The open road is full of potential danger. This is especially true for motorcyclists. A Utah man suffered severe injuries as a result of a recent motorcycle accident. Investigators are looking into the details of the crash, but have learned that a car struck the man on the motorcycle after failing to see him.

The accident occurred during the middle of the afternoon as the motorcyclist was cruising down the westbound lane of a local road. A sedan was exiting a parking lot and pulling into the road attempting to take a left turn, but the motorcycle hit the back end of the car. The 35-year-old motorcyclist tried to stop, but could not do so. The man was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered major head trauma, which forced the emergency workers to airlift him to the hospital.

In a police interview, the driver of the car reported that they didn't see the motorcycle. The car's driver and passenger were unharmed in the accident. So far there have been no traffic citations issued by police in the ongoing investigation.

Even though it's not exactly motorcycle season right now, drivers must always be aware that bikers could be on the road. Too often drivers fail to notice motorcycles and terrible accidents occur. More often than not, the motorcyclist will bear the majority of injuries in a collision. Motorcycles are harder to see than a full-size vehicle, and that is all the more reason drivers should be aware of others on the road.

Motorcyclists expose themselves to risk, but that is no excuse for other drivers to avoid their responsibility to drive attentively. Because of the serious nature of the man's injuries, it is uncertain if or how he will emerge from the accident. Certainly, he will face tremendous medical bills, time lost at work and months of healing, if he survives the injuries. This tragic accident reminds us that we can never be too careful when we operate a motor vehicle.

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, "Man suffers critical injuries in motorcycle accident," Janelle Stecklein, Feb. 4, 2012