An active duty U.S. Marine suffered fatal injuries in a motorcycle accident in Mission Valley this last week. The family is currently mourning the loss as he had just gotten married to his high school sweetheart a week and a half prior to the accident. The wife was planning to move to San Diego to relocate with her husband. The 20-year-old Marine crashed his motorcycle on Friars Road near Mission Center. The impact of being thrown from the motorcycle was fatal in that case.

Unfortunately, far too many motorcycle accidents happen despite the fact that vehicle technology has increased in recent years. Wearing a helmet is just one thing that motorcycle riders can do to decrease their chances of being involved in an accident. However, it is difficult to spot motorcycles at night and may be more difficult to maneuver them in adverse weather conditions.

Riding a motorcycle is a privilege that can bring a great deal of enjoyment, however, it also comes with significant risks. Any rider should always be comfortable of his or her confidence level on the bike and should never speed or engage in other risky behaviors that could put them or others at risk of serious injuries. If you or someone you know has already been critically injured in a motorcycle accident, there’s a good chance that you have grounds for a personal injury claim.

A recent Virginia Tech study funded by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation explored why motorcyclists crash by putting hundreds of cameras on motorcycles and recording the different types of moves that every rider made. Of the 99 near crashes and accidents that occurred involving another vehicle over the course of the study, the 3 categories of other vehicles that crossed into the rider’s path added up to 19, indicating that people riding in front of motorcycles is a leading cause of accidents.

The most common scenario for accidents, however, as discovered by the study was riders nearly hitting or striking another vehicle from behind, making up 35 of the total accidents recorded. Researchers also tried to look further into the behavior engaged in by motorcyclists including lack of skills, rider inattention or aggressive riding. Aggressive riding increased the risk of an accident by a factor of 18 while lack of skill and inattention increased it by a factor of 9.

When those last two are combined, the odds of an accident for the motorcycle rider increased by 30. If you or someone you know has recently been involved in a motorcycle accident that has changed the course of your life, you need to consult an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Do not hesitate to take action.