As temperatures begin to drop, you may love to enjoy the cooler weather from behind the handlebars of your favorite motorcycle. Few things can turn a fun ride into a disaster faster than a motorcycle accident. If a negligent driver causes you to fall off your bike, you may sustain serious cuts or abrasions, often called road rash. 

According to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, road rash typically heals in a couple of weeks. Still, you may not be so lucky. In fact, sometimes, road rash causes serious complications. If you have been in a motorcycle accident, you must not take the condition lightly. 

Underlying medical conditions 

If you are in perfect health, recovering from road rash may simply be a minor inconvenience. On the other hand, if you have certain underlying medical conditions, recovering fully may be more difficult. For example, diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorders and other conditions may lengthen the healing process. 

Infection 

As with any open wound, road rash may expose you to infection. If so, you may need antibiotics or emergency medical care to recover. Accordingly, if you have road rash after a motorcycle accident, you should watch for the signs of infection to appear. Here are three common ones: 

•         Redness, swelling or irritation around the wound
•         Pus or other foul-smelling liquids draining from the wound
•         Fever, chills, nausea, vomiting or flu-like symptoms 

Because infections can be deadly, you should never ignore such symptoms. Instead, you should seek immediate medical treatment if you think you have an infection. 

Other injuries 

While road rash is often skin-deep, some lacerations are more acute than others. Further, during any motorcycle crash, you may sustain a variety of other injuries. These include broken bones, soft-tissue injuries and brain trauma. Therefore, even if you think you only have a minor case of road rash, you must ask a doctor to examine you after any motorcycle accident. 

While wearing protective gear is often an effective way to minimize injuries in a motorcycle accident, you should not take road rash casually. By understanding the potential seriousness of the condition, you can better plan for recovering fully after a motorcycle crash.