What Should I Do After A Motorcycle Accident

Motorcycle accidents may leave a victim with permanent injuries, which could affect their life forever. If you have been involved in a motorcycle accident, contact our top-rated motorcycle accident attorneys in California today for a free one-on-one case evaluation. 

A case evaluation is a meeting with an attorney where you have the opportunity to discuss your case details and receive advice on what to do next. Our top-rated attorneys have been successfully representing motorcycle accident victims in court for the last several decades, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients.

 Give us a call today to set up a one-on-one and discuss your case in detail. The steps you take after a motorcycle accident could determine how much you could recover in compensation. If you fail to take a single step, you may lose your right to file a lawsuit or even recover a single dollar and compensation from the responsible party.

 After being involved in a motorcycle accident in California, you should:

1. Call for medical help if you believe that you have suffered serious injuries that need immediate medical attention. After an accident, we recommend you take a breather and determine what type of injuries you have suffered. For example, check if you have any cuts or bruises that will require immediate medical attention. Even if you believe that you have suffered minor injuries, you must get evaluated by a doctor. No injuries should go untreated. Several injuries could result from a motorcycle accident. Examples of injuries could include:
   1. Road rash: road rash is a very common injury among motorcyclists who have been injured in an accident. Road rash occurs when a motorcyclist has been thrown off their motorcycle and comes into contact with the ground. Road rash could lead to burns, which, if left untreated, could lead to amputations.  That is why it is recommended that all motorcyclists wear proper clothing to prevent any burns.
   2. Traumatic brain injuries: all motorcyclists are required to wear a helmet in California. Failure to do so may result in a ticket, fines, or having your license revoked after multiple fines. Traumatic brain injuries may result if a motorcyclist is thrown off their bicycle and their head comes into contact with the ground
   3. Spinal cord injuries: spinal cord injuries result from back injuries. The spinal cord is a very complex set of nerves, and a nerve injury may take months, or even years to heal from. Spinal cord injuries could leave the accident victim paralyzed forever.
   4. Cuts and lacerations: cuts and lacerations are also very common injuries that occur when the motorcyclist gets into contact with foreign objects during the impact. For example, loose glass can cause deep cuts, which should be treated immediately, or permanent scarring may result.
2. Contact the police as soon as possible. Once the police arrived at the scene, they will create a police report that documents how the entire accident may have occurred. For example, these police reports are a standard form that requires the officer to estimate the speed of impact, interview witnesses, get both parties’ driver’s license information, and conclude what may have caused the accident. Oftentimes, a police report is important when filing a lawsuit for injuries later on.
3. Take photos of the accident location. Taking photos of your motorcycle and the other vehicle is very important when determining how the accident was caused. For example, a flipped motorcycle may mean that another vehicle collided with the motorcycle at a high rate of speed. Sometimes, the accident location may also be the cause of the accident. Take photos of all nearby traffic lights, stop signs and lanes.
4. Obtain the contact information of witnesses who may have seen the accident occur. In this day and age, so many people are recording on their phones, and they may have even seen the accident take place. Sometimes, witnesses play a very crucial role in accidents, especially multi-party accidents.
5.  Make sure you have the specific incident location. After an accident, police may try to move the motorcycle and other vehicles out of the way. The more pictures you take, the better it is for your case. This will be very helpful to your future attorney when later filing a lawsuit.
6.  Contact your insurance company to let them know about the motorcycle accident. Oftentimes, a motorcycle accident must also be reported to the DMV. For example, if any type of property damage or bodily injury resulted from a motorcycle collision, it should be reported within 10 days. If you miss this deadline, it may be used against you when filing an insurance claim or lawsuit against the negligent party.
7. Contact an experienced california motorcycle accident lawyer for steps on how you could move forward with filing a claim or lawsuit. You must refrain from speaking to any other party other than your attorney during this entire legal process. Your attorney will be there for you every step of the way, and handle all deadlines and paperwork on your behalf so you do not have to worry.
8. While our top-rated attorneys take care of your case, we recommend that you focus on yourself and make sure that you attend all your treatments. You should attend all your treatments, or that may be used against you for failure to mitigate your own damages. As an accident victim filing a lawsuit, you have a duty to make sure that you follow through with all your treatments and prevent your injuries from getting worse.
9. During this time, we recommend that you have a daily journal and document the injuries that you have suffered, along with rating your pain on a scale. This will come in handy when filing a claim or lawsuit later on when your injuries have been resolved and you can no longer remember what you have experienced.
10. Keep all medical bills and receipts. Medical bills are recoverable against the liable party or their insurance company. Not only are medical bills recoverable, but you could also recover any future medical care that a doctor may believe you need for your injuries.
11. If you have taken time out of work to cope with your accident injuries, you should keep all email correspondence with your employer, including any pay stubs. You could also recover lost wages for time spent out of work while you were healing from your injuries.

There are many different steps you should take after being involved in a motorcycle accident in California.  Navigating through a lawsuit, especially a motorcycle accident lawsuit, is not so simple. We recommend that you go with an attorney that you feel the most comfortable with, and has the reputation and skill to represent you every step of the way.

 Our attorneys prioritize our clients to the utmost extent, and we want to make sure that our clients know exactly all the steps that we’re taking to get the highest amount of compensation possible. We are here to help. If you or someone you know has been involved in a motorcycle accident, give us a call today. 

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