Legal•Info

What To Do After A Motorcycle Accident

If you have been involved a motorcycle accident, you may be wondering what to do. The first thing you need to do is to dial 911 immediately. If no one is severely injured or requires immediate medical attention, you must do your best to get all contact and insurance information from all other passengers, motorists or pedestrians involved. Be sure to write down the make, model, and license plate numbers of all vehicles involved as well. If you can, grab your camera or your camera phone and take pictures of the scene. This is the only way to get accurate documentation, fresh witness accounts, and more importantly, your side of the story documented in case you end up in court. Do not leave the scene of the accident before the police arrive, because criminal charges could result from this, and because fault and liability have not been determined yet.

If you are contacted by an adjuster from the other side's insurance company, it's important to not grant them an interview, because insurance adjusters are trained to try to trip you up. They want to get you to say something that could be used against you, so that the insurance company is obligated to pay out the least amount of damages on the claim.

Similarly, don't rush to make repairs on a bike until the damage has been documented, as you may be entitled to compensation for these damages. Keep a record of all of the expenses that have been incurred due to the accident, including repairs, doctor visits, and rental charges for another vehicle that you have to use because your bike is being repaired, as well as any time that had been missed from work because of the accident.

This process works well, provided all parties involved can walk away from the accident or they do not have any serious injuries or damages to the vehicles totaling more than $400-$500. If there are significant damages, serious injuries or fatalities, you must first seek medical help, and as soon as you can, contact a motorcycle accident lawyer or personal injury attorney.

An experienced motorcycle accident lawyer or personal injury attorney will be well-versed in motorcycle laws at both the state and local levels. They will be intimately familiar with your state's personal injury laws, and they can help you recover monetary compensation for injuries such as medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, motorcycle damage, and other accident related costs.

Some of the most common injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents include: amputation, broken bones, neck and back injury, paralysis, skull fracture, the fracture of other bones, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. Other injuries may result from motorcycle accidents that do not involve other passengers, and are the direct result of poor roads, bad weather conditions, and poorly posted signs. In these cases, a motorcycle accident lawyer or personal injury attorney will find out which entity is responsible and present a case on your behalf.

Due to the potential hazards associated with owning and operating a motorcycle, before purchasing a motorcycle, find out about your state's motorcycle and insurance laws, make sure you have a clear understanding of your legal rights, and find out about what you are entitled to in case of an accident. If you have been in a motorcycle accident or lost a loved one due to a motorcycle accident, it's best to contact a motorcycle accident lawyer or personal injury attorney right away.