Jacksonville Dirt Bike Crash Lawyers
Dirt Bike Motorcycle Accident
A dirt bike is a lightweight motorcycle designed for trails or dirt roads. The light weight, ruggedly built motorcycle, with a high clearance and large tires, is also called a trail bike or off-road bike. Dirt bikes can include motocross, a competitive form of dirt biking.
Dirt bike racing is becoming increasingly popular, primarily among young riders, with some starting motocross at the age of three. For many, the competition is a rather intense hobby. But it’s also a dangerous sport. Proper gear consists of protective gloves and elbow, knee and wrist pads, a chest protestor, goggles, and a helmet.
Every year, hundreds of children and teens die, and thousands are injured in accidents involving these off-road bikes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 2001 to 2004, there were 23,800 off-road vehicle riders, aged 19 and younger, who were treated for nonfatal injuries in U.S. hospital emergency rooms.
Patients ages 16 and younger accounted for almost 70% of the injuries. In 2003, at least 13 motorcycle riders, ages 19 and younger, died in off-road nontraffic bike accidents.
Dirt bikes can be particularly dangerous because riders are young and can be reckless. The dirt bike culture, overwhelmingly young and male, encourages aggressive driving, jumping and stunts. You may find that energy drinks are used to promote the wild, carefree image of the dirt biker. Unfortunately, many dirt bike enthusiasts don’t understand proper maintenance and safety checks on their bikes. They may not be old enough to hold a driver’s license and know only the aggressive culture of competitive dirt biking.
Complicating the injuries is the fact that many dirt trails are far away from a main road or any road where an ambulance has access. As a result, medical help for dirt bike injuries can be delayed.
Off-road bikers are encountering unpredictable rough terrain and more hazards than a street rider. And further complicating the sport is the fact that drug and alcohol abuse is relatively common among some casual riders.
Dirt Bike Injuries
Serious injuries such as fractures and contusions are a common injury for an off-road rider, according to the CDC. The head or neck area is particularly vulnerable to injury and the CDC found almost 17% of injury cases involved the head and neck, of which 47% involved an internal head injury. Often the injuries result from jumping the bikes, primarily in a motocross area. Five percent involved one bike hitting another motorcycle or other off-road vehicle.
The CDC report reflected injuries to children and teens. Because recreational dirt biking happens off-road, the recorded number of injuries and fatalities may be underreported.
About 300,000 off-road motorcycles were sold in the U.S. in 2003 and increasingly a white male, age 30 and under are buying them.
As it stands, only 19 states require off-road motorcyclists age 18 and younger to wear helmets, and only eight states set a minimum age of 8 to 14 to operate the off-road motorcycles, according to the American Motorcycle Association.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Florida dirt bike accident, you may be able to find compensation for medical costs, lost wages and pain and suffering. Farah and Farah will offer a free and comprehensive consultation on your case.