With the sun and the warm weather come motorcycles, and with motorcycles come motorcycle accidents. Unfortunately, the St. Joseph area has seen its first crashes of the season, as bikers get out and enjoy the springtime on the roads.
Motorcycle Season Starts Early in 2021
After a few rounds of winter weather in January, the temperatures warmed up enough in February for bikers to get their motorcycles out of the garage and onto the roads of St. Joseph.
Unfortunately, as with any mile traveled, these came with the risk of a car crash.
One of the first motorcycle accidents of the season happened on February 27, 2021, nearly a full month earlier than in 2019. The accident, which happened on SW State Highway JJ, a dozen miles south of St. Joseph, left the motorcyclist with serious injuries that required her to be airlifted to the hospital. According to the police report, she was going northbound and failed to negotiate the curving road.
Despite Missouri’s recent repeal of the helmet law, she was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Most Motorcycle Accidents Involve Another Vehicle
While this particular accident only involved the biker, accidents like these are actually less common than those involving a motorcycle and another vehicle.
According to a study conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation, only 34 percent of motorcycle accidents are single-vehicle crashes. That means that two-thirds of the accidents involved a motorcycle and something else.
While this suggests that the stereotype of motorcyclists going too fast and losing control of their bikes is false, there is more to the story that complicates things.
The study also found that the percentage of motorcycle crashes that only involved the bike were significantly higher than the percentage of regular car accidents that only involved the car. Only 19 percent of car accidents are single-vehicle accidents, meaning motorcycles were almost twice as likely to crash on their own.
Additionally, the study also found that half of the motorcycle accidents that were serious or fatal were single-vehicle crashes.
How Do Victims of Single-Vehicle Accidents Get Compensated?
People who are hurt in a single-vehicle car or motorcycle accident usually have to turn to their insurance companies to cover their losses.
The victim’s health insurance will cover their medical bills, while their car or motorcycle insurance will cover property damage, both to the vehicle and to anything that the vehicle hit. If the victim has medical payments coverage on their car insurance policy, sometimes referred to as “med pay,” then their car insurance will also cover medical costs that are not picked up by the victim’s health insurance. This can help victims who would have to pay out-of-pocket before meeting their health insurance policy’s deductible, or who would have to make copayments for medical care.
Car Accident Lawyers at the Smith Law Office Serve St. Joseph
Even if you have been hurt in a single-vehicle car or motorcycle accident, having a personal injury lawyer like those at the Smith Law Office can help you recover the compensation that you need and deserve from your insurance company. You are paying them regular premiums for coverage. If they deny coverage or refuse to pay what you actually need, it can amount to insurance bad faith.
Call the Smith Law Office at (816) 875-9373 or contact them online.