When you are riding a motorcycle, the experience should be enjoyable. Unfortunately, many times riding a motorcycle leads to a crash, often due to the failure of other vehicles to obey the rules of safe driving. As a result, motorcyclists are seriously injured each year due to the negligence and carelessness of other drivers, which often leads to injuries that are life-changing and debilitating. If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident, it is important you seek the advice of an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer as soon as possible. By doing so, you may be able to obtain compensation to pay for medical bills, lost wages, and the pain and suffering associated with your injuries. As to what else you should do following a motorcycle accident, here are some key details to keep in mind.
Call 9-1-1
Since you will likely have serious injuries after your motorcycle accident, make sure you or someone nearby calls 9-1-1 immediately. This will allow fire and rescue personnel to get to the accident scene very quickly and will also have police arrive to assess the situation. This will be very important to a potential personal injury case should you choose to file one, since a police report is crucial to helping a motorcycle accident attorney develop a strategy. In most cases, the officer at the scene will make a judgement as to which driver was at fault and will note this in their report. By doing so, your attorney can use this report, along with the officer’s testimony, to strengthen your case.
Get Medical Attention
Once rescue personnel arrive at the scene, always allow them to examine you, even if you think you have only minor injuries. In many accidents, injuries such as whiplash and traumatic brain injuries may take hours to show themselves, so it is best to not take any chances with your health. Along with being examined at the scene, also go to a hospital for a more extensive exam. Not only will this let doctors more accurately assess and treat your injuries, but it will also have your injuries documented in your medical records. Like the police report, your medical records can be used by your motorcycle personal injury attorney in helping you gain compensation for your injuries.
Gather Contact Information
If possible, make sure you gather as much contact information as possible from other drivers involved in the accident. Always make sure you get their names, phone numbers, addresses, insurance information, and license numbers. Along with this, be sure you have a description of the makes and models of the vehicles involved, as well as the license plate numbers for the vehicles.
Always Take Pictures
Since it likely you will have a smartphone with you, use it to take pictures of the accident scene. This should include pictures of the damage sustained by your motorcycle, damage to other vehicles, other property that was damaged, and any traffic signals or signs that could be key to your case, such as stop signs or speed limit signs. In addition, also take pictures of the road and its condition, including skid marks and any areas that may be wet or icy. This will be key evidence that can be used by your personal injury attorneys like West Coast Trial Lawyers, since it can often prove a driver’s negligence or carelessness caused the accident.
Interview Witnesses
Even under the best of circumstances, witnesses sometimes have a hard time remembering exactly what happened at an accident scene. Therefore, try to interview as many witnesses as possible at the scene or shortly afterwards. If you can, use your smartphone to make a video of the conversation, since this will provide absolute proof of what was said by the witness. In addition to your interviewing the witnesses, always obtain their contact information as well, since it is very likely your motorcycle injury lawyer will want to conduct a follow-up interview with all witnesses at a later date.
Don’t Say the Accident Was Your Fault
Many times when people are involved in a motor vehicle accident, they will feel inclined or obligated to say such things as “I’m sorry” or other similar words to other drivers or police. While this sounds harmless, it can often be the beginning of the end for a potential personal injury lawsuit. By saying anything that can be construed as an admission of guilt by others, you may be giving the other driver’s attorneys and insurance company plenty of legal ammunition they can use against you in court. Because of the serious legal consequences that can be linked to any statements you make at the accident scene, it is best to simply state the facts to the police, and say as little as possible to them or other drivers until you have consulted with a motorcycle accident attorney.
Don’t Assume Insurance Companies Are On Your Side
After your accident, you will probably be contacted by the other driver’s insurance company. Whether this is done through a face-to-face visit or by phone, do not believe they are on your side, no matter what they say to you during the conversation. In all likelihood, the insurance company representative is trying to have you say or do something that can be used against you should a lawsuit be filed. For example, they may ask a series of confusing questions aimed at tricking you into admitting the accident was your fault. Along with this, they may try to convince you to accept an immediate settlement from them, which in most cases will not begin to cover the amount of compensation needed for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. As a general rule, if you are contacted by an insurance company for the other driver, say as little as possible, and refer them to your motorcycle personal injury attorney for any further communication.
Be Careful on Social Media
If you are like most people in today’s world, you have a significant online presence on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. While in most cases anything you say or pictures you post on these sites is harmless, that may not be the case if you go online and start telling the world about your accident. By posting key details about the accident, any opinions you have about the accident, or pictures you took of the scene or ones of you after the accident, you may in fact be harming your chances of winning a lawsuit. After an accident occurs and a lawsuit is filed, it is a good bet the defendant’s lawyers and insurance company are monitoring social media to see if you are posting anything they can use against you. Therefore, just as it is with insurance companies, say and do as little as possible on social media until your case plays out in court or is settled out-of-court.
Schedule a Consultation
Rather than do something foolish that will allow a negligent or careless driver to get away with leaving you severely injured, schedule a consultation with West Coast Trial Lawyers. By doing so, you will have attorneys who will fight hard to ensure you receive the maximum compensation you deserve for your injuries.
