A May 28, 2013 article on wpxi.com reported that deaths from motorcycle crashes have increased 35% since 2003.  In July of 2003, then Governor Edward Rendell signed a law permitting ‘cyclists over 21 to ride without helmets.  Motorcycle accidents in 2012 resulted in the death of 210 riders.  104 motorcycle riders died without wearing helmets, 100 wore helmets and information wasn’t available for the other 6 deaths.

As always, those that want to ride motorcycles without helmets claim the right to make individual choices.  Left unspoken are rules society has adopted for the safety of individuals and society as a whole.  Car seat belt use, booster seats for children, minimum ages for drinking, smoking and entering the military are everyday examples that impact all of our families.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that an average motorcycle death costs $1,200,000.00 when taking into consideration emergency medical services, lost wages and productivity.

Who pays for those financial losses?  Not the rider!  All too often it is you and me – the taxpayers, who pay for the medical bills and government social services payments to the survivors of the dead ‘cyclist.  Attorney Thomas J. Newell is a strong supporter of legislation requiring all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet.  He can be reached at 1-800-980-4842 or thru his website of www.NewellLaw.com.

On Feb. 13, 2012, the Chester County District Attorney announced an arrest regarding the fatal motorcycle-car hit & run accident in East Brandywine Township on Feb. 5, 2012. According to articles in The Pottstown Mercury and abclocal.go.com, Michael Orsini was riding his motorcycle on Route 322 at around 11:00 p.m. when a Chevy Cavalier hit the cycle and ran him off the road.

First responders arrived at the scene of the Rt. 322 motorcycle crash and found a badly wrecked motorcycle and severely injured Orsini. The Chester County PA motorcycle crash victim was taken to Brandywine Hospital and then airlifted to the Paoli Hospital Trauma Unit where he died a short time later.

Police found an abandoned Chevy Cavalier on Route 30 with its license plate removed. The car had serious accident-related damage and its airbags had been deployed. Investigators tracked down the Coatesville PA owner of the damaged car. He confessed to being the driver who hit the motorcycle and fled the scene.

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, please contact Thomas J. Newell, Esquire. Call 800-980-4842 to set up a free home consultation with Attorney Newell. He has been representing PA personal injury victims since 1981. Visit his website of NewellLaw.com.

On July 16, 2011 a Jim Thorpe PA motorcycle accident victim was killed in a crash on Rt. 209 in Mahoning Township. According to The Morning Call, the 48 year-old motorcyclist was riding north on Route 209 when he veered into the southbound lane of travel. The biker collided with a vehicle traveling south on Rt. 209.

The Carbon County motorcycle crash victim then collided with a car driven by a woman from Slatington PA. The biker was pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal motorcycle accident on Route 209. Mahoning Township Police continue to investigate.

If you or a family member have been seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident, you should promptly contact an experienced PA motorcycle accident lawyer. Attorney Thomas Newell has been representing Pennsylvania personal injury victims for 30 years. Call 800-980-4842 for a free home consultation. You may also contact him thru his website of NewellLaw.com.

On June 20, 2011, a 22 year-old biker from Bucks County PA was killed in a crash at the intersection of Route 130 and Burlington Road in Bordentown, New Jersey. According to The Trentonian, the motorcycle collided with a landscaping truck that was being driven by an illegal alien who fled the scene of the fatal crash.

The Bucks County PA motorcycle accident victim was taken to a hospital in Trenton where emergency surgery was unable to save his life. Witnesses helped police track down the truck and the driver was apprehended. The driver had no license and was charged with multiple crimes.

Attorney Thomas Newell represents individuals seriously injured in motorcycle crashes. Your case deserves to be handled by an experienced Pennsylvania motorcycle accident attorney. Attorney Newell has been representing PA motor vehicle accident victims since 1981. Call 800-980-4842 for a free home consultation. More information can be found at his website: NewellLaw.com.

Governor Tom Corbett proclaimed May Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. PennDOT records indicate that there were more than 4,000 motorcycle accidents on Pennsylvania roads in 2010 with 223 fatalities. The number of registered motorcycles in PA increased by nearly 5,000 in 2010. Licensed motorcycles rose by approximately 10,000.

Motorists are reminded to allow a motorcyclist a full lane width and to be vigilant for motorcycles on the roads. Motorcycle safety courses are available to Pennsylvania riders thru the PA motorcycle safety program.

If you or a family member have been seriously injured in a motorcycle crash, shouldn’t you be represented by an experienced PA motorcycle accident lawyer? Attorney Thomas Newell has been an aggressive advocate for accident victim’s rights in Pennsylvania since 1981. Please call 800-980-4842 to set up your free home consultation. His website of NewellLaw.com reviews the rights of PA motorcycle accident victims.

On April 9, 2011, a Lancaster PA motorcycle rider was killed when an 89 yr. old woman turned left directly into his path. According to wgal.com, the 43 year-old biker was riding westbound on Columbia Avenue in Manheim Township. The elderly driver was eastbound when she suddenly made a left turn causing this fatal PA motorcycle accident.

The Lancaster PA biker was taken to Lancaster General Hospital where he was pronounced dead from head trauma. All indications point to the conclusion that this fatal motorcycle crash was 100% the fault of the 89 year old driver.

As a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident attorney, I have represented many innocent bikers who have been injured because drivers negligently turned in front of them. If you have been seriously injured in a PA motorcycle crash, please contact me at 800-980-4842 to set up a free home consultation. My website of NewellLaw.com describes my litigation background of 30 years representing PA personal injury victims.

On Feb. 10, 2011, criminal charges, including homicide by vehicle, were filed against a New York trucker whose license was suspended at the time of the 2/2/11 fatal Montco motorcycle crash. According to The Pottstown Mercury, Montgomery County PA investigators learned that the driver’s license had been suspended 22 times since 2007.

The defendant had made an illegal u-turn on Route 309 which allegedly blocked the rider’s lane of travel and denied him any safe alternative to avoid the accident. Police investigators found multiple violations regarding the maintenance of the truck and the driver’s logs.

As a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident lawyer, my 30 years of experience permits me to say that many accidents involving motorcycles and other motor vehicles are caused by negligent drivers. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a PA motorcycle accident, I ask that you promptly call me at 800-980-4842. I provide a free home consultation. For more information regarding PA motorcycle accident cases, I suggest you visit NewellLaw.com.

Motorcycle riders pushed for a repeal of Pennsylvania’s motorcycle helmet laws based upon the theory of individual biker rights. The Pennsylvania Legislature acted on those protests and helmetless bikers became legal in 2003. The result of this change has been more deaths, financial losses for hospitals and emergency personnel and, more medical bill payments made by PA taxpayers.

Studies have shown that in 2008 there were 114 helmetless motorcycle rider deaths. That is a 600% increase from the number of such fatalities in 1998 – five years before the change in PA’s helmet law. Pennsylvania law does not require motorcycle owners to pay for medical health insurance. As a Pennsylvania motorcycle accident attorney, I have represented many bikers who did not pay for private health insurance. Their bills are paid by the taxpayers of Pennsylvania thru the Department of Public Welfare. The hospitals, surgeons and emergency personnel are paid just pennies on the dollar for their medical services – sometimes at a 10% reimbursement rate!

A December 9, 2010 editorial in The Reading Eagle noted that the National Transportation Safety Board just released its report regarding 2009 fatalities. Last year, 4,400 riders died in the United States. That is nearly 2x the number of biker deaths in the years before the U.S. Congress repealed a federal law requiring states to mandate the use of helmets by bikers. Medical studies show that the leading cause of rider deaths was head trauma. The majority of those bikers were not wearing helmets.

Wearing helmets saves lives, reduces the financial burden on health providers and saves taxpayer dollars. As a Pennsylvania motorcycle crash lawyer who has seen devastating biker injuries, I urge the 2011 Pennsylvania Legislature to pass a bill mandating that all occupants of motorcycles wear helmets. If you are the victim of a PA motorcycle accident, you may contact me for a free home consultation at 800-980-4842 or via my website of www.NewellLaw.com.