Actor Gerard Butler, star of the new film Geostorm, was recently hospitalized following a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles. According to reports, the 47-year-old actor was riding his motorcycle when he was cut off by another vehicle. Butler spoke to Entertainment Tonight and said that the woman driving the vehicle performed an illegal U-turn. He did not have time to react and slammed into the car, which sent him flying through the air. He was hospitalized but did not appear to be seriously injured, beyond fractures in his feet and a torn meniscus. He was able to walk the red carpet at the Geostorm premiere the next week.
The Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Accident Injuries
Here is a list of the most common driver behaviors contributing to motorcycle accidents:
- Illegal U-turns, as in Butler’s accident.
- Unsafe lane changes, such as when drivers fail to check blind spots or signals.
- Speeding, a leading cause of all types of motor vehicle accidents.
- Driving under the influence, which can make drivers less aware of their surroundings and more prone to dangerous driving behaviors
- Left-turn accidents, which occur when a driver cuts off a motorcyclist while turning left
- Sudden stops that motorcyclists cannot react to in time
- Failure to yield
Motorcycle accidents rarely end well for the motorcyclist. The relative lack of protection offered on motorcycles means that even minor accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries including lacerations, broken bones, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and even death. If you have suffered injury or lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident, speak to a personal injury attorney.