One of our pet peeves as motorcycle accident lawyers is when a needless injury occurs during a crash.  One of those injuries is road rash.

Road rash is a painful abrasion that is caused when a motorist is dragged along the ground in a motorcycle accident.  This friction from the pavement causes layers of skin to rub off.  While there may be little or no blood, exposed nerve endings might cause a lot of pain.  While you may not be able to prevent a motorcycle accident from occurring, you can prevent road rash by wearing body armor.

Do-It-Yourself Road Rash Treatment

Here are a few steps of how to care for your road rash.

  1. Assess your injury.  If it is serious, apply pressure to your injured area and call 911.
  2. If the abrasion is minor, wash out the wound with soap and warm water.  Be sure to clean out any debris (such as gravel or rocks).  This could hurt a bit, but it will get all of the dirt and debris out of your wounds.
  3. Apply an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.
  4. Cover the wounded area with a non-stick dressing to prevent any foreign matter from getting inside the wound.
  5. Clean the wound at least once a day with soap and water.
  6. Wait approximately 7-10 days to take the dressing off in order to allow the wound to dry out and heal appropriately.

See Your Doctor after a Motorcycle Crash

Signs and symptoms that your road rash may be serious enough to require medical treatment:

  • Swelling around the wound site
  • Infected pus
  • Heat around the road rash
  • Exposed bone.

Remember that if the road rash abrasion is deep you may require stitches so look out for any bleeding that seems abnormal or excessive.  Furthermore, applying a cold pack will help relieve pain and bring the swelling down.  You should expect to feel some soreness or itchiness while you heal.  There should be little to no permanent scarring.

Road rash may not always be a medical emergency, but you still should see a doctor after a motorcycle crash or car accident.  You don’t want to have internal bleeding or any other  serious motorcycle injuries.  And if your crash was caused by another motorist, call our bilingual offices right away at 1-858-551-2090 for a FREE Consultation with an experienced San Diego motorcycle accident lawyer.  You may also click here to submit you case for a FREE Online Review.