A motorcyclist was killed and a driver was injured as a result of an early morning head-on collision Saturday at North Avenue and John Lewis Freedom Parkway in Atlanta, according to a report from Patch. Police responded to the scene at around 4 AM and discovered a 2000 Kawasaki motorcycle had collided head-on with a 2020 Dodge Ram pickup while traveling at a high rate of speed. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
Motorcyclists are at a significant disadvantage in collisions involving motor vehicles not only due to the lack of protective features that are found on other motor vehicle types, such as airbags, seat belts, and a fully enclosed frame that would prevent the rider from being ejected during a collision but also because of the size discrepancy between the vehicles involved. According to Edmunds, a 2020 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup weighs over 5,000 pounds. JD Power reports that — while the weight of a motorcycle is highly variable, on average, they weigh between 300-500 pounds.
As explained by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a vehicle’s size and weight matter during a frontal-impact collision for many reasons. Larger vehicles have a longer distance from the front of the vehicle to the passenger compartment which offers protection for occupants. Additionally, when a large vehicle collides with a small one, the larger vehicle will typically push the lighter one backward during impact, causing less force on the occupants of the large vehicle, and more force on the smaller vehicle. In a head-on collision, the force of the collision is increased by the forward motion of both vehicles as well as the speed they’re traveling at.
If you’ve been injured in a car or motorcycle accident in Atlanta that was caused by someone else’s negligence, an experienced attorney from Cambre & Associates can help you understand your legal options for seeking compensation for the expenses and impacts of your injury. Contact us for a free case evaluation.