Road rash is a painful injury that can range from minor to severe. Minor cases of road rash are easily treatable and typically result in no long-term effects – they are essentially scrapes that just need some time to heal.
On the other hand, extreme road rash can be very serious, with the potential for infection and other complications. Also, the more serious a road rash injury is, the more expensive it is to treat.
Road rash has a variety of different causes. Some of the most severe cases of road rash occur in motorcycle accidents.
A motorcycle accident lawyer can pursue fair compensation for medical expenses and other damages you incur from a road rash injury. Contact Hauptman, O’Brien, Wolf & Lathrop today for a free consultation.
How Road Rash Severity Affects Treatment
As with burn injuries, there are different degrees of road rash. While each injury is different, the progression of degrees represents some important distinctions with how you should handle treatment.
- First-degree: First-degree road rash is often what you would experience if you fell while walking and skinned your knee on the sidewalk. It hurts and there might be some bleeding, but the only treatment needed is cleaning the wound and applying a bandage. Generally, these wounds will scab over within a couple of days and heal fully within a couple of weeks.
- Second-degree: Second-degree road rash is more likely to occur with greater speed, such as falling while riding a bike or skateboarding. The velocity of the impact can create a much more painful injury, typically breaking the top layer of skin. While not much more is needed for treatment beyond cleaning and bandaging the wound, the chance for infection is greater. You need to be diligent in keeping second-degree road rash clean while it heals.
- Third-degree: Third-degree road rash is substantially more serious than second-degree. This is what you would see after a motorcycle accident where the motorcyclist is thrown from the bike and skids along the surface of the road.
Third-degree road rash requires prompt emergency medical attention. Extensive treatment of the injury is often necessary.
Treatment Options for Severe Road Rash
In some cases, victims of severe road rash may paradoxically experience minimal pain. However, this is not a good sign; as with third-degree burns, lack of sensation likely means damage to the nerve endings in the skin and underlying tissues.
If you suffer a third-degree road rash injury, you should treat it as a medical emergency. Severe road rash is without question an emergency for several reasons:
- It can cause extensive, dangerous levels of bleeding
- It can completely destroy the impacted skin
- It can go as deep as fat tissue and even bone
- It can lead to serious infections, including sepsis
As a result, treatment needs to be immediate and it is often extensive. Skin grafts and other surgeries may be needed to remove damaged tissue and repair the skin.
What Is the Outlook for Serious Road Rash Injury?
The outlook for serious road rash depends on how serious the injury is. If you require surgery or skin grafts, you may be facing several months of recovery. This may affect your ability to work and live life normally.
In the worst cases, however, a serious road rash can result in permanent scarring that alters your appearance. For some people, this can lead to debilitating feelings of embarrassment or humiliation, though there may be the option for cosmetic surgery to repair some of the damage.
In addition to their medical outlook, accident victims also need to consider their financial outlook. Treatment for serious road rash can be very expensive, which is why you should speak with an attorney about your legal options if you believe the accident was caused by the negligence of another.
Beyond the economic damages you have experienced – including medical bills, lost wages, etc. – you may also qualify for non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, emotional anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and more. It is important to work with a qualified motorcycle accident lawyer who can review the details of your case and advise you of your options for recovering full compensation.
Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today
While motorcycles can be dangerous, the sad truth is that much of the danger comes from the careless drivers of other vehicles on the road. Distracted driving, drunk driving, road rage – these types of behaviors are unacceptable and too often lead to catastrophic accidents and injuries.
If you have been in a motorcycle accident due to the carelessness or negligence of another, we encourage you to get in touch with the lawyers at Hauptman, O’Brien, Wolf & Lathrop for a free case review. We can determine if you have a viable claim and what you should do next.
If you decide to work with us, we will do everything in our power to recover the maximum compensation you need and deserve for your losses. Our attorneys put their 233 years of combined experience to work for you.
Please call Hauptman, O’Brien, Wolf & Lathrop for free at (402) 241-5020 today. Our motorcycle accident lawyers serve clients in Omaha, Sarpy County, and all of Nebraska and Iowa.
