Posted in: | Apr 05,2018
It’s a well-established fact that wearing a motorcycle helmet significantly raises the risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury in an accident. However, new research now indicates that helmets are also very beneficial in helping protect motorcyclists against a possibly dangerous cervical spine injury.
New research was conducted by conducted by a team of neurological surgeons at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison, and published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. According to the new data, the old theory that motorcycle helmets do nothing to protect against spine injury and other injuries in an accident, may not be true after all.
The researchers focused on data involving more than 1,000 people who had suffered injuries in motorcycle accidents and had undergone treatment at trauma centers across Wisconsin over a five-year period. Upon analysis, they found that 30% of the patients were wearing helmets at the time of the accident, and 70% were not helmeted. About 15% of the riders who were riding without a helmet, suffered at least one cervical spine injury, compared to a rate of 7% among the motorcyclists wearing helmets at the time of the accident. Additionally, approximately 11% motorcyclists who were not wearing a helmet suffered a cervical spine factor, compared to a rate of 5% in the group that was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Traumatic brain injuries can be potentially serious, and even fatal. They can significantly impact a person’s ability to lead a normal life after the injury. Cervical spine injuries, however, are also very dangerous, and can possibly lead to paralysis. Because of the location of these injuries, the impact on the body may be much more intense than in the case of a brain injury, and can possibly even result in death.
Motorcycling experts have always recommended that riders wear a helmet, even in those states that do not require them to wear helmets. Wearing helmets simply makes sense when you’re riding a motorcycle. Now, new research establishes that not only does a helmet protect you against brain injuries, but it also lowers the chances of suffering a potentially devastating spinal fracture in an accident.
A devastating injury like a brain injury means a complicated injury claim. Not only do you have to account for all your immediate medical expenses after the injury, but you also have to factor in long-term medical expenses, loss of income, and potentially diminished future earnings as a result of the injury. Failure to do so may mean financial disruption to you, because of the expenses that you may have to bear later on your own.
The Indianapolis spinal injury lawyers at Montross Miller Muller Mendelson Kennedy, LLP represent persons who have suffered spinal injuries as a result of accidents across Indiana. If your loved one has suffered a spinal injury, get in touch with an attorney at our firm. Initial consultations are free.
