Colorado mother speaks out about motorcycle accidents

Earlier this summer, a 21-year-old man left on his motorcycle for a quick ride in Broomfield, but he never returned from that trip. He was involved in a serious crash, and ended up in a coma. In a split second his life changed, as did the life of his mother. This Colorado accident led the young man’s mother to a new mission in life, urging drivers to slow down and urging motorcycle riders to wear helmets — two factors that can have devastating consequences in motorcycle accidents like her son’s.

While most motorcycle riders wear a helmet regardless of the law, even careful riders can fall victim to the “I’m not going far” or “It won’t happen to me” way of thinking. That is what happened in this incident. He usually wore a helmet but didn’t that fateful day. His short trip took a tragic turn when his motorcycle was struck by a car whose driver was trying to make it through a yellow light. In an instant the biker had multiple broken bones and a traumatic brain injury that would leave him in a coma for a month.

The mother has been inspired by her son’s accident to speak out and urge drivers and riders to make changes. She has pleaded with drivers to take a few extra minutes to get to their destination if it means possibly saving someone’s life. Also, she begs motorcycle riders to wear a helmet every single time they get on their motorcycles — regardless of the distance and regardless of the laws. Many states, including Colorado, don’t require riders over the age of 18 to wear a helmet. It is proven, however, that helmet use can have a significant impact on the degree of head injury suffered by a motorcycle accident victim.

This accident victim will have a long road ahead of him as he recovers from his accident. Unfortunately, motorcycle accidents like this are far too common. Careless split-second decisions, like attempting to beat a red light, can have devastating emotional, physical and financial consequences for the victim and his or her family. An experienced attorney can assist the victim in pursuing recovery of the financial expenses and help ease the unexpected burden placed on his or her family.