In some states, Personal Injury Protection is only required for vehicles that have four or more wheels, leaving motorcyclists without coverage. Even in cases where motorcyclists have a car with Personal Injury Protection, it does not extend to accidents that involve their motorcycle. The lack of insurance can lead to people struggling to pay their bills, especially if their injuries prevent them from working. In most car accidents, where divers have Personal Injury Protection, there is an injury threshold the injured party must exceed before that can sue. However, since motorcyclists do not have Personal Injury Protection, they do not have to exceed or meet the threshold. If it is found that the motorcyclist is not at fault for the accident, they could still sue for compensation of medical bills and other losses, including pain and suffering.
The three factors that affect an injured motorcyclist’s settlement are pain and suffering, lost wages, and medical bills. Pain and suffering are most difficult to determine in a financial because there is no fixed number attached to suffering. Lost wages and medical bills, on the other hand, are the easiest to factor into the settlement because they have set prices, the cost of your medical treatment along with time missed from work, etc. the average settlement in cases where the motorcyclist was found no to be at fault is approximately $74,000. However, the severity of injuries can cause the number to change drastically. For example, the difference between a hurt sprained ankle and herniated disc can vary by approximately $85,000.
Some of the most common injuries sustained by motorcyclists include:
- Bone fractures
- Head trauma or Brain damage
- Road rash
- Spinal cord/Neck injuries
- Loss of limbs
- Paralysis
- Death
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