When Georgia residents see reports of a motorcycle accident that does not involve another vehicle, most will probably assume that the accident was caused through some fault of the rider. That could mean rider inexperience, inattentiveness or possibly intoxication. However, there is one possibility that needs to be considered in these types of circumstances: a defect with the motorcycle itself.
Most people are aware of the design or manufacturing defects that occur in automobiles, most likely because there seem to be such frequent “recalls” by almost all of the major car manufacturers. Defects with motorcycles are far less widely publicized. Is that because defects with motorcycles are less common? Perhaps, but, there is no doubt that motorcycles can have design or manufacturing defects, just the same as automobiles.
Of course, not all defects in motorcycles cause the vehicles to become dangerous to ride. Some may be minor, or affect parts of the motorcycle that are not integral to the operation of the vehicle. Nonetheless, if a defect does cause a motorcycle to become dangerous, any accident that results from the defect could lead to a lawsuit seeking financial compensation.
Single-party motorcycle accidents should not be ignored, with blame pushed off onto rider error. If riders believe that their operation of the vehicle had nothing to do with the accident, it may be worth taking a more detailed look into whether a defect played a role in the accident. If so, financial compensation for the individual who was injured may be possible, but so too might a recall to get the unsafe vehicles off the roads.
Source: FindLaw.com, “Motorcycle Accidents: Overview,” accessed on Oct. 4, 2015