If you suffer injuries and/or property damage, you might wonder what you can do to protect your rights after a motorcycle accident. One of the most important things you can do, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III), is to stay at the accident scene.
Immediately after the accident, you should also:
- Call for medical help if needed
- Call the police
- Take pictures
- Get contact information for the other driver
- Get contact information for any witnesses
- Contact a motorcycle lawyer for legal advice
You may also want to seek legal advice to find out if you can hold the at-fault party accountable for any of your damages. A motorcycle accident lawyer can help you assess your damages and aim to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.
Your Best Steps After a Motorcycle Accident
See a Doctor
If you did not seek medical attention at the accident scene, you should do so as soon as you can. Even if you suspect that you only suffered minor injuries, it can be important to let a doctor perform a thorough check. In the adrenaline rush of an accident, you may not feel any pain and be unaware of any injuries you suffered. However, injuries can show up days or even weeks later. It is critical that a medical provider assesses and documents all your injuries in connection with an accident. Medical reports can be important evidence later in court.
Contact a Lawyer
Your next best step in the days after an accident may be contacting a motorcycle accident lawyer for legal help and guidance. Your lawyer can advise you on your best course of action if you consider holding the at-fault party accountable for your damages.
Beware of Insurance Companies
We recommend that you do not accept any settlement offers from the at-fault motorist’s insurance company in the days after an accident. You may not know the full extent of your damages or the future costs for any injuries you suffered. Also, insurance companies protect their own interests and will most likely try to keep a settlement as low as they possibly can. You might be signing away your rights to legal action by accepting a settlement. Your lawyer can protect you from an insurance company trying to take advantage of you.
If you do not take certain steps to protect yourself, your rights to compensation could slip away. You may want to contact a motorcycle accident attorney and consult with them as soon as possible, especially if another driver’s negligence caused your accident and injuries.
Timely action can be essential for recovering compensation, as many states have statutes of limitations that set a deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit. Filing too late could potentially prevent you from getting compensation, regardless of the circumstances of your accident.
Causes and Compensation for Motorcycle Accidents
Serious accidents rarely end well for a motorcyclist. The statistics paint a sad picture—in 2017, an estimated 89,000 motorcyclists suffered injuries on U.S. roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA). Contributing factors to motorcycle accidents include:
- Driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs
- Driving distractedly
- Speeding
- Not obeying traffic signs and signals
- Not yielding right of way
- Reckless driving
It can be devastating to find out that your serious and perhaps life-changing injuries are the result of someone else’s recklessness. However, you could potentially recover compensation from the at-fault party. Generalizing about settlements in motorcycling accidents is challenging, as every case is different. But some possible types of compensation include:
- Past and future medical bills
- Prostheses and other medical devices
- Lost wages and future lost income
- Emotional distress and anguish
- Physical pain and suffering
- Costs for home help
- Costs of modifications to your house or car
If the other driver acted in a particularly reckless way without any regard to another’s life or limb, you could also receive punitive damages.
Ben Crump Law, PLLC Can Help
It is important that you know what you can do to protect your rights after a motorcycle accident. Contacting a motorcycle accident lawyer is likely to be a good decision, as a lawyer will know how to protect your rights and can help you recover compensation.
If you have suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident that happened due to someone else’s negligent or reckless actions, they should pay for your damages—not you. We can help hold the responsible party accountable without any financial risk to you. We work on a “no win, no fee” basis, which means you do not pay any up-front attorney’s fees. We only collect a fee if we win your case.
To find out how we can help you fight for your rights, contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC today at 800-959-1444 for a free case review.
