Motorcycles and Road Burn or Road Rash

Although road burns or rashes may sound like a comparatively minor thing when it comes to motorcycle injuries, this type of injury in some cases can be so severe that it requires skin grafts. These injuries are often the most serious injuries that occur in a motorcycle accident.

Road burns are serious scrapes and bruises that occur when a bicyclist is thrown from their bike or dragged. The severity of injuries generally depends on the force of the crash and the amount of ground the victim encounters. Not only are these wounds incredibly painful, they can also lead to scarring, serious infection, and the need for reconstructive surgery.

These injuries fall into three categories:

• Avulsion injuries: These are injuries that cause all layers of skin to slough off. If muscle and fat are visible, the avulsion injury is known as a full-thickness wound.

• Compression Injuries – These are bruise or crush injuries that typically occur when a limb is caught between the motorcycle and the road.

• Scrapes that require stitches: These are simply scrapes that are serious enough to require a trip to the emergency room to have them stitched. Usually these will not heal on their own.

The skin is the largest organ in the body and when road rash occurs over a large part of the body it can cause internal disease as well as incredible vulnerability to infection.

Safety-conscious motorcyclists will normally wear clothing to protect against these burns, usually tough leather, but a serious accident with a car will usually render this protection useless.

For more information on motorcycles and road burns, visit the website of the Wisconsin motorcycle accident attorneys of Habush Habush & Rottier, SC