also suffer from spinal cord injuries (SBIs) with paralysis, disfiguring burns, internal injuries and fractures.
Access to the finest healthcare can improve outcomes tremendously. That’s why it’s important to hire a Massachusetts and Rhode Island motorcycle accident attorney that knows how to collect the largest amount of monetary compensation in the shortest amount of time.
The Botelho Law Group is the top motorcycle accident law firm in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, serving Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk counties. Call the best motorcycle accident attorneys in Fall River, Massachusetts at the Botelho Law Group to handle your case. Call (888) 269-0988 to schedule a free confidential consultation.
Joseph F. Botelho, Esq.
BOTELHO LAW GROUP
Attorneys At Law
901 Eastern Ave.
Unit 2
Fall River, MA 02723
Office: 888-269-0688
https://www.botelholawgroup.com/