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Motorcycle accidents often lead to serious injuries like broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. Something that is more common and less threatening is road rash, which occurs if the rider is thrown from the bike and slides across the road or the pavement. The concrete rubs against the skin or thin fabric and ends up causing significant scrapes, cuts, and bruises. Although the injuries may not be fatal, they can still result in serious infections, which can lead to scarring and nerve damage if not treated properly. As a victim, you need to realize that getting compensated for road rash is as important as claiming it for any serious injuries in a motorcycle crash. Let us explain in detail how to deal with road rash injuries.
Understanding the types of road rash
Road rash may be much more than cuts and scrapes. Moreover, you can suffer from different types of road rash injuries at one time. These include:
- Avulsion: The most common type of road rash, avulsion refers to scraping of the skin, potentially exposing the layers of muscle, fat, and even bone underneath. It can cause permanent scarring and may have to be treated with plastic surgery or skin graft surgery. Understandably, treatment is often painful and expensive.
- Compression: In a compression injury, one or more parts of the body are trapped between the road and the motorcycle. The victim can suffer from extensive bruising, muscle damage, and even broken bones.
- Open wounds: In yet another type of road rash, the victim can sustain an open wound. The wound may have to be treated with stitches or may even require skin grafts in more severe cases.
Treating road rash
Getting immediate medical treatment for road rash injuries can reduce infection, scarring, and disfigurement for the victim. Depending on the degree and extent of your injuries, it can be complicated and costly. While stitches and dressing may work for some wounds, you may require a skin graft or plastic surgery for others. Considering the impending medical costs, it is best to have a seasoned motorcycle injury lawyer to handle your claim and get you the compensation you deserve. Apart from the treatment costs, they can also help you claim for the pain and suffering and other typical damages like loss of income.
Knowing the emotional consequences of scarring
Although road rash may not be as serious and debilitating as spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury, the impact may be lasting. In some victims, it may cause permanent scars or disfigurement that have life-changing emotional consequences in the long run. Altered appearance affects the self-confidence of the victim and the emotional trauma they suffer is often far more than skin deep. The victim may suffer from depression, stress, and anxiety for a lifetime. The pain and discomfort of procedures such as plastic surgery are lasting, while some may even experience social isolation. Obviously, anyone who goes through such trauma deserves much more than a basic compensation.
An experienced motorcycle injury attorney can help you prove your suffering and ensure that you don’t get anything lesser than what you deserve. After all, you cannot let the insurance company or the guilty driver use road rash to their advantage.
