Motorcycle accidents can cause serious and sometimes permanent injuries to victims involved in collisions. New York City motorcycle accident attorneys can provide you with representation if you or a loved one becomes involved in a motorcycle accident. You may be able to hold the driver who caused the crash responsible if you can prove another motorist was to blame. One common type of injury that motorcycle riders frequently suffer is a neck injury. However, a recent study shows that motorcyclists who do not wear helmets are around twice as likely to suffer a neck injury when involved in a motorcycle collision compared with a motorcycle rider who has a helmet on at the time of the accident.
Motorcycle Helmets Help to Reduce the Risk of Neck Injuries
The State Journal reported on the study showing that wearing a motorcycle helmet could reduce the risk of neck injury in an accident. The study involved a review of the records of 1,061 patients who had been treated at a trauma center for motorcycle accidents that they were involved in between 2010 and 2015. Among the medical records of the patients that were studied, approximately 70 percent of motorcycle riders did not have helmets on at the time when the collision occurred. If the motorcycle riders who did not have helmets on, 15.5 percent suffered injuries to the neck, including 10.8 percent who had spinal fractures. By contrast, among the motorcycle riders who had helmets on at the time of the accident, just 7.4 percent suffered injury to the neck including 4.6 percent who had fractured the spine. An associate professor of neurological surgery and the study author commented of the findings, “The helmet seems to be protective to these types of injuries.” The study did not review the impact of the helmet on other types of injuries motorcyclists suffered in collisions. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously reported that helmets can reduce the risk of serious head injury in motorcycle accidents by 69 percent and can reduce the risk of fatalities in motorcycle collisions by 37 percent. According to the State Journal, this most recent study counters previous research which showed that motorcyclists who wear helmets could actually be more vulnerable to injuring their neck as a result of the weight of the helmet. The previous research conducted in 1986 and in 2011 found helmets cause greater torque on the neck, thus increasing injury risk. Controversy over whether helmets make motorcyclist’s more or less likely to suffer injury to the neck is one key reason why many oppose mandatory motorcycle helmet laws that would require motorcyclists to wear helmets while riding. Regardless of whether you are wearing a motorcycle helmet or not, you can still take legal action to hold a driver accountable for injuries that you sustain in a collision that driver causes. New York City motorcycle accident attorneys can provide the help you need to pursue a claim for compensation. Contact an attorney for help as soon as you get hurt so your lawyer can help you to make your case.