Most people do not ride their motorcycles all year, especially in Illinois. Summertime means there are typically more motorcycles out on the roads than any other time of the year. In general, more traffic accidents tend to occur during the summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and when those accidents involve motorcyclists, they can become even more serious than usual. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 5,100 cyclists killed in motorcycle accidents in 2017. Because of the nature of motorcycles, riders are 27 times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident and 5 times more likely to be injured than other motorists.

Keeping Yourself Safe on the Road

Motorcyclists only account for a small number of motorists, but they disproportionately account for nearly 14 percent of all traffic fatalities. As a cyclist, there are certain precautions you should take when riding to keep yourself safe:

• Keep up on regular bike maintenance. While it may sound like common sense, making sure your bike is in good working order can be key to keeping you safe on the road. The last thing you would want is to be on the road when you find out that your brakes do not work properly.

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While everyone makes mistakes, when it comes to professionals like doctors, they are held to a higher standard because, in their work, lives are often on the line. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), medical malpractice is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, trailing behind heart disease and cancer. 

Being the victim of medical negligence typically involves much more than a physical injury. It can also result in significant emotional strain and financial loss as well. Medical malpractice cases are often confusing and tedious because there are so many laws surrounding them. Having a good understanding of these cases can be critical in prevailing in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Car accidents can leave even the most secure people feeling shaken and scared. They affect you mentally and emotionally, but most of all, they can have a major impact on your physical well-being. Injuries from a car accident can range from a broken bone to a concussion or even a spinal cord injury. Any injury can cause a great deal of pain and hardship, including missed time from work that puts a financial strain on you and your family. 

One of the ways you can help support a personal injury claim following a car accident is by having strong evidence and documentation of the injuries and damages that you sustained after your accident. Here are three ways you can gather proof to support your case:

1. Take Pictures

Photographs can be one of the most compelling pieces of evidence to support your personal injury claim. If possible, you should try to get photos of:

Semi-trucks are the biggest vehicles that travel on the roads. Compared to the average sedan, or even a pickup truck, semis are monstrous. Because of their enormous size, tractor-trailer trucks can cause major damage when they get into accidents, which are, unfortunately, not uncommon. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) states that nearly 500,000 fatal and non-fatal crashes that involved at least one large truck occurred in 2016. Getting into an accident with a large truck can mean serious or life-threatening injuries for drivers and passengers of any vehicles involved.

Neck and Back Injuries

It is not uncommon for those who are involved in any kind of car accident to have some sort of neck or back injury. When it comes to truck accidents, neck and back injuries are not rare, because the size of the truck results in a great impact when it collides with another vehicle. The most common neck or back injuries are:

Whiplash

This injury occurs when a person’s neck is suddenly and forcefully thrown back and forth or side to side. Whiplash most commonly occurs in rear-end accidents, but it can occur in any truck accident. Symptoms of whiplash can include: