Head injuries are highly likely in motorcycle accidents. These injuries can permanently damage brain tissue, leading to physical, cognitive, and emotional impairments. As a result, brain injury victims often lose their ability to earn a living. They may even fall into a coma or die.
Catastrophic injuries to the brain often require a lifetime of expensive treatment and therapy. Victims may need residential care or in-home caretakers to help them shower, dress, and cook. At Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers, we help people recover compensation for brain injuries caused by motorcycle accidents in Atlanta, GA.
If you need legal help, contact our Georgia law firm for a free case evaluation at (770) 390-7550.
How Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Brain Injury Claim in Atlanta, GA
Since 1965, the attorneys at Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers have assisted victims of catastrophic injuries in Atlanta, Georgia, in recovering compensation from those responsible for harming them. Our Atlanta brain injury lawyers have secured hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients.
Our firm will provide the following legal services if you or a loved one suffered a serious injury due to another’s negligent or wrongful actions:
- Reviewing your situation and explaining how we can help you
- Collecting evidence to prove liability
- Filing an insurance claim and negotiating with insurers to settle it
- Litigating when insurers refuse to offer a fair settlement
A brain injury can require expensive medical treatment and cause permanent disabilities. Contact our Atlanta catastrophic injury lawyers for a free consultation to discuss how we can recover compensation for a brain injury affecting you or a loved one.
How Many Motorcycle Accidents Happen in Atlanta?
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has a crash portal containing the state’s motorcycle accident statistics. By filtering crashes in 2023 for those that are “Motorcycle Related,” the crash portal reports that Georgia had 4,162 motorcycle collisions in 2023.
These crashes caused:
- 210 deaths
- 3,398 non-fatal injuries
This data shows that nearly 87% of motorcycle accidents in Georgia caused injury or death that year.
When you add the city filter to determine crashes that happened in Atlanta, the query shows 289 total motorcycle collisions in the city in 2023. These crashes caused eight deaths and 230 non-fatal injuries. From these numbers, you can calculate that roughly 82% of Atlanta’s motorcycle accidents caused injury or death.
Common Brain Injuries Resulting From Motorcycle Accidents
Georgia has a universal helmet law. All operators and passengers must wear a helmet when riding in the state. While the likelihood of suffering a head injury decreases when riders wear helmets, these injuries are still the third-most common injuries sustained in motorcycle crashes.
Head trauma often leads to brain injuries. The brain includes several layers of protection, including the skull, membranes called the meninges, and a layer of cerebrospinal fluid.
The impact that produces a head injury can jar the brain so severely that the tissues get damaged. A brain injury can cause symptoms that make it impossible for the victim to earn a living or even meet their daily needs. Brain injuries can even cause coma or death.
Some common brain injuries resulting from motorcycle collisions include the following:
Concussions
A concussion happens when the brain gets jolted inside the skull from head trauma or even the whipping action the body experiences in a collision. When the brain shakes inside the skull, it suffers mild damage that causes the tissues to swell.
The swelling causes symptoms such as:
- Headache
- Clumsiness
- Blurry vision
- Tinnitus
- Confusion
- Memory loss
Concussion symptoms usually go away within two to three months after the injury. However, during this time, symptoms may appear or worsen unexpectedly as the brain swells. Once the swelling subsides, the brain usually returns to its regular functions. If it does not, the concussion might have caused permanent brain damage.
Cerebral Contusions
A cerebral contusion happens when the brain shakes so violently inside the skull that it strikes the bone. The impact causes a bruise called a cerebral contusion—the small blood vessels in the brain rupture, producing localized bleeding. However, the blood increases the pressure inside the skull and squeezes the brain.
In turn, the pressure on the brain can squeeze other blood vessels. Areas without circulation can die, producing brain lesions. Since brain cells cannot regenerate, the functions of those areas with brain lesions will be permanently lost. Cerebral contusions are serious injuries that often result in profound disabilities, coma, or death.
Diffuse Axonal Injuries (DAIs)
DAIs happen when the brain shakes so violently that the tissues tear apart. This injury can occur when a motorcyclist’s body whips around during a collision with a vehicle or a subsequent impact on the ground. DAIs often have grim outcomes, including permanent disabilities, long-term coma, or death.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Atlanta Brain Injury Attorneys After a Motorcycle Crash
A catastrophic brain injury can happen even when the rider wears a helmet. Contact Malone Law Medical Malpractice and Severe Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss how a personal injury claim can help provide resources for you or a loved one after these injuries.