Common Missteps Victims Make In The Wake Of Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle accidents can result in considerable damage to both bikers and their preferred vehicles. Additionally, since motorcyclists have significantly less protection from accidents than other motorists, any injuries incurred from them can be particularly serious.

As such, motorcyclists who find themselves involved in accidents for which they bear no responsibility should prioritize seeking restitution. After all, if you’re dealing with injuries and/or serious bike damage through no fault of your own, it’s only natural that you’d want to be made whole.

To help ensure that you’re able to collect compensation in a timely and low-stress manner, make an effort to avoid the following missteps.

Here Are Four Common Missteps Victims Make In The Wake Of Motorcycle Accidents:

1. Staying With Their Bikes

While wanting to salvage your bike is perfectly understandable, doing so should never take precedence over your well-being. No matter how much you treasure your bike, you’d do well to leave it and get yourself to safety in the immediate aftermath of a motorcycle accident.

Attempting to drag a ruined bike out of harm’s way is liable to result in additional accidents, potentially resulting in additional injuries – or worse. In fact, moving a bike that’s been involved in an accident may even compromise evidence.

2. Not Calling 911

In the wake of a motorcycle accident, you’re likely to experience a surge of adrenaline. And since this can often make it difficult to realize how serious certain injuries are, you may not realize the full extent of your injuries until long after the accident has taken place.

So, even if you think you’re perfectly all right, make sure to call 911. Only trained professionals are qualified to assess your condition after an accident, and in their absence, you’re liable to believe that you’re far less hurt than you actually are.

You should also abstain from removing any protective gear you happen to be wearing, as this stands to exacerbate certain injuries.

Calling 911 also ensures that law enforcement will come to the scene of the accident. Since most of us live in states that require citizens to report all accidents that result in vehicle damage, property damage, or personal injury to police, failing to contact law enforcement may constitute an illegal act and prevent an accident report from being made – and attempting to file a claim with your insurer without an accident report is liable to be an uphill battle.

3. Not Alerting Their Insurers

In the interest of collecting compensation in a timely fashion, you’ll need to make your insurer aware of the accident ASAP. It should also be understood that there are vast differences between cheap car insurance and motorcycle insurance.

Although you’re likely to have a very large window in which to officially file a claim, many insurers encourage customers to report accidents within 72 hours.

Additionally, while you may have years to formally file a claim, it’s important to avoid dragging your feet on this front, as time is liable to pass more quickly than you anticipate.

Furthermore, the amount of time you have to file a claim varies depending on the state, so make sure to brush up on the claim-filing laws in your neck of the woods.

Given how heavily insurers are involved in the restitution process, it’s in your best interest to exchange insurance information with the responsible party before leaving the scene of the accident. If the party in question refuses to provide their info, make law enforcement aware of this and request that they obtain the information for you.

4. Not Talking To A Lawyer

Some victims spend years trying to collect compensation for accidents that were in no way their fault. So, if you’ve experienced considerable stress dealing with insurers or building a case against the responsible party, don’t hesitate to reach out to a dependable motorcycle accident lawyer.

For example, motorcycle accident victims looking for legal representation in the Mile High City would do well to get in touch with the Denver Law Firm of Springer & Steinberg, P.C.

Few things are more frustrating than dealing with undesirable consequences brought about by an accident for which you’re in no way responsible. In the aftermath of a motorcycle accident, many victims are liable to be left feeling frightened, angry, and financially strained.

In the interest of making this period less stressful, accident victims should take care to avoid the blunders discussed above. 

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