Motorcycle Accident Injury – What to Do and What Not to Do
If you have suffered a motorcycle accident injury, there are steps you must take immediately. If you fail to do these steps, the other party's insurance company could place liability on you.
Often times, motorcyclists are found at fault for accidents, even if it wasn't their fault. Taking the following steps will strengthen your case and help you get the compensation you deserve. Do not underestimate how many accidents involving motorcycles happen.
Call The Police
If you are able to contact the police, do so immediately. If you are incapable of calling the police, have someone else do it for you. Then, stay at the scene of the accident. Wait for the police to come so you can make a statement.
Police are able to examine all physical evidence of injury at the scene of the accident. The simple existence of a police report will greatly strengthen your case.
See A Doctor To Evaluate Your Motorcycle Accident Injury
If your injuries weren't bad enough for emergency transportation to a hospital, it is imperative that you see a doctor as soon as possible.
First off, a doctor can further evaluate your injuries and may be able to notice an injury that may not have caused you discomfort for a few days.
Secondly, seeing a doctor immediately will strengthen your case. If you wait too long for an evaluation, the other party's insurance company could argue the cause of injuries was something other than the accident.
Get All Important Information Regarding The Other Party
Be sure to get all names, phone numbers, insurance information, driver license number, and addresses of all other drivers involved. Collect contact information for all emergency personnel and witnesses involved as well.
Do not admit fault or sign any statements without consulting a lawyer first. You only have to be cooperative with police, the other drivers, and insurance companies but you do not have to admit fault.
Take photos of the accident and any injuries you sustained, as those can be evidence down the line. Be sure to keep all medical expenses and other costs related to your motorcycle accident injury.
Do Not Accept Compensation At The Scene Of The Injury
It is important to note that you should never accept compensation from the other party in lieu of an insurance claim. You will most likely receive more compensation from the insurance company. And there's always the chance the other party will file an insurance claim against you.
Sustaining a motorcycle accident injury is a stressful event for anyone to go through. Unfortunately, many insurance companies will attempt to take advantage of motorcyclists and will attempt to find them at fault.
To combat this, it's a good idea for all motorcyclists to stay informed on what they should do in the event of a motorcycle accident injury. Taking the correct steps will make a difference in your receiving compensation or not.
When Do You Need an Attorney?
You do not need a motorcycle accident attorney if a collision happened and there is no injury. You can settle the claim with ease. Just talk with the other driver and the insurance company.
Unfortunately, injuries often appear in motorcycle accidents. When you are injured or when things become complicated, you want to have someone in your corner. The motorcycle accident attorney is needed much more often than what many believe.
Always hire a motorcycle accident attorney in these situations:
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Serious Injuries
You end up spending a long time recovering when serious injuries happened. Also, various lifestyle restrictions appear during healing.
Whenever you suffer some serious injuries, hire a motorcycle accident attorney. This allows you to focus on the healing process. The attorney takes care of all the legal parts of your injury claim.
Remember that motorcycle accident lawyers have the main priority of getting the largest possible financial compensation for what happened. This includes money that covers work time lost, suffering, pain, medical expenses and even lost wages.
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Permanent injuries
A permanent injury is exactly what the name says. Unfortunately, in many accidents that involve motorcycles, such injuries appear.
It is hard to deal with lifelong disabilities. For instance, think about paralysis, traumatic brain injury, and amputation. All these can appear after an accident involving a motorcycle. They will change your life.
Even though permanent injuries will change a person’s life, few people get the full compensation required in this case. The motorcycle accident attorney guarantees you receive the correct compensation.
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Dealing With Insurance Companies
In spite of how serious motorcycle accidents are, many insurance companies use really unfair tactics. This is because they want to pay as little as possible.
Numerous motorcycle accident injury claims end with unfair compensation because of the dishonest policies of insurance companies. Fortunately, the attorney helps.
As an example, the insurance companies always make a first offer that is not fair. It is simply lower than what should be offered. The insurers do this to save money.
The motorcycle accident attorney knows how much you should be offered. Simply put, whenever insurance companies get involved and you negotiate with them, hire an attorney.
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Claim Is Denied
Whenever the insurance company denies your claim, contact a motorcycle accident attorney. It is a shame to see that many insurance companies actually deny valid claims.
You only know if the claim denial is legit when an experienced attorney tells you this is the case. While in many cases you do not have many recourses available, attorneys can find different solutions to such problems. Although the other insurer did not have insurance coverage, financial compensation is still available.
