Riding a motorcycle around the Seattle area can be an exciting experience, but it can also be dangerous. These kinds of vehicles don’t give you as much protection as a car or truck. Even if you’re a cautious driver while on a motorcycle, you can’t control what other drivers around you do. Motorcycle accidents can easily happen on Seattle roadways, leading to road rash, fractures, head injuries, and other injuries.

If you’ve been injured, a Seattle motorcycle accident attorney can help. At Craig Swapp & Associates, we’re here to provide you with the legal representation needed in this type of personal injury case. Find out more about motorcycle accidents in our area and why it’s so important to hire a dependable and experienced accident lawyer Seattle.

Safe Driving Tips While Using a Motorcycle

How can you stay safe while riding a motorcycle? Taking steps to drive as safely as possible is essential for these kinds of vehicles. You don’t have a seatbelt, exterior frame around you or other protective features that cars provide. Instead, you’ll need to keep your driving as risk-free as you can in order to help prevent accidents from occurring. Our Seattle motorcycle accident lawyer offers the following tips to help improve your chance of staying safe and avoiding road rash and other injuries.

Always Wear Protective Gear

Protective gear helps reduce your risk of injuries if you’re in an accident. Before hitting the road, always put on a helmet to protect against head injuries. Covering up exposed skin with a motorcycle jacket can help prevent road rash from occurring. Road rash refers to wounds or abrasions you can get from road surfaces. These can be serious and lead to infections in some cases. Other types of protective gear to wear while on a motorcycle include gloves and boots to protect your hands and feet from injuries.

Follow all Traffic Laws

An experienced personal injury lawyer Seattle can tell you that obeying traffic laws on the road is essential for staying safe. Riding a motorcycle comes with risks that you don’t have while driving a car. These bikes can reach high speeds rapidly. They can also be difficult to maneuver, especially while making turns or driving around curves or bends in the road. Make sure you follow all traffic laws to help prevent accidents.

Don’t Take Risks While Riding

Being on a motorcycle gives you a lot of freedom compared to driving a car or other vehicle. However, it’s important to drive responsibly. You might be able to drive at high speeds on a motorcycle, but doing so can quickly lead to a bad accident. Always ride your motorcycle at posted speed limits instead of over them. The smaller design of these bikes makes it possible to weave in and out of traffic. While some motorcycle drivers might do this to try to get ahead of traffic, it’s a dangerous move.

Think Twice About Riding in Bad Weather

Inclement weather can increase the risk of being in an accident, especially when you’re on a motorcycle. In fact, your chance of needing a personal injury lawyer Seattle might go up if you ride around on slippery roads or when there’s poor visibility. Rainy weather can lead to wet roadways that are hazardous to ride on. Windy conditions can make it harder to keep your bike under control. Fog and downpours can make it tough to see in front of you while riding around.

Common Seattle Areas for Motorcycle Accidents

Whether you ride on local roads in stop-and-go traffic or head to the highways, motorcycle accidents can occur anywhere in and around the city. However, some spots are worse than others for these kinds of accidents. Our accident lawyer Seattle warns when it comes to motorcycle accidents. This stretch of the interstate, which runs through the downtown area, has been the site of bad motorcycle accidents. In 2019, a motorcycle driver near the Southcenter exit was thrown off their vehicle after changing lanes in an unsafe manner. As for local roads, Aurora Avenue North is known for being one of the most common roadways for accidents.

Motorcycle Accidents by the Numbers

The number of drivers who end up needing a Seattle motorcycle accident lawyer is considerably high in Washington state. The Traffic Safety Commission shows that motorcycle fatalities made up 15 percent of all traffic fatalities in the state between 2013 and 2017. Unsafe speeds caused more than half of fatal motorcycle accidents. Motorcyclists were at fault for roughly two-thirds of motorcycle fatalities. 

Steps to Take After a Motorcycle Accident

What should you do immediately after being in a motorcycle accident? You should seek medical care, even if you don’t seem to have any serious injuries. Internal injuries or other injuries might be worse than you think. Other steps to take include calling the police and gathering information from any other drivers who were involved in the accident. You should also get information from witnesses. After talking to the police, gathering information, and getting medical treatment, your next step is contacting a Seattle personal injury lawyer.

How an Attorney Can Help After a Motorcycle Accident

Personal injury cases involving motorcycle accidents can be complicated. You might have a hard time navigating the legal system and proving that someone else was at fault for the accident. Keep in mind that you might be entitled to receive compensation, which can help cover your medical costs and other expenses, such as loss of income. Hiring a Seattle motorcycle accident attorney can provide you with valuable guidance throughout your case. These attorneys have experience representing clients in motorcycle accident cases. With this type of lawyer at your side, you stand a better chance of recovering damages as part of a settlement.

Ready to talk to a Seattle personal injury lawyer? Please contact Craig Swapp & Associates for more information on our legal services. We can evaluate the details of your motorcycle accident to determine if you have a case and provide reliable legal representation.

Written By: Ryan Swapp     Legal Review By: Craig Swapp