Thankfully, motorcycle accidents are not as frequent as car accidents. However, they can be just as serious and have the potential to result in life-threatening injuries. In fact, in 2017 alone, there were over 40,000 people injured in motorcycle accidents. In many cases, these accidents were avoidable if just one of the drivers had been more attentive or cautious. If you’re involved in an accident while riding your motorcycle or on another person’s bike, you may sustain serious injuries that affect your ability to work or even your quality of life for years to come.
Learning about what to do if you’re injured in a motorcycle accident is important so you know what steps to take next and how you can receive compensation for any expenses incurred because of someone else’s negligence.
Stay Safe and Evaluate Your Condition.
If you’ve been involved in an accident, you don’t want to exacerbate your injuries. Additionally, you don’t want to be charged with hit-and-run or reckless driving if you were at fault. If you were at fault, you could face serious penalties like a license suspension or even jail time.
If you were not at fault, you could still be charged if you don’t stay safe after the accident and exchange information with the other drivers. If you incurred injuries as a result of the accident, it is important to stay safe and not exacerbate those injuries. Take your time getting off the road. Identify any injuries you have sustained and treat them appropriately.
Document the Scene of the Accident.
After the accident, you want to take pictures of the scene and preserve any evidence that could help your case. First, you want to take a picture of your motorcycle and the surrounding area, including the traffic lights and the other vehicles involved in the accident.
Next, you want to take pictures of any damage to the vehicles involved in the accident, as well as your own body and any injuries you’ve sustained. Finally, you want to take pictures of yourself and any passengers on your motorcycle. This way, you have all the information necessary to file a claim with your insurance company and take the other driver(s) to court if necessary.
Preserve Evidence
After the accident, try to keep all of the evidence that was at the scene of the accident. This includes any pieces of your motorcycle or the other vehicles involved, pieces of the road, and any pieces of the road signs. You’ll want to keep all of these items in case they are needed to help with the investigation or for trial. Items like broken glass, rocks, and dirt can be used to determine the speed of your motorcycle and the severity of the accident.
Contact your insurance company.
After the accident, call your insurance company to report the accident, provide them with the details of the accident, and request a representative come to the scene of the accident. In most states, you are required by law to report a motorcycle accident involving property damage to the other driver(s) within 24 hours. By contacting your insurance company, you can get help taking care of the other driver(s) and their vehicle(s) and provide you with valuable information to help your case.
Handle Your Medical Care With Caution.
If you’re injured in an accident, you want to make sure you handle your medical care with caution. You don’t want to miss out on important procedures that could help your injuries heal better or give you a false sense of wellness that could lead to problems in the future.
At the same time, you don’t want to miss out on important evidence for your case. If you sustained injuries in the accident, you’ll want to seek medical attention. You should, however, be cautious about what information you give to your doctor.
First, you want to make sure you get a complete diagnosis of your injuries so you can treat them properly and make sure they don’t get worse. Second, you want to make sure you keep your treatment consistent. If you have treated your injuries one way for several months and then suddenly change course and go to a different doctor or receive a different treatment, it could affect how your case is handled and how your injuries are viewed.
Collect Evidence for a Lawsuit
In many cases, you want to keep all of the evidence you collected after the accident and even after your medical treatment. You want to make sure you keep your medical bills, receipts from your motorcycle maintenance, and any other documentation you want to use in court. You also want to make sure you keep all the documentation from the accident scene and the aftermath. This includes pictures, pieces of broken glass and rocks, and any other pieces of evidence that could help your case.
Conclusion
In many cases, motorcycle accidents are avoidable. If you pay attention when you’re on the road, follow the rules of the road, and drive defensively, you can help prevent these accidents from happening to you. If you’re involved in an accident, it’s important to stay safe and get the proper medical treatment for your injuries so you don’t exacerbate them.
Furthermore, it’s important to preserve the accident scene, document the accident, and contact your insurance company so you can get the help you need. Finally, it’s important to collect evidence for a lawsuit and keep all your documentation so you can claim compensation for your injuries.
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