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Motorcyclists enjoy Florida’s environment and motorcycle activities year-round. However, they continue to be overrepresented in vehicle crashes, resulting in catastrophic injuries and tragic deaths. Motorcyclists are largely unprotected from the elements and the forces that are released in collisions. The Insurance Information Institute data reports that motorcyclists are nearly 29 times likelier to be killed in crashes than vehicle occupants.

Some of the injuries mentioned by researchers in a comprehensive study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) were neck and back injuries requiring rehabilitation. Approximately 15 percent of motorcycle crash victims suffer neck and back injuries including spinal cord injuries.

Types of Neck, Back, and Spinal Injuries Suffered in Motorcycle Accidents

• Neck sprain or strain
• Herniated or bulging discs
• Fractured vertebrae
• Soft tissue injuries
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis

Neck Sprain or Strain

When the head is thrown back and forth, the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the shoulders and neck may be hyperextended. This type of injury causes a reduction in the range of motion, stiffness, balance issues, headaches, dizziness, and/or vertigo. Motorcycle accident victims may suffer symptoms for weeks or even months. Some motorcyclists may even feel chronic symptoms for more than a year.

Herniated or Bulging Discs

According to WebMD, herniated discs can press on the nerves in the spine and cause pain, weakness, and numbness in the neck, back, arms, and legs. Sometimes these symptoms can be severe enough to disrupt a motorcycle accident victim’s life. Vertebral discs cushion the bones in the vertebral column, help keep the neck in place, and can also be dislocated in a motorcycle crash.

Bulging discs can cause pain in the buttocks, legs, or back. They can also affect the ability to walk. Over time, this condition can cause other disc degeneration-related issues, such as lumbar stenosis, (the narrowing of the spinal canal), according to PennMedicine.org.

Fractured Vertebrae

Vertebrae make up the bones in the spinal column. When there is a high-impact collision, they may fracture. Depending on the severity, the motorcycle accident victim may need surgery to move safely and avoid injuring the spinal cord.

Soft Tissue Injuries

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, soft tissue injuries may be contusions, bruises, sprains, tendonitis, bursitis, stress injuries, and/or strains. These injuries may be in the back, neck, and/or shoulders. They can cause stiffness and pain and reduce the range of motion.

Spinal Injuries and Paralysis

When the spinal cord is injured, paralysis may occur. According to WebMD, the following are four of the common types of general paralysis depending on the severity of the injury and its location.

1. Monoplegia – A kind of generalized paralysis that affects just one limb.
2. Diplegia – Affects the same area on both sides, such as both arms, both legs, or both sides of the face.
3. Quadriplegia (or tetraplegia) – When all four limbs are paralyzed, and sometimes accompanied by the paralysis of certain internal organs.
4. Paraplegia – Paralysis from the waist down.

Fort Myers Motorcycle Accident Attorney Assists Accident Victims

Back and spinal cord injuries are serious injuries, and when they are caused by negligent drivers, they require serious legal representation. Attorney Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. represents injured motorcyclists throughout the state of Florida, including Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, and Port Charlotte.

Attorney Spivey and his legal team have the expertise, resources, and experience to represent victims of negligent drivers. He has won over $219 million in compensation for his clients. All of the firm’s clients have unique personal injury cases. The firm provides personal contact and communication along with aggressive representation.

Here’s what one injured motorcyclist said about working with Attorney Spivey:

Professional, polite, and they get the job done. If you have, or had, a motorcycle, make sure that you have their phone number! MIKE S.

Should you or a loved one be injured in an accident please contact Spivey Law 24/7 at 239.337.7483, toll-free at 1.888.477.4839, or online at SpiveyLaw.com. There are no costs or attorney fees until there is a monetary recovery.