Motorcycle accidents are common, but they can be extremely serious. The consequences of motorcycle accidents can be more severe than car accidents because the motorcyclist has less protection on his bike than a driver in a car is in the event of a collision. If you are involved in a motorcycle accident, preserving your health and safety is the most important thing, and you will also want to do what you can to ensure that a future accident claim is not compromised.
Legal representation can greatly increase your chances of success with a personal injury claim. If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident, contact the lawyers at Zinda Law Group today for a free case consultation.
1. Safety First
The most important thing with any auto accident is to remain as safe as possible. If anyone is injured, call for medical attention immediately. Remain at the scene of the accident while making sure to move to a safe place where passing cars can see you and the terrain is reliable.
Even if no one appears injured at the scene of the accident, you should still seek medical attention, especially if the accident involved a motorcycle because of the increased probability of injury. You can be injured without outwardly bleeding or losing consciousness. If anyone is seriously injured and needs immediate attention, explain the situation to the emergency dispatcher and follow their instructions while you wait for help to arrive—and never move someone against the instructions of medical personnel.
John (Jack) Zinda
Founder / CEO
Over 100 years of combined experience representing injured victims across the country.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation2. Call the Police
Regardless of whether or not an ambulance is called to the scene, you should also call the police. A police presence at an accident will provide an objective assessor who can document the scene, speak to the parties involved, and provide facts if they are needed later in a lawsuit. Be sure to get a copy of the police report.
Neil Solomon
Partner
Real results matter. We do not get paid unless we win your case.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation3. Document the Scene
Be sure to gather all the information you can that would be useful to demonstrate the circumstances and facts of the accident. This includes pictures of the scene of the accident, including the damages to any vehicles involved, and any road or weather conditions that might have contributed. If you are receiving medical care, you should contact a friend or family member who can come to the scene and document the situation for you.
Jason Aldridge
Attorney
Standing by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ready to answer in your time of need.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation4. Exchange Information
Don’t forget to exchange insurance information with the other driver or drivers involved in the car accident. It is likely your insurance will have to be in contact with theirs.
When communicating with a driver who was involved in an accident with you, emotions may be running high. An auto accident is a frightening situation to be placed in, and one or both parties may feel that the other is to blame, or be angry at the other party. It is important not to be belligerent or lose your temper—not only is that not going to be productive in the long run, but remaining calm will also prevent you from saying anything you regret.
Do not sign anything presented to you by the other party in the accident without first consulting with a lawyer, and do not assign or take blame in your conversation. You may think you are just verbally trying to work through what happened in the moments leading up to the accident, or trying to pacify the other driver in the moment, but admitting fault even in passing could be disastrous for your claim.
Anything you say about the circumstances of the accident could be used in some way to discredit your claim, so stick only to the most necessary facts without adding details that could be used to throw doubt on your argument later. For example, don’t say, things like “It could happen to anybody, I could barely see in all this fog, too,” or “I might have stopped short because my GPS distracted me.” Statements like this, even if you aren’t trying to indicate that the accident was your fault, could later be used to imply that your actions were what caused the accident and not the other driver.
Cole Gumm
Attorney
We are here to ensure you won’t have to face this difficult time alone.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation5. Get Medical Attention if Injured
It is always a good idea to get medical attention at the scene of the collision if you were involved in a motorcycle accident. However, even if you have decided not to call medical services to the scene of the accident, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible after the accident to make sure you are not suffering from any conditions as a result of the accident.
This is important because some conditions, including very serious ones like concussions, do not always become apparent immediately after an accident but could have extremely dangerous consequences if left untreated. It is also good practice, if you end up needing compensation for accident-related injuries, to have them diagnosed as soon as possible, because an insurance company seeking to lessen your claim may argue that you received your injuries in a way separate from the accident if they are diagnosed a significant amount of time after the accident occurred.
6. Keep Thorough Records
Just as it is important to document everything at the scene of the accident, it is important to document the aftermath of the accident as well. Be sure to retain documentation of all the medical care that you receive and any diagnoses you receive from your doctor. In addition, make sure you document the damages that have occurred to your vehicle and anything you paid in order to repair it.
This documentation is very important in determining compensation for the accident—you will want to establish why you are asking for the damages that you are asking for by demonstrating all of the consequences of the accident and what they cost. This also extends to things you might not immediately think of but are still consequences of the accident, such as having to call out of work and losing wages.
7. Consult With a Lawyer
While this is the last step on this list, you should contact a lawyer as soon as possible after an accident. Doing so can make things such as documenting your circumstances easier—your lawyer can tell you anything you might not realize you have to keep track of. In addition, the statute of limitations for accident claims varies from state to state, but can be as low as one single year in some parts of the country, so the sooner you contact a lawyer, the sooner he can begin the process of pursuing your claim.
Need Help? Contact Zinda Law Group Today
Motorcycle accidents are common, but serious, capable of causing a lot of damages to your life—not just from injury, but from repairs, loss of wages, and possibly even emotional damage from a traumatic experience. You deserve to be able to pursue recovery for your injuries and to give your case the best possible chance of succeeding, and that requires competent legal representation.
At Zinda Law Group, our experienced motorcycle accident attorneys have recovered compensation for numerous clients. While obtaining an attorney may seem daunting or expensive, at Zinda Law Group, their No-Win, No-Fee Guarantee promises that you will not pay anything unless you receive a settlement.
Jason Aldridge
Attorney
We have successfully represented clients in a wide variety of cases across the country.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation
