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Motorcycle Passenger Hit By Falling Ladder

By Eddie Farah

This would certainly qualify as a freak accident.

A passenger on a motorcycle traveling in the Jacksonville area was hit by a ladder that fell from a pickup truck. The 59-year old woman is in the hospital with critical head injuries.

The Florida Highway Patrol says the female passenger was sitting a bit higher than the driver of the Harley on which they were riding, and that's why she took the brunt of the hit.

The couple is from West Virginia. The woman was not wearing a helmet. They are not required in Florida if you are of age and have adequate insurance coverage.

The driver of the truck that improperly secured its ladder has been identified. No word yet on whether charges will be filed but that certainly should be a consideration. It is inexcusable for a ladder to fall off a truck and not have any backup rope to at least keep it somewhat attached to the vehicle so an accident like this doesn't happen.

We hope she has a swift recovery, but this kind of freak occurance reminds us that you can become an accident victim suddenly at any time. How is your insurance?

With a downturn in the economy, there are an increasing number of uninsured motorists. No word on the insurance condition here, but what do you do if you find out the driver of another vehicle that causes you injury doesn't have insurance?

You must make sure that you, the driver with insurance, are adequately protected in that instance. If they are uninsured you need to make sure you have adequate uninsured motorist's coverage. It is advised to get as much as you can.

You should also take a moment to see if you are covered for people who are "under-insured". This protects you if a wrongdoer doesn't have enough liability insurance to cover your injuries. In an accident like this, a head injury can take years, or even a lifetime to recover from.

We certainly hope the truck driver carried adequate insurance to cover the woman's injuries. But as with freak accidents, you never know. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Full post as published by Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer on March 22, 2009 (boomark / email).