How Can a Motorcycle Road Rash Impact Your Accident Case in Newark, NJ?

Road rash is often an inevitable result of a motorcycle accident. No matter how protective your clothing was during the crash, it may not have completely guarded you against the rough pavement.

Road rash might sound like a minor injury, but it can sometimes be debilitating and require a prolonged recovery. Learn more about motorcycle road rash and how it might impact your accident case.

How Does Road Rash Happen in a Motorcycle Accident?

Road rash is an abrasion that occurs when the skin scrapes against the pavement, often during a motorcycle, bicycle, or skateboarding accident. The friction of the pavement can create significant abrasions, even in areas where clothing or protective riding gear covers the skin. It can also generate heat that burns you.

Motorcyclists are often traveling at least 25 miles per hour when accidents occur. The sudden impact of the crash creates momentum that sends the biker skidding several yards across the pavement. Road rash can occur in any area of their body that makes contact with the asphalt.

These motorcycle crash wounds might produce symptoms such as:

• Pain (though deep road rash wounds may not be painful because the nerves have been destroyed)
• Changes to the color of the skin
• Blistering, sometimes filled with yellowish serous fluid, which is normal for healing
• Debris embedded in the skin

Types and Degrees of Road Rash

While motorcycle road rash is sometimes a minor injury, it can also be significant. This injury could cause abrasions, lacerations, and even thermal burns on the skin from asphalt. Physicians classify road rash injuries into the following degrees:

• First degree: Minor scrapes, bruises, bleeding, and soreness that may heal on their own
• Second degree: More significant bleeding, swelling, and heat that radiates from the wound. You may see muscles or tendons exposed in the deepest areas of the wound.
• Third-degree: Peeling and flaking of the skin with substantial bleeding and open wounds. This degree of road rash may cover more than 10% of the body and have a milky appearance.

There are also several different types of these motorcycle accident injuries:

• Open wounds, which are the largest and deepest type, often expose the muscles, bones, tendons, nerves, or fat
• Compression wounds, which can produce injuries on both sides of the body when the individual is compressed between two objects, such as their bike and the road
• Avulsions, which happen when the skin layers peel or flake off

Treatment and Prognosis for Road Rash

You may be able to treat mild road rash at home. However, more severe cases often require professional medical treatment.

For minor road rash, prioritize keeping the wound clean and protected. After the accident, gently clean the wound with lukewarm water to remove any gravel, dirt, or debris. Then, apply an antibiotic ointment and a bandage to protect the wound from bacteria. Replace the bandage at least once a day or as needed.

You should generally see a doctor for road rash if any of the following are true:

• The wound is larger than the size of your palm.
• You see bone or muscle exposed.
• You notice signs of infection (redness, swelling, increased pain, or fever).
• Foreign objects are embedded in the wound that you cannot remove on your own.
• The wound is in a sensitive area, such as your face, hands, feet, or genitals.

Road rash treatment for these wounds may include pain medications, cleaning and debridement, bandaging, and, in some cases, surgery. Skin grafting may be necessary for third-degree wounds.

Deep road rash wounds can take weeks or months to fully heal and may result in long-term scarring and loss of sensation in the affected area.

Can You Seek Compensation for Road Rash?

If you experienced motorcycle road rash in an accident, you may have the opportunity to seek compensation through an insurance claim or lawsuit.

In New Jersey, motorists often use their own personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to cover the costs of injuries resulting from an accident. However, New Jersey law excludes motorcycles from this type of coverage. Talk to your insurer about whether any other coverage might help pay for your medical expenses, such as uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Motorcyclists in New Jersey sometimes need to seek legal action. This may provide you with the opportunity to seek economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, in addition to non-economic damages, including pain and suffering. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney can help you explore your legal options.

Don’t Let Road Rash Injuries Derail Your Life

Motorcycle road rash can be excruciating and may require weeks or months of healing. It is often accompanied by other injuries, such as broken bones and internal bleeding, as well.

The Law Offices of Peter N. Davis and Associates, LLC, can help you explore your options for seeking compensation. Contact us today by calling us 24/7 at (973) 279-7246(973) 279-7246 or complete our online form for a free case review.

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The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.

The Law Offices of Peter N. Davis & Associates, LLC
72 Essex Street, Suite 2,
Lodi, New Jersey 07644
(973) 279-7246(973) 279-7246
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