BCpersonalinjury.org

Motorbike Accidents in B.C. 

by: Bruce Lemer, LLB, Vancouver Personal Injury Lawyer BruceLemer.com

Motorcycles and scooters are smaller and less visible than ordinary vehicles.  Their drivers’ have no protection.  As a result, otherwise minor accidents can result in very serious personal injuries. If ICBC denies liability in a motorcycle accident case it will often be necessary to retain an engineer with special expertise in motorcycle ICBC claims. Such a case would involve an analysis of vehicle damage, evidence from the accident scene, analysis of the motorcycle rider’s expertise, training, and reactions as the accident was occurring.

Scooters have the added disadvantage of being much less powerful than other vehicles on the road and their movements could be out of sync with the speed and movements made by other vehicles.

Motorcyclists are unfortunately at very high risk of experiencing an accident while on the road.  According to one study, roughly 4,500 motorcyclists die and another 90,000 motorcyclists suffer serious injuries in accidents in the U.S. This makes them far more dangerous per mile driven than cars’ a motorcyclist is likely to be killed in a collision 40 times more than a car driver and nine times more likely to be injured. This is due to a variety of factors, some on the motorcyclist’s side and some on the car driver’s. There are some motorcyclists who drive recklessly and not taking into account hazardous weather conditions. For the most part, motorcyclists are responsible citizens of the road, and a car driver is more likely to be the one at fault in a motorcycle-car collision. Many car drivers are not that familiar with the movement and driving of motorcycles and do not know how to anticipate how motorcycles stop, turn and accelerate, etc. 

In addition, the relatively compact size of motorcycles means they tend to inadvertently hide in the blind spots of cars without either driver realizing it. 

Responsible motorcycle drivers can take certain steps to make themselves more conspicuous and less likely to be hit by an inattentive driver. Wearing brightly colored and reflective clothing, and using headlights during the day will draw attention to your presence. Helmets make accidents far less likely to result in fatality. One study showed that wearing a motorcycle helmet lowers the risk of fatal injuries by 30 percent and lowers the risk of injury to the brain by nearly 70 percent.

In the real world these questions of liability are not clear cut.  There is often some ambiguity as to the extent to which any one party is liable.  An experienced personal injury lawyer can analyze all the variables involved, develop necessary evidence and retain top experts.  If liability is possibly in issue it is beneficial to retain an experienced motor vehicle accident lawyer promptly so that the evidence can be preserved and ensure no mistakes are made by an unrepresented party when dealing with ICBC. 

BruceLemer.com ICBC injury disputes on brain injury, spinal injury, whiplash, soft-tissue injury, motorbike accidents, medical malpractice & consumer class actions e.g. Red Cross tainted blood class action

Home & hospital meetings are available

Bruce W. Lemer,
Phone:  778-383-7277
Fax:  778-383-7278
Lemer & Company
Litigation Counsel
210 - 900 Howe St.
Vancouver BC
Canada V6Z 2M4
Website: www.brucelemer.com

Legal disclaimer:  The information provided on BCpersonalinjury.org is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues commonly encountered. 

Article © copyright 2012 Bruce Lemer, Vancouver, BC BruceLemer.com published with permission by www.bcpersonalinjury.org Vancouver BC Canada


Photo of Ducati motorbike taken in Singapore, courtesy of Robert Leong, Vancouver Canada Immigration lawyer see CanadaVisaLaw.com/about-us, see also CanadaImmigration.asia
This page last updated: 2014.08.30

B.C. Personal Injury Lawyers:  Vancouver BC & Victoria BC experienced in ICBC compensation disputes