Mississippi Motorcycle Accident Attorneys Discuss Collisions from Behind

A recent motorcycle accident that claimed the life of an Alcorn State University professor serves as a tragic reminder of just how deadly accidents involving motorcycles and cars can be. This particular accident occurred when a car struck the motorcycle from behind. The impact caused the rider to be ejected from his motorcycle, and he was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

When a car or other type of vehicle collides with a motorcycle, serious injury and/or death are likely to result. The direction from which the impacting vehicle is moving also affects the likelihood of fatality. For example, rear-end motorcycle accidents frequently result in rider fatality. Motorcycle riders and their passengers do not have the protection that drivers and passengers who are enclosed in vehicles do. Because of this, the impact of a vehicle hitting a motorcycle often crushes the rider and their passenger, if they have one, or sends them airborne.

Because rear-end collisions are so often deadly, both drivers and riders must learn how to share the roads safely. Understanding how rear-end collisions between vehicles and motorcycles occur is an important part of understanding how to prevent or avoid them. There are two ways in which most rear-end motorcycle accidents happen. Either the rider is stopped at a traffic light or for some other reason, and the vehicle strikes them from behind, or the motorcycle collides with the rear end of the vehicle after the vehicle stops suddenly. Both types of collision often result in the rider being ejected from his or her bike. A rider can collide with moving or fixed objects as they fly through the air, and when they hit the ground, they do so with tremendous force. Unfortunately, airborne riders also sometimes land in the path of moving vehicles.

Many motorcycle accidents can be prevented. Drivers can reduce the risk of hitting a motorcycle by looking twice in either direction before entering an intersection, and by checking side and rearview mirrors when changing lanes and navigating on and off ramps. Both riders and drivers can reduce accident risk by using turn signals to enable others on the road to anticipate their movements. Accidents can also be prevented by giving other vehicles, including and especially motorcycles, enough space. When there is adequate space between vehicles of any type, drivers and riders have a chance to respond to the movements of vehicles around them. What many drivers may not realize is that motorcycles need at least twice as much space as other types of vehicles because of the way that they slow down and stop.

Giddens Law Firm, P.A.: Representing Mississippi Motorcycle Accident Victims and Their Families

If you have been injured or someone that you love has been killed in a motorcycle accident, you may have many questions on your mind. The Mississippi Motorcycle Accident Attorneys of the Giddens Law Firm, P.A. may be able to to help you. Please call our office today at (601) 355-2022 to learn more.