It’s sad when a motorcyclist gets injured in an accident. It’s even more tragic if the victim must have a limb amputated because of the seriousness of his or her injures. But what’s even more horrifying is a motorcyclist undergoing an amputation at the scene of the motorcycle accident.
That was the gruesome scene this week in Las Vegas after a Henderson man was involved in a wreck with a car. Shortly before 5:15pm Wednesday evening, the 25-year old man was riding his 2002 Suzuki Katana east on Flamingo Road heading toward Decatur Boulevard. But a 2003 Mercedes-Benz E500 tried to make a U-turn on Flamingo Road in front of the motorcyclist, and the bike crashed into the car. Authorities say that the man had to have his leg amputated at the scene, and he is trying to recover from critical injuries at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center.
It’s not immediately clear who is at fault in this collision. On one hand, the 45-year old man from Las Vegas who was driving the Mercedes should have made sure that oncoming traffic was clear before he made his U-turn. However, witnesses say that the motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed just prior to the crash.
If the police investigation reveals that the car’s driver was mostly or completely to blame for the wreck, then the motorcyclist could file a personal injury lawsuit against the 45-year old man. Should this suit succeed, a jury may award damages to the Henderson man not only to reimburse him for medical expenses, but also to compensate him for the decreased quality of life he must deal with from this point on.