Motorcycle and Dirt Bike Injury Lawyer for Serious Crashes, Defects, and Fires

A motorcycle or dirt bike crash can cause life-changing injuries whether it begins with a careless driver, a commercial truck, an unsafe product, a faulty repair, a dangerous track condition, or gasoline escaping near a hot engine. Riders have little physical protection from the force of a collision, a hard landing, moving parts, pavement, or fire.

The Pritzker Hageman motorcycle accident lawyers represent children, adults, passengers, and families in serious injury and wrongful death cases throughout the United States. Our legal team handles traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crushed limbs, amputations, fractures, internal injuries, severe road rash, burns, and other catastrophic harm. We investigate both why the rider crashed and whether a vehicle, part, repair, business, or fuel-system failure made the injuries worse.

When Can a Motorcycle or Dirt Bike Injury Lead to a Lawsuit?

A person may have a personal injury or product liability claim when another party’s negligence or a defective product caused the crash, contributed to it, or increased the severity of the injuries. A fatal incident may support a wrongful death claim under the law of the state that applies.

Potential claims can arise from:

• a driver who failed to yield, turned across the rider’s path, followed too closely, changed lanes unsafely, drove distracted, or drove while impaired;
• a commercial driver and the trucking, delivery, bus, or other company responsible for that driver or vehicle;
• a bar, restaurant, or alcohol seller that may have liability under the applicable state’s dram-shop law;
• a defective motorcycle, dirt bike, tire, brake, throttle, control, frame, fuel-system component, or other part;
• negligent assembly, inspection, maintenance, modification, or repair;
• a dangerous track, trail, property, roadway, construction zone, or event condition; or
• another person or business whose conduct caused the crash or made the resulting harm worse.

One incident can involve more than one claim. For example, a negligent driver may cause the initial collision while a defective fuel tank or poorly routed fuel line allows gasoline to escape and ignite afterward. A complete investigation must examine the crash and the post-crash injury mechanism as separate but related events.

The fact that a rider fell, struck an object, or made a mistake does not automatically end the investigation. Comparative-fault rules vary by state. A lawyer must examine what each person and company did, whether the product performed safely in reasonably foreseeable conditions, and how the applicable law allocates responsibility.

Common Motorcycle and Dirt Bike Injuries

Motorcycle and dirt bike incidents can produce several injuries at once. A person with an obvious fracture or burn may also have a concussion, internal injury, nerve damage, or soft-tissue injury that requires separate evaluation and treatment. The most serious cases may involve permanent disability, disfigurement, loss of earning capacity, or death.

Broken Bones, Crush Injuries, and Amputation

Fractures can involve the legs, ankles, feet, pelvis, ribs, spine, shoulders, arms, wrists, or hands. High-energy impacts may crush bone and surrounding tissue, damage blood vessels and nerves, require multiple operations, or lead to infection and amputation. Learn more about broken and crushed bone injuries and the firm’s work for people who have suffered life-changing amputations.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion

A rider can suffer a concussion, skull fracture, brain bleeding, diffuse axonal injury, memory problems, changes in mood or behavior, or another traumatic brain injury. A helmet can reduce the risk and severity of head injury, but it cannot prevent every brain injury in a violent crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s motorcycle safety guidance calls a compliant motorcycle helmet a rider’s best protection for the brain in a serious crash. Research involving pediatric ATV and dirt bike crashes also documents intracranial injuries and moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries, particularly among unhelmeted riders. Families can learn more from Pritzker Hageman’s concussion and head injury lawyers.

Spinal Cord, Neck, and Back Injuries

An impact, ejection, or hard landing can fracture vertebrae, damage discs, injure the spinal cord, or cause partial or complete paralysis. Pediatric trauma research has documented cervical, thoracic, and other spinal injuries after ATV and dirt bike crashes. These cases may require lifelong rehabilitation, mobility equipment, home modifications, attendant care, and treatment for secondary complications. Read about compensation and lifetime-care planning in a spinal cord injury lawsuit.

Road Rash, Contusions, Abrasions, Lacerations, and Degloving Injuries

Sliding across pavement, gravel, or dirt can cause bruising, abrasions, deep lacerations, embedded debris, tissue loss, nerve injury, infection, scarring, and degloving injuries. Severe wounds may require surgical cleaning, skin grafts, reconstructive surgery, scar treatment, and extensive rehabilitation. Protective clothing can reduce some injuries, but it does not excuse a negligent driver or a company responsible for the crash.

Strains, Sprains, Joint Injuries, and Nerve Damage

Motorcycle and dirt bike crashes can tear ligaments, tendons, and muscles or damage the shoulder, knee, ankle, wrist, and other joints. Some injuries described initially as a strain or sprain later prove to involve instability, a torn ligament, a damaged disc, complex regional pain, or permanent loss of function. The legal evaluation should follow the medical evidence and the injury’s actual effect on work and daily life, not just the first emergency-room label.

Internal, Chest, and Abdominal Injuries

Blunt-force trauma can injure the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, bowel, or blood vessels. Broken ribs may accompany a collapsed lung or pulmonary contusion. Internal bleeding and organ damage may not be obvious at the scene. Anyone with urgent symptoms after a crash should seek medical care immediately.

Burns, Scarring, and Inhalation Injuries

Riders can be burned by an exhaust pipe, hot engine, leaking gasoline, battery fire, or post-crash vehicle fire. A flash fire can cause deep thermal burns in seconds. Serious burns may require grafts, repeated operations, scar management, rehabilitation, and psychological care. Pritzker Hageman’s national burn injury legal team investigates both the source of ignition and the product or conduct that allowed the fire to occur.

Fatal Motorcycle and Dirt Bike Injuries

When a crash or fire is fatal, eligible family members may have a wrongful death claim. Recoverable damages and the person authorized to bring the case vary by state. A prompt investigation can help preserve the motorcycle or dirt bike, other vehicles, video, electronic data, witness testimony, and corporate records. Families can read more about legal options after a fatal motorcycle accident.

What Is a Serious Motorcycle or Dirt Bike Injury Case Worth?

No lawyer can responsibly value a case from the injury name alone. The amount that may be recovered depends on the evidence of fault, the parties that can be held responsible, insurance and corporate resources, the applicable state’s law, the severity and permanence of the injuries, and the injury’s effect on the person and family.

Depending on the law and facts, recoverable damages may include:

• emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, medication, rehabilitation, and other past medical expenses;
• reasonably necessary future medical care, therapy, prosthetics, mobility equipment, home modifications, and attendant care;
• past lost income and reduced future earning capacity;
• physical pain, emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, scarring, and loss of quality of life;
• damage to the motorcycle, dirt bike, protective equipment, and other property; and
• in a wrongful death case, the losses recognized by the law of the state that applies.

Serious injuries may continue to evolve after the initial hospitalization. Medical specialists, rehabilitation professionals, life-care planners, economists, vocational experts, and other qualified professionals may be needed to document future treatment and financial losses.

9-Year-Old Severely Burned in Biddeford Dirt Bike Flash Fire

On July 26, 2026, a 9-year-old boy suffered serious burns to his legs while riding a small dirt bike in a parking lot near 23 St. Joseph Street in Biddeford, Maine. According to reporting by the Bangor Daily News and WGME’s report based on information from the Maine Office of State Fire Marshal, surveillance video showed the boy hit a curb, continue forward, and then tip the bike onto its side. A flash fire erupted as the bike fell.

Investigators said gasoline escaped from the dirt bike’s fuel system after the crash and ignited on hot engine components. Firefighters found extensive burning to the seat and heat damage to the fuel tank and engine. The child was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland and later transferred to a specialized burn center in Boston because of the severity of his injuries.

The State Fire Marshal classified the fire as accidental. Public reporting does not identify the dirt bike’s manufacturer or model, and it does not establish that the bike was defective. Nothing on this page states or implies that Pritzker Hageman represents the child. We are not asserting that any person or company is legally responsible for this incident.

The incident does show why the complete bike and its fuel-system components should be preserved and examined before anyone repairs, disassembles, returns, or disposes of them.

Why an “Accidental” Fire Can Still Require a Product Investigation

An accidental fire classification generally distinguishes a fire from one that was intentionally set. It does not, by itself, decide whether a defective product, inadequate warning, improper assembly, unsafe modification, or negligent repair contributed to the fire.

A civil investigation asks different questions. Did the tank, cap, seal, vent, hose, valve, carburetor, injector connection, or another component allow fuel to escape? Was the component properly routed and protected from impact and heat? Had the bike been recalled or associated with similar incidents? Was it assembled, serviced, or modified correctly? Did the design account for a foreseeable fall or tip-over?

The evidence may show that no defect or negligence was involved. It may also identify responsibility that was not addressed in the initial fire report. A careful, independent inspection is the responsible way to answer those questions.

How Dirt Bike Fuel-System Fires Can Happen

Gasoline vapors can ignite when fuel released during a crash reaches an engine, exhaust pipe, electrical spark, or another ignition source. Investigators may examine:

• the fuel tank, seams, filler neck, mounting points, and impact protection;
• the fuel cap, gasket, vent, rollover valve, and check valve;
• fuel lines, clamps, filters, shutoff valves, and petcocks;
• the carburetor bowl and overflow system or the fuel-injector connection;
• the routing and shielding between fuel components, the engine, and the exhaust;
• dealer assembly, maintenance, prior repairs, and aftermarket parts; and
• warnings and instructions addressing leaks, falls, transport, storage, and shutoff procedures.

Fuel leaks are a documented off-road motorcycle hazard. In 2012, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reannounced a recall of about 4,300 Baja DR50 and DR70 dirt bikes because the fuel tank could leak and create a fire and burn hazard. The recall notice reported 16 fires and three minor burn injuries. That recall does not identify the bike involved in the Biddeford incident, but it demonstrates why investigators should check the exact manufacturer, model, vehicle identification number, and production history.

Families can search the CPSC recall database, but a recall search is only one step. Many valid product liability and recall claims arise before a recall is announced or when a particular unit failed because of a manufacturing, assembly, or repair problem.

Who May Be Responsible for a Motorcycle or Dirt Bike Injury?

Depending on the facts and applicable state law, potentially responsible parties may include:

• the driver and owner of another car, truck, bus, motorcycle, or off-road vehicle;
• a trucking, delivery, rideshare, bus, construction, or other company responsible for a driver or vehicle;
• an employer whose worker caused the incident while acting within the scope of employment;
• a bar, restaurant, or alcohol seller when the applicable dram-shop law permits a claim;
• the motorcycle or dirt bike manufacturer or importer;
• a company that designed or manufactured a tire, brake, throttle, fuel tank, control, or another component;
• a distributor, retailer, or dealer;
• a repair shop, mechanic, rental company, or person who assembled or modified the bike;
• the maker or seller of a defective aftermarket part;
• a property owner, track operator, event organizer, road contractor, or government entity responsible for a dangerous condition; or
• another person or company whose negligence caused the crash or increased the harm.

More than one party may share responsibility. Claims involving government entities can have unusually short notice requirements. Claims against commercial drivers may require fast preservation of vehicle data, dispatch records, driver logs, inspection records, onboard video, and other corporate evidence.

What Evidence Should Be Preserved After a Serious Crash or Fire?

Do not put anyone at risk to preserve a fuel-filled, fire-damaged, electrically energized, or unstable vehicle. Work with law enforcement, fire officials, the property owner, the insurer, and an attorney to arrange safe, secure storage. Before authorizing repair, testing, disassembly, return, salvage, or disposal, try to preserve:

• the complete motorcycle or dirt bike in its post-incident condition, including removed or broken parts;
• the rider’s helmet, boots, gloves, clothing, protective equipment, and electronic devices;
• every other vehicle involved, or detailed photographs and inspection access before repair;
• clear photographs and video of the scene, road or track surface, debris, skid or scrape marks, sight lines, signs, barriers, vehicle positions, labels, and damage;
• original phone videos, surveillance footage, dash-camera video, helmet-camera video, 911 recordings, and social-media files in their original form;
• the police report, fire report, emergency medical records, insurance records, and property or incident reports;
• witness names, contact information, and what each person saw or heard;
• the bill of sale, online listing, financing documents, owner’s manual, warnings, packaging, repair orders, maintenance records, parts receipts, and recall notices;
• communications with drivers, property owners, event operators, sellers, dealers, manufacturers, repair shops, rental companies, and insurers; and
• medical records, bills, wage information, photographs of injuries over time, and a record of how the injuries affect work, school, sleep, mobility, and daily life.

In a fuel-system fire, preserve the tank, cap, vent, fuel lines, valves, carburetor or injector, engine, exhaust, heat shields, wiring, seat, fuel container, fuel receipt, and available information about the gasoline used. Do not personally handle or store hazardous fuel. Qualified professionals should control hazardous evidence.

Digital files should be saved in their original form, not only as screenshots or social-media copies. A lawyer can send preservation notices and arrange a joint inspection so that interested parties and qualified experts have a fair opportunity to examine the evidence.

Serious Pediatric Burns Can Require Years of Care

Children with serious burns may need far more than the initial hospitalization. The American Burn Association’s referral guidelines state that all pediatric burns may benefit from burn-center referral because of pain, dressing changes, rehabilitation, and patient or caregiver needs.

Depending on the depth, location, and extent of the injury, future care may include wound treatment, skin grafts, scar management, compression garments, physical and occupational therapy, laser treatment or scar-revision surgery, pain and itching treatment, counseling, and school accommodations. Burns near a joint can affect movement, and scars may require additional treatment as a child grows.

A parent or guardian may be able to bring a burn injury lawsuit on a child’s behalf. Recoverable damages vary by state and may include past and future medical care, rehabilitation, counseling, pain, disability, disfigurement, loss of normal life, and reduced future earning capacity. Parents may also have claims for some losses, depending on the applicable law. Any settlement involving a minor may require court approval or other protections.

Recoveries Won in Dirt Bike, Motorcycle, and Serious Burn Cases

$3 Million Dirt Bike Defect Recovery

Our lawyers won a $3 million recovery for a client whose leg was crushed after his dirt bike malfunctioned during a race. After the crash, the client learned that the bike had been recalled because of the same malfunction. Pritzker Hageman pursued the claim against the manufacturer.

$6 Million Motorcycle Crash Recovery

Our lawyers won a $6 million recovery for a motorcycle passenger whose leg had to be amputated after a drunk driver rear-ended the motorcycle. The legal team pursued claims against the driver and the bar that had served the driver before the crash.

$5 Million Motorcycle and Commercial-Truck Recovery

Attorney Eric Hageman and his team obtained a $5 million recovery for a motorcyclist who was hit from behind by an 18-wheeler. The rider suffered a head injury, his leg was crushed, and the leg had to be amputated above the knee. Pritzker Hageman’s truck-versus-motorcycle case work shows why prompt vehicle inspection, reconstruction, and corporate discovery matter.

How Our Lawyers Investigate Motorcycle and Dirt Bike Injuries

Serious cases can be lost when vehicles are repaired, products are discarded, or electronic evidence is overwritten before the right experts inspect it. When retained, our legal team can:

• visit and document the crash, trail, track, parking lot, or fire scene;
• secure the motorcycle or dirt bike and arrange inspections of every involved vehicle;
• preserve surveillance video, dash-camera video, helmet-camera video, 911 recordings, witness testimony, and other time-sensitive evidence;
• obtain police, fire, emergency medical, insurance, property, event, dealer, repair, rental, and maintenance records;
• investigate negligent driving, alcohol service, driver qualifications, employer responsibility, commercial-vehicle safety practices, and corporate records;
• inspect tires, brakes, controls, frames, protective systems, fuel-system components, electrical systems, and aftermarket parts;
• investigate recalls, warranty claims, technical bulletins, consumer complaints, prior incidents, design documents, testing, and quality-control records;
• retain qualified accident-reconstruction, fire-origin, mechanical, metallurgical, human-factors, medical, vocational, life-care, and economic experts when the evidence calls for them; and
• work with treating professionals and other experts to document future treatment, rehabilitation, support, lost earning capacity, and financial needs.

A police or fire report is important evidence, but it is not a substitute for an independent civil investigation focused on every person, product, and company that may share responsibility. Our national practice allows us to help families across the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions About Motorcycle and Dirt Bike Injury Claims