The Lesson Every Motorcycle Rider Should Take from Treat Williams’ Death

The warmer months usually mean that more motorcycle riders are on the streets, enjoying the nice cool breeze on their bikes. When more motorcycles are out, passenger cars, trucks, and buses should drive carefully and cautiously to prevent seriously injuring a motorcyclist or causing a fatal accident. However, the harsh reality is that many vehicle drivers might not be as vigilant because they aren’t always attuned to motorcyclists. Therefore, motorcycle riders should take matters into their own hands and do everything they can to stay safe and avoid risky vehicle drivers.

Treat Williams, an actor whose IMDB profile shows that he was featured in Blue Bloods, Second Act, American Odyssey, Hair, Everwood, Chesapeake Shores, and more. According to NPR, Williams was riding his motorcycle when an SUV was making a left-hand turn and struck him. He experienced traumatic and devastating injuries that required him to be airlifted to Albany Medical Center right away. However, he succumbed to his injuries and died at the medical center.

Police reports stated that Williams was wearing a helmet, and there was no way that he could have avoided the oncoming SUV that crashed into him. The SUV driver only experienced small and minor injuries and did not need to be hospitalized. The motorcycle accident is still under investigation, though preliminary reports said Williams was not at-fault.

Drivers are not looking out for your safety

While Treat Williams’ death is devastating to his fans, actors in Hollywood, and motorcyclists, the main lesson that motorcycle riders should take from his death is that vehicle drivers are not looking out for you. Even though you may want to believe that other drivers will treat you like an equal on the road when you’re  on your bike, the truth is that most vehicle drivers simply do not think about motorcyclists.

Similarly, neither do most engineers: most cities and suburbs were designed (or redesigned) for cars. This makes it very difficult for riders to share the road with larger vehicles. Unfortunately, you do not have a choice as roadways do not have a specific lane or area only for motorcycle riders. And as poor Mr. Williams’ story shows, you run a risk even when you’re obeying traffic laws.

The types of injuries that motorcyclists typically suffer

KY3 recently reported that there were close to 30 motorcycle fatalities across Missouri in 2022. Even though this number is alarming, 2023 has already exceeded it. In fact, as of May 2023, there were almost 40 motorcycle fatalities reported around the state.

Of course, those numbers only reflect fatalities in one state. Each year, thousands of people across the country suffer serious injuries in motorcycle wrecks, such as:

• Broken and fractured bones
• Crush injuries
• Head and skull injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Abdominal injuries
• Neck injuries
• Amputations
• Back or spinal cord injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Road burn
• Internal organ damage
• Paralysis
• Face, dental, and eye injuries
• Permanent and severe scarring
• Leg, hands, arms, and feet injuries
• Coma

Reasons why KC motorcycle riders are often missed or overlooked on the roads

There are a variety of reasons why motorcycle riders are often missed or overlooked while sharing the roads with larger motor vehicles, such as:

• Motor vehicle drivers are instead paying attention to other cars, trucks, buses, and larger vehicles.
• Motorcycles are a lot smaller than other motor vehicles, making them difficult to see or notice.
• Motorcycle riders may unknowingly drive in larger vehicles’ blind spots.
• Vehicle drivers may be driving carelessly, aggressively, or recklessly.
• Vehicle drivers may be speeding.
• Vehicle drivers may make improper lane changes or fail to signal.
• Vehicle drivers could be drunk or distracted.
• Vehicle drivers often fail to check their surroundings and blind spots before merging.

“Inattentional blindness” and how it may pertain to motorcycle accidents

According to Science Daily, inattentional blindness may be blamed for many motorcycle accidents across the United States. This term means “a person’s failure to notice an unexpected object located in plain sight.” A common type of motorcycle accident that law enforcement officers are reporting is called the “looked-but-failed-to-see crash.” These accidents are difficult to understand, but inattentional blindness may be able to provide some insight.

When a person has inattentional blindness, there is most likely clear weather conditions, no distractions, and lack of traffic. However, the vehicle driver will still claim to look in the exact direction of the motorcyclist but still proceed to pull out in front of him or her. This has been very confusing to police officers, researchers, scientists, and psychologists for decades, but a recent study indicated that inattentional blindness plays a huge factor in these accidents.

In the study, individuals were given photographs in which they were told to select safe and unsafe driving conditions. Most of the photographs had a taxi or motorcycle in them. The results concluded that 65 percent of the participants were less likely to notice the motorcycles, while 31 percent of the participants did not notice the taxis. One researcher in the study, Kristen Pammer, pointed out that motorcycles are very low on the list of priorities in the human brain when driving.

Tips for motorcyclists to stay safe this summer

Since vehicle drivers are having a difficult time noticing motorcyclists, there are a few different steps that you can take to stay safe this summer as a motorcycle rider, such as:

• Wear bright colors when riding your motorcycle.
• Add reflectors to your clothes and motorcycle.
• When you are near vehicles, you can make noise by playing music or using your muffler. If they cannot see you, it may be advisable to ensure that they can hear that you are close by.
• Keep in mind that a vehicle driver may look directly at you but not notice you.
• Be prepared to move or react quickly to any dangerous situation.
• Always wear protective clothing and equipment.
• Let reckless, aggressive, and careless drivers go around you.

If you’ve been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident, the experienced motorcycle accident lawyers at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys will look over your case, investigate what happened, collect the proper evidence, build a strong argument against the defendant, and stand up for your right to compensation. Our motorcycle accident attorneys have the experience, skills, and knowledge needed to help you understand the legal options you may pursue as well as hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions.

If you are ready to set up your free consultation, please give us a call or fill out our contact form today. We have offices in Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, Parkville and St. Joseph (MO); Olathe, Kansas City, and Overland Park (KS). Our team accepts walk-ins at our Kansas City, MO office, and our other office locations are by appointment only.