THISMONTH INHISTORY
While young men were being cut down by the newest technology in the trenches, the folks back home in many European nations were being cut down by famine and disease. The war put immense pressure on lines of supply, pressure that was intensified by intentional blockades of civilian food supplies by both sides of the conflict. Historian N.P. Howard writes that these blockades “spread death and disease, as famine encroached upon the civilian populations of Central Europe.”Blockades on some countries, especially Germany, were not lifted after the war ended in 1918. Punitive measures like these were designed to prevent Germany from rising again. Instead, they resulted in needless death and more tensions between Germany and the rest of the world—which ultimately led to the SecondWorldWar a few decades later. Some countries fared better. America and Canada, untouched at home across the Atlantic, found what Canadian Lieutenant Timothy C. Winegard describes as“a context of nationhood and a sense of pride in an achievement”as new-world nations testing their mettle. They had no food shortages, and the war boosted their economies. This was particularly true in America, which entered the war relatively late for the final effort to topple the German alliance. It was the United States’first European intervention. But in August 1914, nobody knew any of that. Not the world leaders, not the men and women back home, and certainly not the millions of soldiers headed for the trenches. It was a lesson the world would never forget, even when war broke out again two decades later.
AUGUST 1914
August 1914 may be the most important August in history. Earlier that summer, Archduke Franz Ferdinand had been assassinated in Sarajevo (in an attempt that was almost botched but was ultimately successful). Tensions that had been simmering in Europe for years began to boil over, and in August the first shots were fired— the beginning of WorldWar I. Patriotic and nationalistic jingoism amongst European nations soon turned to horror as the full picture of mechanized slaughter became clear to all. By the end of the year, a million European soldiers and citizens had been killed in the trenches and city streets. They were the first casualties of a war that would claim the lives of 16 million— and the souls of a rapidly globalizing world.
IF YOU’RE IN A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT, WILL YOUR INSURANCE BE ENOUGH? TOO MANY RIDERS GET STUCKWITH THE BILL AFTER AN ACCIDENT — DON’T BE ONE OF THEM
insurance limits, or the limits of the negligent driver, you may be forced to pay for your medical expenses on your own.
If you’re involved in a motorcycle accident, even if it’s not your fault, you may end up footing a lot of the medical bills. Many riders erroneously believe that all of their medical expenses and
One way to mitigate this risk is to have uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist insurance coverage. UM and UIM will protect you and your passenger for any bodily injury that you may sustain in an accident involving a driver with no liability insurance, or a driver
long-term care expenses will be covered by the at-fault driver and their insurance. After all, isn’t that what insurance is for?
In reality, this is far from the truth. While most states require all individuals to carry liability
with insufficient insurance to cover your injuries, respectively.
insurance on their vehicles, it’s often painfully inadequate following a serious motorcycle accident. Even worse, many auto drivers are underinsured or not insured at all. After a catastrophic accident, the costs of medical bills and rehabilitation can quickly exceed your insurance limits. Recent statistics show that a fatal motorcycle accident can cost around $1.2 million in damages, while the average cost of a motorcycle injury can range from $2,500 to over $1.4 million. Unfortunately, when your medical expenses exceed
Even though many states allow motorcyclists to opt out of UIM/UM coverage, all motorcyclists should purchase this insurance to protect themselves. At Kelly Law, we see riders hurt all the time, stuck with fat medical bills that just keep adding up. Make sure you speak to your insurance broker about UM and UIM coverage. A few extra dollars now may be the best money you’ve ever spent protecting yourself.
2
www.kelly-lawyers.com
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs