New York Injury Talk Blog

The New York Times reported that the number of motorcyclist accident deaths jumped in 2007, with the region accounting for nearly one in eight motor vehicle deaths, government safety officials said on Thursday. Deaths of people in cars and trucks, on bicycles or on foot dropped by nearly 2,000 last year, pushing the overall death rate to a historic low. But deaths of motorcyclists surged 6.6 percent, to 5,154; 2007 was the 10th straight year of increase.

Experts say the trend is most likely to continue, as high gasoline prices will encourage some travelers to use their bikes more often. The average motorcycle gets 50 miles for the $4 gallon of gasoline instead of the 20 miles per gallon the average car travels.

“We have seen the total motorcycle participation in vehicle miles traveled go up,” said Mary E. Peters, the secretary of transportation and a longtime Harley-Davidson rider. “We might see more people moving to that mode of transportation,” Ms. Peters said. “We might see that data skew.”

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A 12-year-old is dead after a head-on dirt bike collision in New York. Kody Beasock was killed after his brother, 16-year-old Christopher, struck him head-on, throwing him from his bike. The crash occurred on a rural road; Kody died and Christopher is now in critical condition. The community of Leyden and Boonville, New York, is mourning Beasock, with grief counselors available at Kody’s school. The ongoing investigation has not yet revealed the speed of the crash; no criminal charges will be pursued. It is thought that excessive speed and Kody’s inattention led to the head-on collision. Christopher’s condition has not changed since the accident, and his family remains at his bedside waiting for him to recover.

This accident is just one in a recent spate of dirt bike accidents that has devastated families in Maine, Massachusetts, and Virginia. ATVs and dirt bikes, like many other recreational vehicles, tend towards catastrophic injuries and improper operation – circumstances that can lead to motorcycle accident injuries or death.

The New York accident raises a number of questions about safety, training, and age. Were the boys old enough to really be driving dirt bikes? Where were their parents? Though a lawsuit seems unlikely given that the victims were brothers, there is the potential of lawsuits involving supervising family members or even the dirt bikes’ manufacturers or sales people. The complexity of dirt bike collision investigations is clear – everyone from insurers to third-party manufacturers can get dragged into the fray.

Because of the variety of complications of a motorcycle or dirt bike collision – and the severity or even deadliness of the involved injuries – it’s vital to find the right attorney as soon as possible after the accident to protect your legal rights. Your motorcycle accident attorney can help you file a personal injury lawsuit to get the compensation you deserve for the physical and psychological aspects of your injury.

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Posted In: Motorcycle Accidents

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