Motorcycle Accidents Are Common and Deadly in Missouri

Motorcycle riding can be dangerous, no matter how responsible you are, simply because you have no protection if you are in a crash. Whether due to negligent motorists or other hazards, motorcycle accidents happen often in Missouri. When they do, victims have a high rate of serious injuries and fatalities.

If you or someone you love was hurt in a collision, you may be able to recover compensation from the at-fault parties. This money can provide you with much-needed resources to care for yourself and your family. A motorcycle accident lawyer with Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys can help you build a claim and fight to maximize your damages.

Understanding the dangers of Missouri motorcycling

When motorcycles collide with cars, it is usually not the occupants of the larger vehicle who get seriously hurt. Automobiles have airbags, bumpers, and other safety features that motorcycles lack, leaving the body entirely exposed to the collision. Because of this, motorcycle riders are vulnerable to catastrophic and fatal injuries, including:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Shattered or broken bones
• Loss of a limb
• Loss of a bodily function
• Spinal cord injuries
• Severe cuts and bruising (road rash)
• Nerve damage

Nationwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that, per mile traveled, motorcyclists are up to five times more likely to suffer an injury and 27 times more likely to die in a crash than people inside passenger cars.

How helmet laws affect the state’s motorcycle accident fatality rate

Motorcycle accident risks are generally the same, no matter where you live. However, Missouri has one major difference that studies show heavily increases fatality rates.

Since August 2020, Missouri has not required qualified motorcycle operators age 26 or older to wear a helmet if they maintain proof of financial responsibility and have health insurance or other medical-benefits coverage for motorcycle-accident injuries. Riders under 26 and operators riding with an instruction permit must still wear protective headgear. According to SaveMOLives, not wearing a helmet increases a rider’s chance of death by 38 percent.

Since helmet laws changed, there have been more fatal motorcycle collisions, with 2023 being the deadliest year on record. Ninety-eight percent of the people who died in those accidents were the motorcyclists themselves.

Can you seek compensation for a motorcycle injury?

Whether or not you choose to wear a helmet, you still do not deserve to get involved in a serious accident or go bankrupt trying to recover from it, especially not if it was caused by someone else.

In general, if a negligent party caused your motorcycle collision, our lawyers can help you seek compensation for:

• Current and future medical expenses
• Lost income and lost earning capacity
• Motorcycle repair or replacement costs
• Physical pain and permanent and disabling injuries
• Mental and emotional suffering
• Lost quality of life
• The wrongful death of a loved one

Who can be liable for a motorcycle crash?

When others fail to act responsibly, they can and should be held accountable for the damage they cause. Depending on the details of your accident, you may be able to file a claim against any of the following parties:

• Car drivers
• Truck drivers
• Other motorcycle drivers
• A driver’s employer if the driver was working at the time of the collision
• Manufacturers of defective motorcycle parts (and possibly manufacturers of the other vehicle’s defective parts)
• A roadway owner (including government entities), if poor road design or maintenance causes an accident

What should you do after a motorcycle collision?

There are several things you can do after a motorcycle accident in Missouri that may help you hold at-fault parties accountable for your injuries and damages. You should:

Get medical treatment

Your health is the most important thing. If you sustained a severe injury, you likely received medical treatment at the accident scene. If so, follow your doctor’s orders and attend all future healthcare appointments.

If you did not get emergency treatment, see a doctor immediately. Not all injuries present themselves right away, and you can have undiagnosed conditions.

Keep a record of your medical bills and treatment for your injury claim.

Report the accident

Missouri law generally requires reporting crashes involving injury, death or apparent property damage of $500 or more. If the crash was not investigated at the scene by law enforcement, a written report may be required.

Gather evidence

You may be too injured to gather evidence at the scene. If that is the case, rest assured that our lawyers can help you investigate after the fact. However, if you can, you should get as much information as possible at the time of the accident, including:

• The other driver’s contact and insurance information
• The other driver’s license plate and driver’s license number
• Contact information for any eyewitnesses
• Photographs of your damaged motorcycle
• Photographs of your injuries

File claims promptly

You should file insurance claims against the liable driver or other at-fault parties as soon as you are able. Insurance policy deadlines can be short, and you do not want to miss your window to pursue a settlement.

Additionally, if you must take legal action, you will have to do so before the statute of limitations expires. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120 allows five years to file most personal injury cases. Wrongful death claims generally must be filed within three years under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.100. If time runs out and you cannot sue, you lose your bargaining power over the insurance companies. So even if you do not plan to go to civil court, this law matters.

Should you hire a lawyer?

Trying to navigate the law at any time can be incredibly daunting, let alone after suffering a traumatic, life-altering event. That is one of the many reasons you should not attempt to do it alone. When you hire our experienced personal injury attorneys, you get a legal team dedicated to getting the compensation you deserve. You rest while we do the work needed to build your case and pursue the maximum settlement or verdict possible.

Working with our lawyers also puts you on a level playing field with whoever is responsible for your accident, as they (and their insurers) will almost definitely have their own attorneys ready to defend them. Insurance companies, manufacturers, employers, and drivers themselves often do everything they can to avoid taking responsibility for your injuries. They will look for reasons to deny or underpay your claim.

We can be your advocate, aggressively protecting your rights and standing up to tactics aimed at reducing your compensation. Our team passionately believes in putting victims first and supporting them and their families every step of the way with the goal of securing the money they need to safeguard their futures.

Contact Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys today

Motorcycle accidents are common in Missouri and can leave victims with catastrophic and deadly injuries. If you or your loved one was hurt, you can hold liable drivers and other negligent parties financially responsible, and our law firm can help.

We have over 30 years of experience fighting for people in Missouri and Kansas and have achieved multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts. Let us put our skills to work on your case. Contact Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys today to connect with a motorcycle accident lawyer near you. We have offices in Kansas City and also in Lee’s Summit, Olathe, Overland Park, and Kansas City, KS.