Long-Term Injuries from Motorcycle Accidents: Understanding the Impact
Catastrophic Injury Consequences and Legal Options
Every day, many lives are impacted because of devastating motorcycle accidents. Some victims may take weeks or months of medical treatment and rest in order to fully heal. Others may sustain injuries that will never fully heal, no matter how much medical treatment they undergo.
Below, we discuss long-term injuries associated with motorcycle accidents and the lifelong consequences that they may cause.
Common Long-Term Physical Injuries from Motorcycle Crashes
Motorcycle accident injuries often result in permanent physical limitations that require lifelong management. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to lasting cognitive impairments like memory loss, speech difficulties, and impaired decision-making. Spinal cord damage frequently causes partial or complete paralysis, requiring mobility aids and constant care. These catastrophic injuries transform victims' lives instantly, demanding extensive rehabilitation. Severe nerve damage commonly causes chronic pain, muscle atrophy, and reduced mobility in extremities. Burn injuries create permanent scarring while limiting the range of motion and increasing infection risks.
Amputations lead to phantom limb pain and require costly prosthetics. Each long-term injury necessitates specialized medical equipment, home modifications, and ongoing therapy. The financial burden compounds over the years through hospitalizations, surgeries, and assistive devices. Many survivors require wheelchairs, home health aides, and occupational therapy decades after their crash.
Proper documentation of all projected costs is essential when pursuing motorcycle accident settlements for permanent disability. Rehabilitation specialists help maximize functionality, but recovery plateaus vary. Early intervention improves outcomes, yet many face permanent limitations. Our Chicago legal team calculates lifetime care expenses to ensure compensation addresses future needs.
Physical Injuries
After a motorcycle accident, a person’s body may not be able to function as it did beforehand. There are several types of injuries that can cause these long-term or lifelong physical disabilities.
Traumatic Brain Injury
The long-term effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) will vary by person. Depending on the severity of the injury, TBI can lead to disabilities such as:
- Vision and hearing problems
- Speech or communication difficulties
- Spasticity (tensing of the muscles)
TBI can also lead to cognitive impairments, such as trouble making rational decisions or retaining new memories.
Nerve Damage
Nerve damage is not uncommon when it comes to motorcycle accidents. Peripheral neuropathy is a condition in which there is damage to the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. It typically affects the hands and feet and can result in muscle atrophy, weakness, paralysis, and shooting pains. Nerve damage may require the use of crutches or another form of walking assistance.
Amputation
Amputations that stem from traumatic accidents often involve the limbs. The loss of an arm or a leg can be both physically shocking and debilitating. It can also lead to phantom pain or infection from the open wound. Many individuals who must undergo amputation require physical therapy and/or walking devices.
Spinal Cord Injury
Depending on what part of the spine was injured, a spinal cord injury can cause partial disability, paraplegia, or quadriplegia. These individuals often require at-home care and may experience bladder/bowel dysfunction, respiration difficulties, and long-term heart problems.
Burn Injury
There are many functional issues that can arise because of burns, such as sensitivity to hold and cold, loss of range of motion, reduced strength, and susceptibility to infections. This type of injury is especially challenging because it often causes permanent scarring.
Psychological Consequences
The psychological effects of a motorcycle accident can be just as great as the physical ones. After learning that they sustained a long-term injury, many of these individuals will have to learn how to live a completely new way of life.
People can suffer both socially and mentally. They may be unable to go back to work or even perform day-to-day tasks because. They may feel incapable of doing certain activities, which may cause them to isolate themselves or experience a diminished quality of life.
Financial Costs
When it comes to long-term injuries and disabilities, it’s essential to think about the entire picture rather than just immediate medical bills. These injuries can require thousands or even millions of dollars down the line. Some of the financial costs of serious or catastrophic injuries may include:
- Lengthy hospital stays
- Multiple surgeries
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Psychological and occupational therapies
- Medical or assistive devices, such as wheelchairs or prosthetic wheelchairs
- Nursing care
- Medication
- Rehabilitation
- Costs of secondary conditions that can arise
As you can see, the financial costs of a long-term injury and disability can be exponentially higher than you initially realize. This is why it’s incredibly important to hire an experienced motorcycle accident attorney who can ensure you don’t receive a settlement that will leave you with out-of-pocket expenses down the line.
Contact a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney
We understand that nothing may completely make up for the catastrophic injury you sustained and the disabilities they may have caused. However, McNabola & Associates is dedicated to ensuring that responsible parties are held accountable for their actions.
Our Chicago motorcycle accident attorneys will utilize all of our skills, resources, and knowledge to calculate the lifelong costs of your medical bills as well as emotional damages. This way, you can focus all of your resources on healing and rebuilding your life.
Contact McNabola & Associates at (312) 888-8700 to schedule your free case evaluation.