Houston Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Houston Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Michael Grossman Discusses a Motorcyclist’s Rights Following a Crash

If you or someone you know has been wounded in a Houston motorcycle accident lawyer Michael Grossman wants to help you file a personal injury lawsuit if the crash was somebody else’s fault. He and his team of attorneys have more than twenty years of experience litigating and negotiating for their clients.

Call the law offices of Houston motorcycle accident attorney Michael Grossman to discuss your legal rights for compensatory damages today. There is no charge or obligation for this free consultation or for the telephone call which is 1-855-338-0170.

Ask anyone who they consider to be the world’s most well-known motorcycle rider and nine times out of ten the answer will be Evel Knievel. He is the jumpsuit wearing stunt motorcyclist who became an international icon as a motorcycle riding daredevil more than forty (40) years ago in the late 1960s when he jumped over the fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. From there he went on to jump over cars, fourteen Greyhound buses at one time, live sharks in a tank and he even jumped over Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Even though Evel Knievel suffered close to forty (40) broken bones and other injuries during his career, the man whose full name was Roger Craig Knievel, Jr., died in 2007 from diabetes.

Even though Evel Knievel died years ago, his spirit lives on in the minds of other wannabe daredevils who take to the streets on motorcycles everyday and end up in the hospital. Some of those wannabe daredevils are well-known athletes and actors. In 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was hospitalized after he crashed his motorcycle, and he wasn’t wearing a helmet; Politician and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was left with six broken ribs and was in the hospital for four days after he wrecked his Harley in 2001 in Los Angeles; actor Keanu Reeves crashed his motorcycle and crushed his ankle in 1997; and actor Dean McDermott crashed his motorcycle and made it to the top of the celebrity news headlines in 2009.

Because of Evel Knievel’s stunts and other motorcycle escapades of celebrities, most people have a perception of motor bike riders as rebels without a cause. Their noisy approach let’s you know they’re coming from blocks away. And the way they snake in and out of traffic lanes forces other more cautious drivers to move out of the way so they can pass without incident. Some might argue that it’s the loud approach that allows other drivers on the road to know motorcycles are there, otherwise they are likely to get caught in your blind spot. And when drivers of regular passenger vehicles don’t see a motorcycle that’s when collisions happen.

Here are some other statistics concerning motorcycle accidents:

• Most motor bike accidents happen within a few miles from where the biker started his trip, leading police to believe the biker was in a hurry.
• Sun glares or vision obstructions cause a significant number of bikers to crash.
• Most of the motor bike accidents happened when riders are not wearing eye protection, which proves wind and debris can obstruct vision and cause wrecks.
• The faster the biker is going the more likely it is a crash will happen
• Riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are more likely to be involved and riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are less likely to be involved in motorcycle wrecks.
• Ninety-two (92%) percent of the riders involved in crashes admit they had no formal safety training.
• Potholes and other changes in the road defects, including roadkill, cause motorcycle accidents in more than ten (10%) of the accidents.
• More than fifty (50%) percent of the bikers involved in crashes had less than six months experience riding motorcycles.
• More than half of the bikers involved in crashes either have a revoked license or no license at all, are criminal offenses.

Police say alcohol was involved in at least half of all motor bike accidents where the driver dies.

If you have been involved in a Houston motorcycle accident due to the fact that the other driver didn’t see you coming on your motor bike, lawyer Michael Grossman will advise you on your legal options for filing a personal injury lawsuit if the crash was somebody else’s fault. Michael Grossman has more than twenty years of experience litigating and negotiating for their clients. Call attorney Michael Grossman and his team of investigators to discuss your legal rights for compensatory damages today. There is no charge or obligation for this free consultation or for the telephone call which is 1-855-338-0170.

Attorney Michael Grossman Outlines Product Liability Claims

Motorcycles are designed to be ridden on paved roadways, but there are various designs, such as dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles which are better suited for off-road paths. Motorcycles were constructed to be a powerful, yet fast and lightweight mode of transportation, but it seems that safety was not part of the engineering of the product or the marketing plan. There are countless numbers of lawsuits that have been filed against car makers about inadequate safety features in vehicles. Not only are most of those lawsuits successful for plaintiffs who win monetary settlements, car makers also have been forced to improve their safety features on the vehicles in question. So if the courts can mandate safety improvements on cars the same thing can happen for motorcycles. Even if the product is manufactured and assembled in another country, businesses that sell or distribute products in America must make sure the product does not cause harm to the operator or user or people who will be in the area when it’s being used. So everything from darts to food to motor vehicles must be safe to use and consume.

Unlike four-wheel passenger cars and trucks, motorcycles don’t have seat belts and bikers don’t have the safety of riding inside of an enclosed cage made of steel and plastic to protect them from injury in case of a wreck. So the biker and any passengers riding on the bike are open to more serious injuries, especially if the other rider doesn’t see the biker on the roadway. Newer models of motorcycles have crash bars along the side of the bike designed to decrease ankle injuries, but experts say even though injuries to the ankle area of riders have gone down, the number of injuries to the rider’s leg and thigh area increased. Also, in more than sixty (60%) percent of motor bike wrecks, the fuel system on the motor bike ended up getting punctured. And that puncture could have caused a deadly fire or explosion after the initial collision. So encasing the fuel system in plastic or something less flammable seems to be a better plan for making motorcycles safer than adding a crash bar.

It’s a fact that people can purchase items on the Internet through e-bay or craigslist or other on-line discount sites, but your life is not worth it. Buyers should beware of cheap items that could be safety hazards. You should make your purchase contingent upon the bike’s ability to pass a qualified mechanic’s diagnostic test. Don’t think that a picture on the website or your visual inspection with an untrained eye will be sufficient. Although you might be able to get a good deal on a used motorcycle, the aforementioned information suggests that it’s better to purchase things such as motorcycles from a licensed dealer. If you purchase a motorcycle from online there is no real way of knowing if you are buying a cheap defective product that could later cost you serious injury or even your life.

If you have reason to believe that your Houston motorcycle accident was caused because of a manufacturer defect or a mechanic’s faulty work attorney Michael Grossman will counsel you on your legal options for filing a personal injury lawsuit if the crash was somebody else’s fault. Michael Grossman has more than twenty years of negotiation and litigation experience. Call attorney Michael Grossman and his qualified team of attorneys and investigators to discuss your right to file for damages today. There is no charge or obligation for this free consultation or for the telephone call which is 1-855-338-0170.

While bikers have little control over the design of the motorcycle or how the mechanic performs his job, statistics show the numbers of multiple vehicle wrecks that involve motor bikes are greatly diminished when bikers turn on their headlights, even in the daytime. Also, bikers should wear light colored reflective clothing like Evel Knievel did to make other drivers more likely to see them on the road. Some protective gear is required and other protective hear is highly suggested. Requirements are different from state to state, but in Texas motorcycle riders who are 21 years and younger are required to wear helmets. That includes the operator and passengers. Anyone older than 21 years old has the option of wearing helmets while riding motor bikes. If the rider chooses not to wear a helmet that person must be able to show they carry health care insurance to pay for any injuries they are likely to get because they don’t have a helmet on.

In addition to helmets, other protective hear includes eye goggles that help to keep the biker’s vision from being impaired, cloves that help the biker keep a firm grip on the handle bars, and hard shoes that resist extreme temperatures and protect riders’ feet if they fall from the bike. Although some people do it, flip flops and sandals are a no-no on a motorcycle. Some riders have been known to get burns on their legs due to the heat emitted from the pipes alongside the motorcycle. So it’s suggested that riders wear long pants and even long sleeves. In Texas that can be uncomfortable, but consider the amount of skin scrapes and injuries that a rider could avoid by covering all of his or her exposed skin. There are shirts and pants with built-in pads to protect elbows and knees that might come in contact with the ground.

Becoming a skilled motorcyclist comes with time, patience and knowing how to mentally recover after a fall. After Ben Rothlisberger’s bike wreck he said he wasn’t sure that he would ever ride again. But he promised to wear a helmet is he ever tried to ride again. Although it is unrealistic to think that a biker will never have an accident even if no other vehicles are involved, there are motorcycle safety classes that teach safety techniques for riders, traffic rules which are specific to motorcyclists and simulated road courses to practice reaction time and normal obstacles that might occur. When bikers complete safety classes statistics confirm that they are less likely to crash, especially in the first five months.

The History of Motorcycles in the United States

Motorcycles are so popular today that social clubs have been formed for owners of motorcycles to exchange information about safety techniques and showmanship. Bike weeks are held in different parts of the country to celebrate motorcycles, but the one in Myrtle Beach, S.C. is most popular because it’s the home state of the makers of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. William Harley, William Davidson, Walter Davidson, Sr., and Arthur Davidson formed the partnership known today as Harley-Davidson and created their first motorcycle in 1903. Since that time the company has created different models of the product that have set them apart as the premier motorcycle manufacturing company. Even Evel Knievel rode Harley-Davidson motorcycles in some of his most famous jumps. There are more than twenty (20) American companies that manufacture motorcycles. Harley-Davidson is the most well-known. Other manufacturers such as the German BMW automaker and Japanese motor bike makers Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha are popular makers that have sizable market share in the America.

Motorcycle Injuries

A man in New Jersey recently was awarded a $4 million federal court settlement because the man’s leg was severed while he rode a defective motorcycle and had a wreck. While the man was riding the motor bike he lost control of the vehicle and crashed. Although the rider made it the emergency room with a severely fractured ankle, the surgery screws placed in his leg to stabilize his crushed bones still didn’t heal his wounds. Infections set in after multiple surgeries and the victim’s leg had to be amputated at the knee. Of course the manufacturer denied being at fault and tried to blame the victim for his injuries.

Motorcycle rider skin infections after an accident are common. That’s because when the biker falls onto the ground skin abrasions are bound to happen. Often referred to as road rash, it happens when the rider slides along the ground after a wreck. The amount of skin damage depends on the speed at the time of the wreck, the length of the skid and the ground surface. If it’s off road the rider might not suffer that much damage. But if it’s on asphalt, rocks or gravel the damage could cause more damage. Some bikers have to have skin grafts to help them heal. A skin graft is when skin from one part of a victim’s body is removed and used to patch other parts of the victim’s body to help with the healing process.

Here is a list of other debilitating wounds that bikers suffer when involved in wrecks: Even the simplest motorcycle wrecks cause bone fractures thirty (30%) percent of the time. Fractures include bone breaks, bone chips and popping bones out of their sockets; Skin abrasions occur twenty-four (24%) of the time. Skin abrasions could mean the rider had minor scratches or his entire layer of skin was scraped off; Lacerations, which are cuts or breaks in the outer layer of skin, happen sixteen (16%) percent of the time; Muscle strains are detected thirteen (13%) of the time. Strains happen most likely when the rider tries to hold up the motorcycle in an effort to avoid falling onto the ground or falling into another driver’s vehicle; Concussions and other internal injuries are the result of the rider being thrown against another vehicle or onto the ground without a helmet or other protective gear; two (2%) percent of the time the rider is burned by falling against the hot motorcycle engine during the collision or the rider is burned because the collision causes a fire or explosion.

These injuries are enough to maim a rider, but some victims survive these injuries and have a lot of medical bills to show for it. Some injuries, such as burns, fall under specialty medicine. So getting treatment for the motor bike accident victim at general hospitals might not be possible, depending on the wounds. And when specialists have to get involved the bill will continue to climb.

Motorcycle accident attorney Michael Grossman and Associates have won thousands of personal injury cases for injured victims and their bereaved relatives seeking compensation for motorcycle accidents. So if you have been injured in a Houston motorcycle accident that was somebody else’s fault you should not take on the expense of medical bills and treatment by yourself. Attorney Michael Grossman has more than twenty (20) years of litigation and negotiation experience. His team of qualified attorneys and skilled investigators complement his efforts. Contact his office today for a no charge/no obligation evaluation 1-855-338-0170.