Motorcycle accidents are incredibly serious and often result in injuries that can affect riders and their passengers for years to come, sometimes even changing their lives permanently. After being involved in a motorcycle accident, you will be understandably dazed and emotional, but it’s important that you stay calm, gather your thoughts, and take the right steps. After all, your actions immediately after the accident can have serious repercussions when it comes to legal action and compensation claims. With that in mind, here are six things that you should do.
Stay Where You Are
Leaving the scene of an accident, even if you’re not the one at fault, is an offense before you fulfill certain obligations. For this reason, it’s vital that you remain where you are and swap details with the other driver. If someone is injured or there are hazards in the road, you should call the emergency services right away. You should also do this if the other drives leave the scene.
Never Underestimate Your Injuries
Motorcycle accidents often cause serious injuries to riders and their passengers. With that in mind, it’s important that you check yourself over and make sure that you’re doing okay. Never underestimate potential injuries, as the adrenaline could be blocking out the pain. To be on the safe side, it’s always best to go to the hospital and have yourself checked over by a doctor.
Move Your Bike Away
Leaving your motorcycle in the middle of the road could pose a hazard to oncoming traffic, resulting in further accidents that you could be held responsible for. To avoid this, you should move your bike off the road as soon as it’s safe to do so. If you’re unable to do this yourself, then ask a witness to do it for you. However, you should try to snap some pictures of the scene first.
Gather Information And Evidence
No one is completely sure that they’re going to claim compensation at the scene of an accident, but you should always gather evidence just in case. After all, even if you don’t try to claim, the other party might, and this could protect you later on. Make sure that you take pictures, get the details of any witnesses and other parties, and the number for the police report.
Find A Good Lawyer
Once you decide that you want to put in a claim, you should go and speak to a professional. Do plenty of research and find a motorcycle accident lawyer that is reputable and trustworthy. They will deal with the insurance providers, question the witnesses, and present your evidence at court. This will save you time and stress and give you a better chance of securing a settlement.
Contact Your Insurance Provider
Always speak with an attorney before you talk to any insurance company representatives, even your own. These companies want to save themselves money, by making it seem as though the accident is your fault. For this reason, it’s best to leave exchanges with providers to your lawyer. This way, nothing that is said can be used against you later in court.
Hopefully, with this information, you now know what to do if you were ever involved in a motorcycle accident.
