Motorcycle Accident: How Defective Motorcycle Parts can Affect Your Claim

Is your motorcycle inherently defective? Countless injuries, many of them fatal, trace directly back to unsound machines with hard-to-spot flaws stemming directly to faults in their manufacturing.

Of course, it is true that a sizable percentage of motorcycle accidents result from inattention, error or reckless behavior on the part of motorists. In fact, many police reports will pin the blame directly on the cyclist without bothering to look any further. This is especially unfortunate, for a bit of investigation will often uncover a motorcycle defect as the instigating factor.

Many things can go wrong with a motorcycle. Some originate at the factory level, where an undetected slip-up on the assembly line manages to evade a later inspection. In other cases, poor design or defective parts serve to sabotage an otherwise perfect manufacturing job.

Some of the most common areas in which deficiencies lead to accidents include failures of the motorcycle’s:

Shock absorbers. If the damper rod nut should loosen, the shock could break apart, and a disengaging nut on the piston rod could lead to a total loss of control.
Braking system. Any vehicle that loses its ability to stop is in danger of suffering a serious crash.
Chain drive. They may be obsolete by modern standards, but older machines still have them. A chain that breaks could easily get caught between the spring arm and the rear sprocket, causing your rear wheel to lock and sending your vehicle into a skid.
Substandard pedals or toe clips. If these should snap or break off, a loss of control can soon follow.
Fuel line. A defect in this location can lead to overheating and even a possible fire.
Tires. A failure to withstand the rigors of the road can result in a dangerous and potentially deadly blowout.
Wheel misalignment. Any imbalance of this sort can cause a problem with control.

Other common trouble spots include the spokes, handle bars and torque fasteners. In truth, any unsound or insubstantial motorcycle part can shift the blame for an accident from the driver to the bike’s designer, manufacturer, distributor or seller. Furthermore, injury in a motorcycle accident can result from more than just a defect in the machine itself. A substandard helmet is often a major culprit, and its manufacturer could be equally culpable.

Common Injuries Arising From Motorcycle Accidents

The driver or passenger on a motorcycle enjoys none of the protections afforded to those who travel in trucks, vans or automobiles. The motorcycle contains no air bags or seat belts to cushion the individual or shield him from a close encounter with the pavement. For this reason, motorcycle accidents will often result in serious and even fatal injuries. These can consist of:

Brain damage.
Internal injuries.
Damage to the spinal cord and possible paralysis.
Burns.
Broken bones.
Road rash.
Amputations.

These are only some of the more common injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents. If any of them should trace back to having ridden a defective motorcycle, responsibility falls on the shoulders of someone other than the driver.

Proving Liability for a Motorcycle Accident

As mentioned above, if a glitch in your motorcycle’s manufacture or a defect in any one of its parts has caused you to have an accident, there are potentially blame-worthy entities in play. However, proving liability may not be easy. It will take an experienced personal injury attorney to show that the machine and not its driver was at fault, and even then, the insurance companies are sure to put up a fight.

Nevertheless, when a defect in the motorcycle itself or one of its parts has caused severe injury or death to you, your passenger or anyone else, you are almost certain to be innocent and should not bear the brunt of the blame.

Motorcycle injuries are rarely minor, and if a defective machine is responsible for causing yours, there’s no need to take it lying down. The lawyers at Lloyd Baker Injury Attorneys have experience in handling all types of motorcycle accidents, and we will fight to assist you in obtaining any compensation that should rightfully be yours. For a free consultation to discuss your case, call Lloyd Baker Injury Attorneys today: 702-444-2222