There were 5,579 motorcycle fatalities in 2020 alone. Riding a motorcycle can be dangerous and can often lead to injury. If you were knocked off your motorcycle and got road rash, you might be wondering what you can do to treat it.
You can learn how to treat road rash in this guide. If you have road rash from a motorcycle accident that wasn’t your fault, don’t forget to contact your motorcycle accident lawyer. This may allow you to get compensated for your injuries.
Keep reading and learn more about where you should start.
What You Need to Know About Road Rashes
Road rash can come in many different severities. They occur when your skin gets dragged against the road at a high speed. This often happens when motorcyclists are knocked off their bikes and tumble or slide along the ground.
Getting a road rash after a motorcycle accident can result in a very painful injury. Asphalt roads are very rough because they need to have enough traction for cars to drive efficiently. But when this asphalt scrapes against your skin, it can remove several layers of skin and soft tissue.
This may happen even if you were wearing long sleeves and long pants. You can better protect yourself by wearing leather or denim clothes. But the force and friction of the road may still tear through these materials and harm your skin.
Road rash can also happen if you slide along the pavement of a sidewalk, but this is less common. Road rash can cause abrasion which is when the upper layers of your skin are worn down by the pavement. They can also cause avulsion which is when the upper layers of your skin are separated from the deeper layers.
Lacerations are another type of injury to look out for. They are lashes and tears that may occur across the skin and soft tissue under the skin. There is also the risk of thermal burns.
A thermal burn occurs when the friction of the road against your skin creates heat. This heat may burn your skin and deeper tissues. Some road rashes are very mild and look like red marks on the skin.
Others are so severe that deep layers of muscle or bone may be exposed.
The Details
Road rashes can also lead to many different health complications. The main complication is an infection.
Road rashes tear open the skin and leave blood vessels exposed to the outside environment. This makes it easy for bacteria and debris to enter your body. This may create a serious infection that can spread throughout the body.
Some severe rashes may cause nerve damage. This often happens if some of the nerves were scraped or torn away. Muscle damage may also occur if the muscles were severely torn or lost during the injury.
Scarring is another common example of what can happen after getting road rash. Scarring is permanent. It may render the skin in that area very tight and rough.
The scarred skin may turn a different color too. But what can you do to treat this problem to minimize these health complications?
How to Treat a Road Rash
There are many options for road rash treatment. If your road rash is very severe, you will likely get taken to the hospital. The doctors there can then inspect the injury and determine the best course of action.
They will clean the wound, wrap it up, and give you antibiotics. This will reduce the risk of an infection taking hold. But if your road rash is not very severe, you can treat it at home.
Start by washing your hands and cleaning the wound. You don’t want to accidentally introduce harmful bacteria to the rash as this may cause an infection. Flush the area with warm water.
This will rinse away any pieces of debris that might be present. Avoid scrubbing the area as this may make it worse. The scrubbing motion may also cause pieces of debris to dive deeper into your skin where they may cause irritation or infection.
If you see pieces of debris still present after you wash the rash, remove them with tweezers. Do not force any debris out of the rash if it seems stuck.
This may mean that the debris is stuck in the deeper tissues of your body. Tearing it out may damage those tissues. You should instead go to a hospital and see if they can get the debris out for you.
What You Need to Know
You should then use an antibiotic ointment. This ointment will prevent an infection from taking hold. It will also add moisture to the rash that will prevent any bandages from sticking to it.
If your road rash is very small, you can cover it with a Band-Aid. But if the rash is larger, you will have to use bandages. Once the wound is wrapped up, monitor it over several days.
If the wound gets swollen, red, and painful, you may have an infection and need medical attention. But if the rash gets fainter and goes away on its own, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
Treating Road Rash After a Motorcycle Accident
A road rash could lead to serious health complications if you’re not careful. Serious road rashes need to get treated in a hospital. But minor cuts and scrapes can receive treatment at home.
Make sure you keep it clean and monitor it to ensure it gets better. Make sure that you know your legal rights after a motorcycle accident too. To learn more about your rights, check out our services.
CONTACT A TAMPA Motorcycle ACCIDENT ATTORNEY
In short, after a motorcycle accident, you may not know your rights. Above all, don’t struggle through the process alone. Actually, our personal injury team is here to help you with any legal needs you might have regarding your accident.
Lastly, let RHINO Lawyers answer your questions and review the facts of your case with a Free Consultation. So, get started by completing the “Free Instant Case Evaluation” or by calling us any time, day or night, at 844.RHINO.77.
