Have you been in a motorcycle accident?
Motorcycle accidents often end up with the drives of one or both vehicles injured, along with damage to the vehicles and other property. If you’ve suffered a motorcycle accident injury, you’re probably wondering what you need to do in order to get the help you need and the compensation you deserve.
After all, recovering from injuries often becomes expensive, given the price of medical treatments in the United States. You may also find yourself not able to work if your injuries are great enough.
So, do you want to know what to do after a motorcycle accident? Below, we’ll go into the steps you should take.
Keep reading to learn more!
Assess the Situation
Immediately after your accident, assess the situation surrounding you.
First, check to see if you’ve suffered any serious or life-threatening injuries. If you have, call 911 as soon as possible, or call for help if your phone is out of reach.
If your injuries aren’t life-threatening, check on the other parties in the accident. Have they been injured? Do they need immediate medical assistance?
Next, look at where you are. Has your accident occurred near the side of the road or in the middle of a highway, with cars rushing by? If you don’t feel safe, get everyone to safety, abandoning the vehicles if needed.
Call the Police
Whether or not you have been injured, you should call the police at this point. Having an officer come out and hear both sides of the story will help you because it will serve as evidence in your motorcycle accident claim.
Both you and the other parties need to wait for the police to arrive. Leaving before the officer allows you to go can be construed as a hit and run, which is illegal.
Exchange Insurance Information
There’s a chance the other party’s insurance company will give you a good enough check to cover your damages and injuries.
As such, you should collect insurance information from the driver of the other car. Allow them to collect information on your company as well.
After you have the information, call the company, inform them that you’ve been in an accident with one of their clients, and state you would like to open a claim. The operator will then walk you through the beginnings of the claims process.
Take Photos
Take pictures of the damage done to both your motorcycle and the other driver’s vehicle, getting as many angles as needed.
Why do you need photos? They serve as evidence, both in open insurance claims and in accident-related personal injury lawsuits. If the other driver seems nervous about you taking pictures of their car, invite them to photograph your motorcycle as well and explain that you’re only doing it so the outcome is as fair as possible.
Talk to an Attorney About Your Motorcycle Accident Injury
Next, phone a motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible after the incident.
These attorneys specialize in taking on cases similar to the one that caused your motorcycle accident injury. They want to help you in the midst of your unfortunate circumstance, and they ensure that you get a fair payment from the other party’s insurance company and will fight for you if you don’t.
Ready to Get Compensation?
If you’ve suffered a motorcycle accident injury, you probably want compensation for your suffering and damages.
Motorcycle accidents can be dangerous and expensive. By taking the advice above, you ensure that you and the other driver remain safe and you get key evidence to build your case.
Want more advice? Check out the rest of our articles today!
Wayne Probert is a senior reporter at Zobuz, covering state and national politics, and he is a grantee with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Before joining Zobuz, he worked as a freelance journalist in Kentucky, having been published by dozens of outlets including NPR, the Center for Media.
