Everything You Need to Do After a Motorcycle Accident

More than 80 percent of all reported motorcycle accidents cause injury or death to the motorcyclist. The aftermath of a motorcycle accident can be overwhelming. You don’t have to deal with medical conditions, legal concerns, insurance issues, and psychological trauma after a motorcycle accident on your own.  

There are some excellent steps that you can take while you’re recovering physically and financially from a motorcycle crash. If you live or work in California, Colorado, or Washington, you can usually have your medical care and rehabilitation expenses paid for while you proceed with immediate legal action. Please keep reading if you want to learn more about everything you need to do so you can move forward with your life. 

After a Motorcycle Accident

 

You want to seek medical attention if you’ve been hurt after a motorcycle accident. That means you call 911 or the local emergency number and get medical attention. Not only can this help save your life, but it can also prevent serious permanent injuries if you choose not to seek medical attention.

You also want to get to a safe place to prevent further injury. You also want to collect as much information as possible from the person or people involved in the accident if you feel you can. There are legal reasons to get immediate medical help and take pictures and videos after a motorcycle accident.

File a Police Report After a Motorcycle Accident

Any delay in seeking medical attention or not having documentation of who was at fault with the paperwork is scrutinized when it comes time for your accident case evaluation. File a police report if you are physically able to. If you are incapacitated, the police and medical response units will be dispatched.

Don’t delay, and as soon as you can, reach out to an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury attorney. 

Motorcycle Accident Injuries

 

Some of the most common injuries from a motorcycle crash include but aren’t limited to;

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Spinal cord injuries
• Bone fractures
• Internal bleeding
• Seizures
• Hearing loss
• Respiratory issues
• Loss of bladder control
• Chronic pain
• Muscle spasms
• Circulatory problems, and
• Sexual dysfunction

A motorcycle crash can hurt you in so many different ways. That’s why it’s hard, to sum up, the most common ones due to the range of injury and aftereffects that result in medical issues.

Photos and Videos

 

You want to take photos of the crash scene and as soon as possible after the accident. You also want to record a video of the accident site and your injuries if possible. You can do this with your smartphone or point-and-shoot camera. Record any damages or other people present at the time of the crash that may be helpful later on down the road in your case.

Documentation, witnesses, photos, videos, and police reports are going to be very important for your settlement negotiations or trial. Get as much evidence as you can on tape. This is especially for current or future problems you may have with insurance companies.

There is no such thing as too many photos of your accident. Once you hire your personal injury attorney, they will look through multiple images to determine the best ones to use. The more photos you take, the more evidence you provide, which becomes very relevant to the compensation you may receive.  

Statements From Witnesses

 

Your personal injury attorney will speak for you if you cannot speak for yourself after a motorcycle accident. But you want to have statements from anyone who witnessed the accident occur. Witness statements help capture the whole picture of what happened. 

Strong witness statements help your case by providing information to your personal injury attorney that will be used in court. This will often include copies of police or accident reports. Once you seek compensation for damages from an accident, law enforcement will be part of the investigation of the crash. 

Scene of the Crash

You also want to record videos or take pictures of anyone at the crash scene. We discussed taking pictures and videos early on. It’s important to reiterate that once you hire your personal injury attorney, they can directly speak to the investigator at the crash scene to help build your case.

Motorcycle Accident Economic Impact

 

A study from the Government Accounting Office (GAO) reports that more than $16 billion was for direct costs due to motorcycle crashes a decade ago in 2010. The categories the GAO measured were in relation to the accident victim. Or in case of the accident victim’s death, their families costs for things such as:

• Emergency services
• Medical costs, including rehabilitation
• Property damage
• Loss of market productivity 
• Lost wages
• Loss in household productivity and
• Insurance costs

Loss of wages and productivity the GAO reported was the largest cost followed by medical costs. 

Motorcycle Accident Attorney

 

Some injuries you receive after a motorcycle accident may affect you for days, weeks, months, or years. Your pain and suffering will vary due to the severity of each injury you sustain after a motorcycle accident. Your personal injury attorney will be a great help in navigating your way through the legal process.

It is important to understand all of the expenses you may incur following a motorcycle crash. There’s no good way to estimate your expenses related to medical care, lost wages, pain, and suffering. But an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury attorney like Sweet Law will help you find the best way.

Negotiating all these terms is the biggest part of a personal injury case.  Reach out to Sweet Law today so they can help handle the details and protect your rights. Not everyone realizes how much they are entitled to by law, but Sweet Lawyers makes sure you get it.