Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hey well today I was eating at Ryan's (a resturaunt in Oak Ridge and some other cities if you didn't know) and me and my mom were talking about motorcycles and cars and some kids lately have been dying in car crashes (3 died in a porche and one flew out of window) then there was another one where some kids were racing and they crashed the car flipped over a few times and I believe 3 died. (If you wanna get the story check out somewhere in Oakridger.com). Anyway we were talking about motorcycles and one of my moms good friends from her school time was there but not there.... He had gotten brain damage so he's practically a vegetable and she said it happend from him getting in a motorcycle crash. I wasn't really sure if it was possible, but if you're wearing full gear (leathers, boots, DOT or SNELL approved helmet, etc.) is it possible if u crash that you can get brain damage? I know its possible to die just about anywhere but that's different and I mean for some reason I don't really feel sorry for people too easily but when I saw him I felt so bad for him and I just hope that it doesn't happen to me- good point in life, handsome, got everything, then to just lose it all.... Thanks I'm just kind of curious about this whole thing so if you could tell me it'd be appreciated.

yeah if you go down in full protection and DONT hit anything else...you might be able to get up...but if you hit something else once your sliding or rolling...its my understanding your pretty much done.

I know that you can die from it but I mean what if I'm like going 45 mph on the interstate and I don't pay attention and hit a car (not one coming towards me) but I'm wearing a helmet. Would it be possible to have brain damage? What about like on the highway at around 70 mph? I'm just curious about the brain damage because I know you can die easily.....

To answer your question, yes it's possible.

The short answer is yes you can have brain damage. And it can happen at relatively low speeds. It just depends on how and what you hit. A helmet will greatly lessen the chances that this will happen to you.

The motorcycle doesn't have all that much to do with it. If you hit your head hard enough, helmet or not, you could get brain damage. Sure you could get it from a motorcycle accident. But you could also get it hitting your head hard on a porcelain bathtub or an oak coffee table. Or falling off a ladder. Or playing football. Or from a mugger with a baseball bat. Hell, I remember an old coach of the LA Lakers (I think) contracted some kind of brain-damage from a bike accident - I mean a bicycle. The chances though, are pretty unlikely if you are wearing a full-face helmet. But the chance is still there and it's probably a bit more likely for the motorcycle rider than the population as a whole - but I don't know that to be true. If there were legions of brain-dead people out there from motorcycle accidents then I think insurance rates would be higher. I don't want to scare you off motorcycling OR tell you there's no risk at all. At the end of the day it's a personal decision. It's definitely riskier than riding in a car - even for the most skilled rider - simply because you are more vulnerable on a bike no matter who's fault the accident is.

If I were you I'd read a book called Proficient Motorcycling. The author does an excellent job not only of listing the dangers of riding a motorcycle, but great techniques for avoiding high-risk situations in the first place. He also explicates The Hurt Report - the best wide-scale study of motorcycle accidents that's ever been attempted. It explains the kinds of injuries incurred from cycle accidents and what caused them.

Here's a good rule of thumb: Anything, absolutely anything, can happen... and at any time. Be prepared for the worst scenario and you'll improve your chances of survival should it happen, God forbid.

Yes, a bike crash can result in brain damage, even when wearing good gear. Slamming into trees, guardrails, or other hard, fixed objects at speed can flatten a helmet and whatever's inside it. And getting run over by another vehicle will ruin your day, too.
But (and it's a big "but"), a rider's chances of avoiding serious head trauma increase exponentially when he's wearing a properly-fitting, full-face, DOT/Snell-approved helmet. That's why we strongly urge everyone to wear the best gear they can afford and wear it all the time.

And... not to put too fine a point on it... riders who don't pay attention are extremely lucky if they live to become old riders. Don't get me wrong... there are places you can sort of relax on a bike, but never in traffic and really never 100% relaxed. There's just too much to do and keep your eyes on.

Sorry if this bums you out... it's just the way I see it. Keep in mind though, there are an untold number of riders out there with hundreds of thousands of miles under their belts. But every one of them rides like they mean it!

Nah, I'm not bummed out for myself, just for that guy how it ruined his life and it doesn't pressure me into not wanting a bike in any way I mean I know you can get hurt but he just happens to be a living example. Just because its happened to one person I know doesn't mean I'll stop riding I mean I love riding bikes of all sorts and it seems as if I'm the only one of all my siblings and I suppose everything has a danger of some sort, so I guess I just gotta take the good with the bad. BTW thanks all of you for the helpful information and I'll look into buying that book.

you can get brain damage from falling in the bathtub.if you make a list of all the ways you can get hurt you will find that you cant do anything.

This is a quote I really like. I think it seems to fit right about here:




"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

- T. Roosevelt (Panama, 1906)