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Brain Injuries Due To Motorcycle Accidents in Los Angeles

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Brain Injuries Due To Motorcycle Accidents in Los Angeles - Article Written by M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers

California has more registered motorcycles than any other state. Between the state’s perfect weather and high gas prices, many people ride motorcycles for fun and to save money on fuel.

But with a large population of motorcyclists comes a high number of motorcycle accidents. California has about 14,500 motorcycle crashes every year that cause injuries or fatalities. About 2,800 of these crashes happen in Los Angeles County, with roughly 1,000 of them in the City of Los Angeles, CA.

These crashes cause significant harm, including head trauma and brain injuries. Read on to learn about brain injuries that happen during motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles and the compensation you can seek for their effects.

How M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Accident in Los Angeles

How M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After an Accident in Los Angeles

Since its founding in 2013, M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers has recovered over $400 million in injury compensation for its clients. The Los Angeles motorcycle accident lawyers at M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience helping accident victims.

Significant outcomes for the firm’s traffic accident cases include:

  • A $1,225 million auto accident settlement
  • A $900,000 pedestrian accident settlement
  • A $500,000 semi truck accident settlement

Our firm can help you after a motorcycle accident by:

  • Collecting evidence and investigating the extent and cause of your damages
  • Handling all negotiations and communications with the other party
  • Filing a lawsuit and bringing your case to trial if need be

Contact or talk to M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers in Los Angeles, California today by calling (877) 300-4535, to discuss your motorcycle accident injuries and what you can do to recover compensation for them.

How Common Are Brain Injuries Due to Motorcycle Accidents in Los Angeles?

California does not report the exact injuries caused by motorcycle accidents. However, it does release two data points that suggest how many head injuries result from motorcycle accidents.

According to the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), about 8.3% of motorcyclists involved in accidents in Los Angeles County in 2021 were unhelmeted. In Los Angeles, the rate of helmet use was even higher. Only 6.1% of motorcyclists involved in accidents in LA in 2021 failed to wear a helmet.

Research suggests that helmeted riders have about a 31% chance of sustaining a head injury. Unhelmeted riders have about a 38% chance of a head injury.

This means that motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles County probably resulted in head injuries to roughly 780 helmeted riders and 110 unhelmeted riders. Of these, an estimated 285 helmeted riders and 30 unhelmeted riders could have suffered head injuries in Los Angeles.

The second data point released by California also comes from California’s TIMS. According to the state’s crash map, Los Angeles motorcycle injuries in 2021 fell into four categories:

  • 5.48% were fatal
  • 37.16% were serious enough to require an ambulance to transport the accident victim
  • 34.42% had visible injuries but did not require an ambulance
  • 22.94% had injuries that were not visible but complained of pain or other symptoms

Brain injuries can fall into any of these categories. Concussions are rarely fatal. People who died from brain injuries usually suffered more serious injuries like a contusion, diffuse axonal injury (DAI), or hematoma.

Overview of Brain Injuries Due to Motorcycle Accidents in Los Angeles

Brain injuries can take many forms, including:

Concussions

A concussion happens when your brain gets jostled without striking the inside of your skull. The pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cushions your brain but squeezes it enough to damage some of the brain cells. Your brain can become inflamed from the injury, and you could suffer symptoms like confusion, memory loss, headaches, or clumsiness.

Contusions

A contusion happens when your brain strikes the inside of your skull. The brain tissue bruises. The brain suffers structural damage to the cells and blood vessels to create the bruise. These injuries can result in permanent brain damage.

Diffuse Axonal Injuries (DAI)

When your brain moves violently inside your skull, the long neurons — which are known as axons — can tear. When the axons tear, they cannot carry brain signals. These DAI injuries usually cause permanent brain damage. They often lead to coma or death.

Hematomas

When your brain bleeds, you are said to have a hematoma. Bleeding can cause brain damage in two ways. First, brain cells can only last for about four minutes without oxygen before they die. When your brain bleeds, the oxygen in the blood cannot reach your brain cells.

Secondly, the blood can build up inside your skull and squeeze your brain. This pressure can compress other blood vessels. As a result, brain areas that were not affected by the original bleeding may suffer damage and die.

Liability for Motorcycle Accident Brain Injuries in Los Angeles

California uses a fault-based system of auto insurance. This means you can pursue injury compensation from the person who caused your injury.

Car drivers bear liability for motorcycle accidents most of the time. Car drivers often have difficulty spotting motorcyclists or judging their distance and speed.

If a driver caused your motorcycle accident due to careless, intoxicated, or distracted driving, the driver likely bears liability for the damages you suffered.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Los Angeles Motorcycle Accident Brain Injury Lawyers

Even though California has a universal motorcycle helmet law, motorcyclists still have a high risk of suffering a brain injury in an accident. To discuss your motorcycle accident and the compensation you can seek for a brain injury, contact M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney.