What To Do After a Motorcycle Accident: Comprehensive Guide
Some lucky survivors of motorcycle accidents get to walk away without a scratch. Others, less lucky, never get to walk again. Justin Hartley, for example, lost his leg due to his collision with an Amazon truck driver. Such situations are not uncommon.
You can be the most careful driver, but you have no control over other vehicles on the road. Whether you ride your motorcycle every day or only take it out on special occasions, you must know what to do after a motorcycle accident to save your life and your limbs.
Steps To Take After a Motorcycle Accident
1. Get to safety
After a motorcycle accident, you first need to get off the road to a place where a car cannot run you over by accident. Ask the people around you for help if you can’t move independently. Don’t worry about your motorcycle! Just get to safety.
2. Call 911
Seeking medical attention immediately directly impacts your ability to fully recover after a motorcycle accident. Use your phone to call 911 or ask one of the people around you to do so. It’s important to ask a specific person instead of making a general statement addressed to the group. You can task another member of the group with calling the police.
3. Evaluate the situation
Assessing the situation will be difficult if you’ve just been in a motorcycle accident and you’re badly injured. Do it to the best of your ability. Try to recount how exactly the accident happened down to the smallest detail. You can’t rely on witnesses and other parties to tell the whole story.
4. Report all injuries and symptoms
Once the medical personnel arrive at the motorcycle accident scene, it is your job to describe your feelings in abundant detail. Describe the collision and the fall. Specify which body part took the fall or suffered the most. Explain how you’re feeling now. Alerting the paramedics to any discomfort, pain, or numbness in your body and mind can help them save your life.
5. Give a detailed report to law enforcement
Share all details of your accident with a motorcycle accident attorney. The more thorough the report, the easier it will be for you to file a claim with insurance. A detailed report will also help law enforcement put all the pieces of the accident together. Spare no detail!
6. Gather evidence
Being in a motorcycle accident can lead to multiple inconveniences in your life. You may have medical bills to cover. You may miss work as a result of the accident. Your vehicle may require costly repairs. Take photos of the accident scene, document your injuries, save all of your hospital bills, and request CCTV footage if it’s available. This can serve as court evidence, and you may get compensated for all your expenses.
7. Get contact details of other parties involved
If you can, ask for the contact details of the other person (or people) involved in your motorcycle accident. In the best-case scenario, they’ll compensate you for your troubles immediately. If they’re not cooperative or you’ve been in a hit-and-run, connect with the eyewitnesses. They can be accommodating if you open a court case against someone who hit you.
8. Seek help from law enforcement and a lawyer, as needed
If you were involved in a hit-and-run, remembering as many accident details as possible is crucial to your success in court. Try to recall the following details:
- The make and model of the car that hit you;
- The color of the car;
- Any distinguishing marks on the car;
- The plate number;
- A physical description of the driver; and
- The driver’s personal information (if you have it).
Whether or not you know the driver’s identity that caused the accident, you may consider seeking the help of a motorcycle accident lawyer. A professional who is experienced in this field will be able to put your case together and, hopefully, win. Don’t wait too long to sue; you might miss your window.
A motorcycle accident attorney can also help you file a case against the city, or the construction company, or the business that owns the plot of land that caused the accident. You can only do that if unsafe infrastructures cause an accident.
What Not To Do After a Motorcycle Accident
1. Do not remove anything
You probably know that if you ever get stabbed, removing the object you were stabbed with can cause more harm than good. The same goes for a motorcycle accident –– do not remove anything. Don’t take off your gear or clothing. Similarly, do not remove anything that might be stuck in your body. Feeling fine after being in an accident is not always a good sign. Wait for paramedics to assess the situation.
2. Do not move your motorcycle
If possible, do not move your motorcycle. The scene of the motorcycle accident will be examined by police, so refrain from tapering with evidence. That is unless you are under the motorcycle.
3. Do not admit fault without a lawyer
No way, shape, or form should you lie to law enforcement officers. However, it is safer to refrain from saying anything that could lead them to believe the motorcycle accident was your fault, at least until you get to speak to your lawyer. You may have unknowingly done something to incriminate yourself, like not wear your safety gear or follow traffic rules. Allow your lawyer to take care of the legal side of the accident.
4. Do not flee the scene of the accident
Especially if you’re a truck or car driver involved in a motorcycle accident, fleeing from the accident may subject you to more liability. While hit-and-run laws may vary from state to state, in many cases, you may face penalties such as fines, jail time, and/or license suspension. Penalties may also be stiffer depending on the extent of the injury caused to life, limb, or property.
Common Injuries Suffered by Motorcyclists in Accidents
If you’re lucky, you might survive a motorcycle accident with just a few minor scrapes and bruises. But driving a motorcycle is inherently riskier than driving a car, as there are no seatbelts or physical barriers between the driver and other vehicles. While some injuries are treatable, some might be more debilitating, or could even cause death. Here are a few examples of common injuries motorcyclists suffer so you know what to expect after a motorcycle accident.
Head and neck injuries
This can include concussions and skull fractures, which may lead to fatal or long-term consequences, such as paralysis or even death. As the head contains the brain, a vital bodily organ, it’s important to protect it with the right helmet when driving a motorcycle. Even if you feel fine, it’s possible that you could have severe head or neck trauma, so it’s better to get checked by a doctor sooner rather than later.
Facial injuries
The face is another vulnerable body part that can easily get injured in a motorcycle accident due to its small, delicate, and fragile bones. These can include dental injuries and/or broken facial bones, which may require reconstructive surgery or major dental work.
Road rash
This type of injury is caused by the friction between the skin and the road when a rider falls off or skids after a collision, causing multiple layers of skin to be peeled off.
Broken bones and muscle injuries
Falling off a vehicle can cause broken bones, fractures, and sprains. While these traumas may not be fatal, they may affect your daily routine or even restrain you from doing daily activities. In the worst-case scenario, these injuries could lead to amputation or paralysis.
How Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Help
If your goal after your motorcycle accident is suing for compensation, you should ask yourself how to find the best motorcycle accident lawyer in your area. A great attorney will help you put your case together and take it to court. They can take on most of the paperwork and find legal ways to restore justice.
A hit and run accident is any collision in which the driver flees the scene without soliciting assistance or disclosing insurance info...
Conclusion
Now that you know what to do after a motorcycle accident, do your best to avoid getting into one. On the road, you don’t always have control over the traffic. In the case of an accident, you’ll know how to keep yourself safe.
