Another motorcycle crash occurred in South Salt Lake City on August 25, 2010. The crash involved a motorcycle and an SUV and of course the motorcycle rider was critically injured. Police say that the motorcycle and SUV were heading north on 900 West near 2300 South when the impact occurred.The 50-year-old man driving the motorcycle was life-flighted to a local hospital where he was listed in critical condition.

This crash, and another crash reported in Provo Canyon on the same day, were both reported by KSL television, and both stories make a point of mentioning that both injured riders were not wearing helmets. I often find it  interesting why the press persists in reporting crashes where the motorcycle rider is not wearing a helmet. As long the motorcycle riders over 18 years old he or she is not required to wear a helmet in the State of Utah. That is a law!

Perhaps the media is trying to create a debate about the pros and cons of a mandatory helmet law in the State of Utah. If that is what the press is trying to do they should do so in an editorial format and invite dialogue from the interested parties. Simply persisting in reporting that victims of motorcycle crashes were not wearing helmets and therefore following the law is like blaming an attractive woman for getting raped. The attractive woman is doing nothing unlawful and neither is the motorcyclist. Not too long ago, in a typical rape trial, the defense would want to blame the victim of the rape. That "blame the victim" mentality led to the creation of rape shield laws to protect the victim. With motorcyclists and helmet use the media is engaging in what appears to be "blaming the victim" type reporting. The motorcyclist is doing nothing wrong by not wearing a helmet in the sense that he is following the law.

The pros and cons of introducing mandatory helmet laws should be discussed in a rational and upfront manner. I can tell you from a motorcycle lawyer's perspective that "blaming the victim" makes it very difficult to get fair compensation for injured motorcycle riders in the state of Utah.

Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent motorcycle riders and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City. Utah Bike Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.

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