Houston Motorcycle Wreck - How to Protect Yourself

Another hit and run motorcycle collision occurred early this morning around 5:00 a.m. on our local Houston freeways.  A motorcyclist was critically injured when another vehicle turned too wide into the motorcyclist's lane at the intersection of SH 288 and the Beltway 8 feeder road.  The collision knocked the motorcyclist from his bike and he skidded along the pavement, hitting the curb.  The driver of the vehicle left the scene, but a witness was able to get a good description of the vehicle.  It was described as a medium-sized, light grey, 4-door sedan.  If you have any information about the accident, you are urged to contact the Harris Couny Sheriff's Hit and Run Division at 713.674.5393. 

This terrible tragedy highlights the need to be adequately prepared for a motorcycle wreck, whenever it occurs.  There are 3 things you need to do to prepare yourself for this unfortunate situation:

1.  Take The Texas Motorcycle Safety Course

The Texas Department of Public Safety has a Motorcycle Safety Division that publishes motorcycle safety material for all levels of riders.  Multiple time a year they offer safety courses all over the state.  The courses range from beginner bike safety to advanced biking maneuvers and everything in between.  It is much more than a defensive driving for motorcyclists course.  Before you ever operate a motorcycle, you should take several of the offered courses.

2.  Always Wear the Proper Personal Protective Equipment

It seems like common sense, but the proper PPE may be the difference between life and death in a Houston motorcycle wreck.  Proper PPE includes a helmet, faceshield, gloves, jacket, pants, and boots. 

3.  Maintain Adequate Motorcycle Insurance, Including Uninsured Motorist

The only way to ensure that you will be financially protected after a motorcycle wreck is to have adequate uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.  Texas law requires insurers to offer uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage to all Texas drivers and motorcycle operators.  If you do not want the coverage, you must sign a written rejection form, but why would you ever want to reject the coverage.  UM/UIM protects and covers you for bodily injury and lost wages if the at-fault driver either has no liability coverage or insufficient liability coverage to satisfy your legal claims.  In a Houston motorcycle wreck, this is very often the case due to the severe injuries that result from these types of wrecks.  You can only have as much UM/UIM coverage as you do liability coverage; so, if you have $30,000/$60,000 in liability coverage (the state mandated minimum), you cannot have $50,000/$100,000 in UM/UIM coverage.  Call you insurance adjustor today or go online and check the differences in premium rates for the different levels of coverage.  Most people are shocked when they see how little UM/UIM costs in relation to liability and comprehensive/collision coverage and are MORE SHOCKED when they see how little their rates increase to double, quadruple, or quintuple their coverage limits.  In most cases, your rates will increase by a few dollars per month to increase from the minimum limits of $30,000/$60,000 to $250,000 or more in UM/UIM coverage. 

If you would like to speak to a Board Certified Personal Injury lawyer today, call Tony Denena or Chad Points at 713.807.9500.  We are here to answer your questions about your Houston motorcycle wreck or to simply answer any general questions you may have.