Facial Injuries and Disfigurement to Motorcyclists

September 5, 2018 | Motorcycle Accidents

The Indiana University Public Policy Institute reports that motorcycle accidents resulted in 2,505 injuries during 2016. When motorcyclists are involved in accidents, they can often be thrown off of their bikes, onto the ground, or into other vehicles, potentially resulting in disfiguring injuries to the face or other parts of the body. Thankfully for victims, when someone else’s negligence causes a motorcycle accident, can usually recover compensation for their injuries, medical expenses, and other accident-related losses.

What Kinds of Injuries Can Result in Disfigurement?

Disfiguring injuries are those change a person’s appearance. Here are some injuries that are common to motorcycle accidents that can result in disfigurement to victims:

• Lacerations – Severe lacerations have the potential to result in permanent scarring, even when the injury is treated promptly and by a skilled healthcare professional. When a person sustains a laceration on his or her face, it can significantly alter his or her appearance and is often the first thing that others notice.
• Road rash – A frequent injury in motorcycle injuries, this can vary greatly in severity. Some road rash heals quickly, but deeper ones can even require skin grafting.
• Facial fractures – Fractures to the bones of the face can significantly alter a person’s appearance, sometimes permanently. Even when surgery to correct the fracture is successful, victims incur significant medical expenses and go through painful recovery periods that can last for weeks or months.
• Burns – Many motorcycle accidents involve fires or explosions that can leave victims with serious burns. Motorcyclists are at a particularly high risk for sustaining burn injuries because they do not have the protection offered by a vehicle body. Burns are among the most painful injuries that a person can sustain, often require several rounds of skin grafts to treat, and often leave victims with permanent scarring that significantly alters their appearance.
• Amputations – Motorcycle accidents often involve forces mangle a body part so severely that it is medically necessary to perform a surgical amputation. Losing part of your body is inherently disfiguring, and many victims experience significant physical limitations. In addition, people who have lost part of their body often need expensive prosthetics or mobility aids, resulting in a lifetime of accident-related medical expenses.

Protecting Your Rights After a Disfiguring Motorcycle Accident in Indianapolis

If you have sustained disfiguring injuries in a motorcycle accident, there are certain steps you should take to protect your rights. These include the following:

• Make sure that you see a physician after your accident. Even if you think the scar on your cheek will “heal fine,” it is critical that you have a doctor examine your injuries and generate an official medical record of them.
• Document your injuries and your recovery. This includes taking pictures and keeping notes about the pain and suffering you experience.
• Do NOT accept a settlement from the other driver or an insurance company without speaking to an attorney.
• Call a lawyer as soon as you can. Waiting to talk to an attorney can result in the loss or destruction of important evidence or even an inability to bring a claim at all.  Insurance companies will try to find a way to assign fault to motorcycle riders.

Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for a Free Consultation

Indianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an injury law attorney in the greater Indy area—Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon—she’s here to help! Call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click Tell Us About Your Case for a free consultation.