West Virginia Motorcycle Accident Injuries
One moment you’re riding your bike on a scenic West Virginia mountain road, gliding through turns as the sun breaks through the trees. In the next moment, everything could change. The crash lasts seconds; recovery may take years.
For riders with West Virginia motorcycle accident injuries—and their families—those years may involve extensive ongoing medical treatment, confusing diagnoses, and mounting expenses. Below, we discuss the most common types of motorcycle accident injuries, how they happen, and the factors that can impact your ability to recover compensation.
Why Motorcycle Crashes Cause Such Serious Injuries
More than 6,000 people were killed and 86,000 injured in motorcycle accidents in the United States in 2024, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Of the fatal crashes, 60 percent involved a collision with another moving vehicle. In 78 percent of two-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle, the motorcycle was impacted on the front first. The other vehicle turning left across the motorcyclist’s lane of traffic caused 45 percent of these accidents.
So, in the most common motorcycle accident scenario, another vehicle veers or turns left into the path of the rider, then the bike strikes the vehicle. This may result in the driver of the motorcycle impacting the other vehicle or being thrown over it onto the pavement, ground, or into other vehicles or structures. The results of multiple sudden impacts, rapid acceleration and deceleration, and relatively limited protection for the rider can be catastrophic.
When WV Motorcycle Accidents Result in Death
Motorcyclists face a much higher risk of death when they are involved in an accident. In 2024, 16 percent of vehicle crash deaths in the US were motorcyclists. When calculated per mile traveled, however, the rate of death for motorcyclists was 27 times the rate for occupants of cars.
In West Virginia, an average of 37 motorcyclists were killed in accidents per year over the most recent five-year period reported.
When fatal accidents happen due to someone else’s neglect or wrongdoing, loved ones of the victim may be entitled to compensation for wrongful death. If you lost a family member or loved one in a West Virginia motorcycle accident and believe someone else was at fault, reach out to our attorneys to learn how we can help.
Common Motorcycle Injuries, from Head to Toe
In 2024, researchers performed a systematic review of motorcycle injury studies published between 1970 and 2023. This research identified the most common injuries in motorcycle accidents across the 142 studies included in the review. Grouping injuries by the region of the body affected, the researchers discussed the injuries and how they often happen in detail.
Head and Brain Injuries
The review found that brain injuries were the most common cause of death in motorcycle accidents, based on the previous studies. Head and brain injuries in motorcycle accidents are often caused by sudden impacts or force on the body resulting from rapid acceleration or deceleration.
While many brain injuries led to death, non-fatal head injuries were also common, ranging from bruises to concussions to non-fatal traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Research has found that helmets can prevent or reduce the severity of some of these injuries.
West Virginia University’s Center for Excellence in Disabilities operates the WV Traumatic Brain Injury Services Program. According to the TBI Services Program, 8 percent of TBIs in WV in 2024-2025 resulted from motorcycle crashes. The agency notes that TBIs can lead to short- and long-term health issues, and the injuries are a major cause of disability and death. This statistic is particularly concerning: among sufferers of moderate to severe TBI who were employed at the time of injury, more than half are no longer employed five years later.
Neck, Back, and Spinal Injuries
In this region of the body, the researchers found the most common cause of death in motorcycle accidents was injury to the cervical spine. These injuries may also result in various degrees of paralysis when the spinal cord is damaged. Hyperextension of the head causes many of these injuries. Helmets have not been definitively shown to prevent cervical spine injuries, and some injuries result from impacts with parts of the helmet, such as the buckle.
Hemorrhages and artery damage were the most common across all types of injury in this area of the body. These often result from hyperextension, rotation, and compression of the neck and internal structures like arteries. Some injuries of this sort may not be obvious at first, with symptoms emerging hours or days later and the potential to progress to coma or death.
Chest and Abdominal Injuries
Aortic injuries, blood loss, asphyxiation, and spine fractures are among the chest and abdominal injuries most likely to lead to death in a motorcycle accident. Rib fractures are also common and often occur alongside organ damage like liver laceration and lung contusion. Damage to the spleen and pancreas may be caused by impacts with the bike’s handlebars or other objects.
Injuries to the spinal cord in the thoracic spine area may cause paralysis of the lower body and legs. The onset of paralysis may be immediate, or the onset could be delayed when it results from bleeding, swelling, or cell death in or around the spinal cord.
Pelvic Injuries
Impacts with the motorcycle’s fuel tank are a leading cause of injuries to the pelvic area in motorcycle crashes. These injuries include bone fractures, organ damage, hemorrhages, and soft tissue damage.
Pelvic injuries related to impacts with the fuel tank are most common in front-end crashes, when the driver slides forward into the tank. Passengers are less likely than drivers to sustain these kinds of injuries.
Limb Injuries
Injuries to limbs and extremities occur often in motorcycle accidents, and these have a much lower occurrence of death than injuries to other parts of the body. In the upper limbs, shoulder, forearm, hand, and thumb fractures are the most common injuries. Forearm and hand injuries are associated with lower rates of fatality, because the arms may absorb some of the force of impact.
Injuries to the tibia, femur, kneecap, and foot are most common in the lower limbs. The heel of the foot and Achilles tendon are often injured when the foot becomes trapped between the spokes, frames, and/or wheels of the bike, resulting in grinding or crushing injuries.
Due to their positioning on the motorcycle, drivers are more likely to sustain injuries to the upper extremities, while passengers suffer more often from lower limb and foot injuries.
Skin Injuries
Road rash occurs frequently in motorcycle crashes due to the friction of the body moving across rough pavement or other surfaces. The severity of road rash injuries is measured by degrees—first, second, and third—much like burn injuries from heat are graded. Riders may also sustain burns from fuel tanks or burning fuel. While these injuries are often less severe, higher-level burns and wounds may require surgery like skin grafts, and infection of the wound is an ongoing concern until it is healed.
How Does the Nature of WV Motorcycle Injuries Impact Compensation?
Those injured in a motorcycle accident in West Virginia where another person or party was at fault can seek compensation for their damages. This can include medical expenses, loss of wages and the ability to work, pain and suffering, and property damage.
Many motorcycle accidents result in serious injuries that require ongoing medical treatment and impact your ability to work, quality of life, and more. Injured riders should seek medical treatment as soon as possible and maintain records of all injuries, diagnoses, and treatment, as well as future medical needs. More serious injuries are likely to involve longer recovery times, extended medical treatment, and more time away from work, if you can return at all.
A West Virginia motorcycle accident attorney can review your case and help determine the damages you are entitled to under the law, then work with you to pursue compensation to cover the losses you have and are expected to suffer.
Contact a West Virginia Motorcycle Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle accident, working with an attorney may improve your chances of recovering the compensation you deserve. We can also relieve some of the burden on you and your family by communicating with creditors and insurers, explaining West Virginia personal injury laws, advocating for your rights, and handling the legal processes involved in a motorcycle accident claim.
The attorneys at Burke, Schultz, Harman & Burke have extensive experience handling claims for West Virginia motorcycle accident injuries. We’ll fight to get the compensation you need to recover and move forward. Get in touch to schedule a consultation by calling 304-263-0900 or completing our online contact form. We’re ready to help!