Motorcycle crash victim.
Riding a motorcycle can be a wonderful, freeing experience. It can even facilitate the journey to enlightenment, as chronicled in the classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. But there’s also no question that riding can be dangerous, and when that happens, you need a competent West Palm Beach motorcycle crash lawyer, like Morgan McGrath.
It’s important to remember that riding can be one of the great joys of life, with benefits to both mental and physical health. Those benefits include:
- Increased positivity. Yes, riding can improve your outlook, and the reason goes beyond the sense of adventure or freedom associated with hopping on the back of a bike. Those positive feelings are actually a physiological reaction to riding. “The reason we feel so happy is pretty simple; every twist of the wrist releases adrenaline which, in turn, releases endorphins. These ‘feel good’ hormones improve our mood, increase pleasure and minimize pain,” according to RideNow PowerSports. In other words, motorcyclists can experience a “rider’s high” similar to the “runner’s high” you get with intense exercise. RideNow also likens the concentration and focus necessary when riding to mindfulness meditation. Piloting a bike takes such physical and mental focus that it crowds out worries about your love life, politics, work life, and other obsessions.
- Getting out in the world. Robert Persig, in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, writes, “On a cycle, the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.” Being in the scene in that way can be an exhilarating experience, replacing the passivity that’s such a part of our modern lives, circumscribed as they are by digital screens.
- Physical workout. Riding can be a physical workout. Wearing a helmet, combined with the windblast, strengthens neck muscles. Controlling your bike works out your core and muscles in your legs. You can burn 200-300 calories an hour riding a motorcycle. “Riding takes effort, especially compared to driving in a car. Not only is it a physical and mental workout, but it increases your insulin sensitivity too, which helps your metabolism and will help you burn calories and store less fat. While burning these calories, you’re also gaining a full body workout. Considering that most motorcycles usually weigh at least a few hundred pounds, riders must use their bodies to help safely balance and steer. These demands use nearly every muscle, which, over time, improves muscle tone,” according to Slipstreamer.
But for all the benefits of riding, there’s also risk. Motorcycling can be dangerous, and there are times when that danger comes from other drivers. That’s when you and your family need the services of a motorcycle wreck lawyer or West Palm Beach motorcycle crash lawyer.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2016, 5,286 people died in motorcycle crashes, the Insurance Information Institute reports. That same year, motorcyclists were 28 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per mile traveled. The institute reports that based on the latest available government data, motorcycle crashes cost $16 billion in direct costs such as emergency services and medical treatment and indirect cost such as lost household productivity.
For those reasons, motorcyclists need to be especially prepared to protect themselves.
“Experienced riders know local traffic laws – and they don’t take risks. Obey traffic lights, signs, speed limits, and lane markings; ride with the flow of traffic and leave plenty of room between your bike and other vehicles, and always check behind you and signal before you change lanes. Remember to ride defensively. The majority of multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes generally are caused when other drivers simply didn’t see the motorcyclist. Proceed cautiously at intersections and yield to pedestrians and other vehicles as appropriate. You can increase your visibility by applying reflective materials to your motorcycle and by keeping your motorcycle’s headlights on at all times, even using high beams during the day,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Causes for motorcycling danger include Less visibility to other vehicles. Motorcycles are smaller and less visible to other vehicles on the road. Crashes with other vehicles account for 56 percent of motorcycle accident deaths. The car strikes the motorcycle from the front 78 percent of the time.
Forty-eight percent of accidents involving a motorcycle and another vehicle occur when the car is making a left turn. That often happens as the motorcyclist is simply traveling through the intersection and the driver doesn’t see the rider. In many of those cases, the driver will be found at fault.
For motorcyclists and their families, the services of a top West Palm Beach motorcycle crash lawyer can make a big difference in coming through the accident financially whole.
After earning her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University in Miami in 2012, Morgan McGrath started her own personal injury practice and built it from the ground up before joining The Berman Law Group as a partner in 2017.
She’s an expert in personal injury and wrongful death cases, including those involving motorcycle crashes. A list on West Palm Beach motorcycle crash lawyer McGrath’s website of causes for personal injury suits includes:
- Car accidents, including accidents with motorcycles, large trucks, or pedestrians
- Consumer product liability cases, including defective products, medications, and recalled products
- Injuries caused by animals, such as dog bites, snake bites etc.
- Injuries from ultrahazardous activities, like the use of chemicals or explosives
- Slip and fall injuries and other premises liability cases
- Injuries to reputation caused by defamation or injuries to mental and emotional health caused by intentional infliction of emotional distress or caused by a physical injury
There are times where one needs to hire an attorney for a personal injury case. In an absolute worst case, one may need to hire an attorney for a wrongful death suit. If you or a loved one ever need to hire a Palm Beach wrongful death lawyer. Morgan McGrath is the lawyer that you are looking for.
