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    Famous Motorcycle Wipe-Outs to Remind Bikers to Be Careful

Motorcycle enthusiasts know they should wear a helmet and have a valid license while riding a motorcycle. Even following all the highway safety rules, motorcycle crashes are still possible. The injuries sustained could cause major issues for the rider for many years to come.

Even Celebrities Get in Accidents

While there have been many famous crashes from celebrities, most motorcyclists find that they get hurt through no fault of their own. Sometimes the defendant or the victim could be a famous Los Angeles or Hollywood star.

Not surprisingly, in Los Angeles, a city practically afloat with aspiring actors (mainly food servers) and celebrities, some of these accidents concern paparazzi, gazing, and all manner of distractions.

Someone else’s negligence causes many such motorcycle accidents. Suppose you or someone you love has suffered a terrible injury due to a celebrity motorcycle accident in Los Angeles or its environs. In that case, you should be cognizant that Ehline Law maintains a large practice and has a well-respected reputation for handling motorcycle accidents. Their compassionate legal team is eager to serve your legal needs 24/7 enthusiastically.

Why Is Ehline Law Your Best Choice for a Celebrity Motorcycle Accident?

Ehline Law has successfully represented injured celebrities, famous people, and regular riders for many years. We are well-respected for our enthusiasm as well as for our unrivaled legal knowledge. Suppose you have experienced a motorcycle accident injury of any type. In that case, we are prepared to take over the audit and investigation of your case so you can focus on mending the physical and emotional shock you have undergone. At our Los Angeles office, as in all of our convenient California offices, Ehline Law is dedicated to helping clients through the jungle of legal steps required to win the best possible outcome.

We will aggressively fight for a negotiated settlement or send the file to litigation. In addition to motorcyclist accidents, Ehline Law attorneys cover a wide variety of personal injury matters if you didn’t get run over by William Shatner or you’re not the GOAT, Matt Hughes.

When disasters happen, it’s best to call the masters of disasters at Ehline Law Firm to talk with an experienced lawyer. Receive a free consultation by calling (213) 596-9642 today! No city, no matter how pleasant, is immune to accidents.

Let’s take a look at some crazy and famous accidents involving stars and motorcycles. In the end, we will provide you with some bonus information about staying safe and getting paid for accidents.

Famous Motorcycle Crashes to Ponder

A motorcycle crash can happen to anyone, including a growing list of celebrities.

These famous people ended up getting severely injured in various hot spots around town for various reasons:

Ann Margret’s Motorcycle Accident

Ann Margret starred in many films, such as Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas.” She was an accomplished rider and owned a 500cc Triumph Tiger. In fact, Ann rode her motorcycle in “The Swinger,” a 1966 movie.

Overall, she was an avid motorcyclist and was shown in various Triumph Motorcycle adverts. However, in August 2000, she was thrown from her motorcycle in Brainerd, Minnesota (MN), when she hit a sandy patch on the pavement.

She suffered three broken ribs and even fractured her shoulder. Still, she appeared the next day in the National Hot Rod Nationals as the Grand Marshal. With her arm in a sling, she waved to people in a convertible pace car.

Gary Busey

Gary Busey played in many films, such as “The Buddy Holly Story.” He was a passionate rider who was very “anti-helmet” until he almost got killed during a violent crash in 1998. He had just picked up a Harley Davidson from the Culver City Bartel’s Harley store and got thrown from his bike.

Busey hit his head on a concrete slab and cracked open his skull because of that motorcycle crash. He says that he hit some sand and fishtailed, flipping over. Luckily, a police officer nearby assisted until paramedics arrived, and Gary could have suffered brain damage from not wearing a helmet.

Peter Fonda

Peter Fonda was Captain America in “Easy Rider” and has had many motorcycle mishaps. He wrecked a Triumph in 1964 while wearing loafers and swimming trunks, causing his hipbone to stick out through the skin and get road rash on his back.

Then, he broke his neck and back in 1985—the number of surgeries he’s had made him lose about a half-inch in height.

From there, he collided with a deer head-on in 1993 and vowed never to ride in the dark without full gear again.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan was a songwriter and singer, and his motorcycle accident is surrounded by intrigue and mystery. It occurred in 1966 near Woodstock, NY, and some reports show that he almost died and broke several vertebrae. Others say that his injuries were only minor, and he used the accident to get out of the limelight to kick his heroin addiction.

Overall, the rumors swirled, and gossip claimed he had brain damage or was dead. He ended up canceling his current tour and waited eight years before showing up to a concert again.

Eric Estrada

Eric Estrada is best known for playing Ponch on “Chips” and was injured in 1980 while shooting an episode. While the show was popular, he followed a camera car in Pacoima, CA, and lost control of the 1000cc Kawasaki. From there, he was thrown into the car, and the bike landed atop him. Overall, that motorcycle crash caused him to suffer from a collapsed lung, broken wrist, and fracture of 12 ribs; doctors said there was no chance of survival.

However, the show had to go on, and the producers of “Chips” incorporated the whole thing into the storyline, filming the scenes from his real-life hospital bed.

Billy Idol

Rocker Billy Idol was riding his Harley Davidson in 1990 when he ran a stop sign early in the morning, colliding with a car. He wasn’t wearing his helmet. Surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center tried saving his mangled leg that was almost amputated. Overall, Idol was in bed for many months. The Cyberpunk crashed again in 2011 when he ran another stop sign, requiring surgery to repair his broken foot bone.

David Hasselhoff

David Hasselhoff is the star of “Night Rider” and “Baywatch,” but he also lost control of his motorcycle near a freeway overpass resulting from a gust of wind that made him swerve. Both he and his then-wife, Pamela Bach, got tossed from the bike as his rear passenger. She suffered a broken wrist and ankle, but he had broken ribs and a fractured back.

In 2007, four years after the incident, Pamela blamed the accident for breaking up her marriage. She said that “the Hoff” started neglecting her because she had to sit in a wheelchair for a year, with doctors saying she might not walk again.

Lauren Hutton

Lauren Hutton is known as the supermodel of the Seventies, and she crashed her bike in 2001 when riding for a charity ride supporting the beloved Hermitage-Guggenheim Museum. It was lucky that Dennis Hopper persuaded her to wear protective gear instead of a stylish outfit. Plus, Jeremy Irons gave her a full-face helmet.

Reports say she had been traveling at 90 to 100 mph and lost control on a gravelly curve, running off the road and flying into the air. She broke both arms and legs upon landing. Lauren also punctured a lung and broke three ribs.

Duane Allman

Musician Berry Oakley and guitarist Duane Allman were part of the Allman Brothers Band. Both were killed in different motorcycle crashes, but the story gets more interesting. In 1971, Duane was 24 years old and crashed into a flatbed truck that pulled in front of him. He was actually headed to Oakley’s home in Georgia to wish his wife a great birthday. Allman swerved, but the bike skidded and flipped after taking a sharp turn, dragging him about 50 feet. He ended up dying of massive injuries.

About one year later, Oakley, the Allman Brothers bassist, crashed his motorcycle into a Macon City bus just a mile from the spot where Duane was struck down just a year earlier.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is forever known as the Terminator, but he himself was almost terminated when he crashed his motorcycle in 2001. Overall, he broke six ribs and had to spend many days in the hospital from when his chest hit his Harley’s windshield. Arnold swerved to avoid a car that stopped too short, flinging him off his “choppa.”

He’s been in more motorcycle accidents, too. Five years after that, a car backed out in front of him, causing him to crash his bike. That time, his son was with him in a sidecar. Arnold needed 15 stitches for his upper lip. Thankfully, both parties were wearing helmets and suffered only minor injuries.

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger was the first-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was almost killed in June 2006. A 62-year-old woman was driving her Chrysler New Yorker, turning left in front of him near downtown Pittsburgh. His motorcycle hit her car, throwing him face-first into the side of that car. He wasn’t wearing his helmet and was on a Suzuki Hayabusa, the fastest street-legal bike at the time. Plus, he had no license.

Reportedly, Ben was near death after the accident. He required seven hours of surgery to fix his jaw and face. Overall, he lost two teeth and broke his lower jaw, upper jaw, and nose.

Pennsylvania had repealed the mandatory helmet law three years earlier, and Ben was reluctant to wear one. He claimed it was a choice and wanted to be out there and relax, never taking many risks. Though he might not use risky behavior, other people involved in the crash might not be so cautious!

Other less famous deadly motorcycle rides?

  1. Keanu Reeves – Daredevil actor Keanu Reeves has a long scar down his abdomen from a motorcycle wreck that ruptured his spleen. After fracturing his ankle in a 1997 motorcycle collision, Reeves was confined to using crutches for a short period.
  2. Don Rich – A regular guest on the hit TV show “Hee Haw,” he led the Buck Owens’ band called the Buckaroos. Rich passed away in a 1974 motorcyclist collision.
  3. George Clooney – Clooney was involved in a scooter riding accident while he was filming Hulu’s Catch-22 series in Italy.
  4. Takeshi Kitano – Respected Japanese filmmaker and holder of multiple international film awards. (hospitalized in 1995 for one month after a severe motorcyclist crash.
  5. Mark Knopfler – Lead singer of Dire Straits, Knopfler collided his bike with a London car in 2003, fracturing his collarbone, shoulder, as well as seven of his ribs.
  6. T.E. Lawrence – Press reports say the famous “Lawrence of Arabia” military officer died in 1935 after a horrific spill on a bike.
  7. Anthony Kiedis – Red Hot Chili Peppers lead Anthony Kiedis underwent five hours of excruciating surgery after shattering his wrist and forearm when another driver made an illegal U-turn. The painkillers Kiedis was prescribed are thought to have caused his drug relapse.
  8. Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan was in a death-defying motoring accident with another driver in 1966.
  9. Steven Tyler – Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler his heel in 1981 in a crash that some say involved drugs and alcohol.
  10. Billy Joel – The “Piano Man,” Billy Joel was in a Long Island motorcycle collision that injured his left thumb and right wrist, causing some to speculate if he would ever play piano again.
  11. Adrien Brody – Oscar-winner actor Brody made famous by the “The Pianist,” was in a motorbike wreck in 1992.

How to Avoid a Fatal Motorcycle Crash?

The thought of having a motorcycle accident rarely crosses a rider’s mind. They are focused on the joy of riding and not on injuries or death, but these things can happen.

Even if you do everything right, you can’t know what the other drivers might do, causing motorcycle accidents every day. It’s best to wear a helmet, make sure you’ve got a motorcycle license, and understand the road rules. You should also focus on your surroundings and watch other vehicles as carefully as possible.

Still, avoiding a collision is often hard if someone stops short in front of you. Motorcycles are much smaller than large trucks or cars, so other drivers might not see you. There’s not much you can do about that.

Whatever type of incident you’ve had, if another’s negligence caused it, you are legally entitled to compensation for medical costs and lost past, current, and future wages. You can also claim pain and suffering damages. At Ehline Law, we will fight hard to make sure you obtain every dollar you deserve.

You don’t have to be a celebrity to suffer injuries in a motorcycle accident. In fact, motorcycles are considered more dangerous than a regular vehicle because there’s less between you and the open road. Motorcycle accidents happen every day, both to celebrities and regular people. While you can do certain things to protect yourself from a wreck, someone else might be negligent and not pay attention or see you.

This could cause you to suffer from head injuries and many other issues. Motor vehicles of all types are dangerous, and if you were the victim of a motorcycle wreck, you have the right to legal counsel. Ehline Law Firm can assist!

Our sharp, battle-proven lawyers understand the significant differences between motorcycle wrecks and other vehicular accidents. Please call (213) 596-9642 for a free consultation about your case to discuss your rights and get started fresh. You can also use our website form to contact us at your convenience.

Citations:

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Michael Ehline

Michael Ehline is an inactive U.S. Marine and world-famous legal historian. Michael helped draft the Cruise Ship Safety Act and has won some of U.S. history’s largest motorcycle accident settlements. Together with his legal team, Michael and the Ehline Law Firm collect damages on behalf of clients. We pride ourselves on being available to answer your most pressing and difficult questions 24/7. We are proud sponsors of the Paul Ehline Memorial Motorcycle Ride and a Service Disabled Veteran Operated Business. (SDVOB.) We are ready to fight.

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