We’ve talked a great deal on this blog about car accidents in Calgary, the serious injuries they can cause, and your rights if you or a family member has suffered serious injuries or even a wrongful death in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence. It’s a frequent topic of conversation for us because car accidents remain all too common in Calgary, and we help car accident injury victims and their families literally every day.

Motorcycle accidents are somewhat less common in the Calgary area, if only because there are fewer people in Calgary riding motorcycles relative to the number of people driving cars. The victims of motorcycle accidents, however, often suffer injuries far worse than those seen in similar collisions between two cars.

That motorcycles are more dangerous than cars, from the driver’s perspective, is obvious: though traveling at the same speed, motorcyclists have none of the protections that cars offer. Seatbelts, crumple zones, airbags, the protective structure of a vehicle all around your body—even the fact that cars are heavier than motorcycles offers drivers and passengers more protection during collisions than they have on a motorcycle.

In addition, because motorcycles are so much smaller than other vehicles on Calgary’s roads and highways, they are harder for other drivers to see and therefore more prone to being involved in collisions. Just last month, a motorcyclist was thrown 18 metres and suffered life-threatening and life-altering injuries when a car attempted to make a left hand turn that put it in the motorcycle’s path. Not only will the injury victim of this motorcycle accident likely never ride a motorcycle again, but he faces severe setbacks in his career, his personal life, and his overall capabilities and opportunities.

The fact that motorcycles can be harder to see does not mean other drivers have less responsibility for preventing motorcycle accidents. Just as with a collision that takes place between two larger vehicles, if one driver is clearly negligent in failing to yield the right of way or otherwise follow applicable traffic rules, and if this negligence contributes to the accident, the negligent driver is liable for all injuries caused.

Seeking Help Following Your Calgary Motorcycle Accident

Motorcyclists face an unfair reputation as reckless individuals who somehow “deserve” any injuries they receive while riding. This is completely untrue, of course; most motorcyclists in the Greater Calgary Area are very responsible and take great care to ensure their own safety and that of those around them. When they get hurt in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, they are just as entitled to fair compensation as anyone else.

If you or a family member has been seriously injured in a Calgary motorcycle accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation and you deserve professional legal assistance to help you get it. At Cuming & Gillespie LLP, Calgary’s premier personal injury law firm, we’re dedicated to helping all injury victims get the respect and the justice they deserve. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.