Motorcyclists are well aware that drivers of cars and other vehicles on the road often "just don't see them" - or at least claim not to see them. As a result, bikers learn to be very vigilant to avoid accidents. But sometimes there isn't much the biker can do to avoid a crash when the other driver is distracted or otherwise not paying attention, as Dallas motorcyclist Zacharie Perez learned recently.
Perez, a 25-year-old Iraq War veteran, was riding his motorcycle on a Dallas tollway in March of this year when the cars ahead of him slowed down. The car behind him, however, did not, and crashed into both Perez and the car in front of him, throwing Perez off and pinning his motorcycle between the vehicles.
Surviving Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Perez survived and considers himself lucky to be alive. But he suffered four broken vertebrae, a lumbar hernia, and a ruptured spleen, which had to be removed. His motorcycle injuries also included a broken rib and road rash, and he was in excruciating pain. Many bikers in similar motorcycle crashes have been killed.
The crash was caught on video, which clearly shows the car trailing Perez would have hit the slowed cars ahead even if Perez had not been between them. It could be that the driver that rear-ended Perez was distracted.
U.S. government statistics show distracted driving has been on the increase. From 2005 to 2009, the percentage of fatalities associated with distracted drivers increased by a whopping 60 percent. Many researchers believe cellular phones and other hand-held digital devices are behind the increase.
Perez later told the media that the behavior of automobile drivers such as the one who hit him is troubling. Perez fought overseas in a war, and yet it was on an American highway that he was seriously injured. "I survived Iraq," Perez said, "and I come back home and almost die on the tollway. I think it should be the other way around."
Insurance Issue
Perez is angry that the driver who rear-ended him wasn't arrested. "I am going to have life-long damage, chronic back pain, a spleen removed," Perez said, "and he got three tickets and nothing more. It's sickening."
The driver of the car that rear-ended Perez was driving with no license - and no insurance. Sadly, there are a lot of drivers like that on the round, both in Texas and across the country. Some motorcyclists carry extra uninsured motorist coverage for precisely that reason.
If you've been injured in a motorcycle accident, it is important to connect with a personal injury attorney who can help you sort out the insurance issues. In New York, for example, residents may take advantage of New York's Motor Vehicle Accident Indemnification Corporation to recover up to $25,000 in a non-fatal crash.
Contact an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer to discuss your specific case.
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