Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

Two Doniphan residents were taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center after they were involved in a double motorcycle accident on August 1, 2011. The Ripley County Missouri motorcycle accident occurred on US-160, at Ballpark Road.

Robert M. Patrick, 39, drove a 1991 Harley Davidson on US-160. The Missouri motorcycle accident occurred when Patrick crashed into a 2005 Harley Davidson driven by John R. Brouk, 51. The motorcycles came to rest on the roadway.

Brouk was moderately injured in the accident. Dawn L. Jackson, the 36 year old occupant on Brouk’s motorcycle, was seriously injured. They were both transported to the hospital by EMS for medical treatment. There were no reported injuries for Patrick. All parties involved were from Doniphan, Missouri.

Missouri motorcycle accidents can be especially injurious. Motorcycles cannot provide the structural safety features that passenger cars can provide. Passenger cars are equipped with crumple zones to absorb the forces of a collision. The crumple zones of the car are crushed by the forces of the accident so that the people inside the car may be spared. Motorcycles cannot provide the same protection. Motorcyclist accident victims are more exposed to the strong, damaging forces of a collision. As a result, motorcyclists are more likely to suffer serious injury or death.

Traffic studies show that motorcycle riders are twenty-one times more likely to die in an accident than occupants of other types of vehicles. Motorcycle crashes are four times more likely to result in injury. Moreover, not all injuries are immediately apparent. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are often the result of Missouri motorcycle accidents, but TBIs often have delayed symptoms. A motorcycle accident victim may feel comfortable after the accident, only to discover symptoms hours or days later. Motorcycle accident victims should always accept medical treatment and call a Missouri motorcycle accident lawyer after a collision.