Legal Issues

Actions You Need to Do At The Scene Of A Motorcycle Accident

The first thing you should do at the scene of a motorcycle accident is call 911. It will create an official police report of the crash. Take pictures of the damage caused, your injuries, and the entire accident scene. Later, it will help your attorney build a strong case against the responsible party.

Gather Information

Documenting your injuries and damages at the accident scene will be crucial later for insurance negotiations or case evaluation if legal action becomes necessary. The more detailed your notes are, the better.

Use the camera on your smartphone to take multiple shots of the accident scene if it’s safe without endangering your safety. Provide specifics like the damage to your motorcycle, the locations of the other cars in the collision, road skid marks, traffic signals, and more.

If there were any witnesses at the scene, try to get their contact information and encourage them to provide detailed statements about their vantage point of the crash and what they saw happen during the incident.

Getting eyewitness testimony to support your case can help a lot. Find a knowledgeable lawyer at LevinInjuryFirm.com who can assist you with the documentation and proof needed to bolster your subsequent compensation claim.

Call the Police

If you can, call the police at the scene of your crash. It is an essential first step and will create the first official record of the accident. It will also help your attorney build a case against the liable party.

Before you speak to the police, take pictures of the scene and your injuries, if possible. Pictures can tell a story that words can’t and will be vital to your personal injury claim later on. Talk to any eyewitnesses and try to get their names and contact information. Witness statements can be crucial in a motorcycle accident case.

Take Pictures

Using a camera or mobile phone is one of the best things you can do at a crash scene to help with your case. Pictures tell stories that words cannot, and they can prove important information if you choose to pursue legal action against an at-fault driver later on.

It would help if you used your camera to take close-up shots of your injuries, damages to your bike and other vehicles, and the overall scene from several angles. Try taking a picture with and without a flash to see how lighting plays a role.

If there are eyewitnesses, ask them to give you their contact information at the scene. It’s helpful to speak with witnesses before they forget what happened, and they can provide valuable testimony at trial. However, you should never put yourself in harm’s way by staying at the accident site, especially if it puts you in the direct path of traffic.

Seek Medical Attention

Once the emergency responders and police officers arrive, you should document everything that happened, including your injuries and the damage caused to your bike. It would help if you also were sure to seek medical attention.

Even if you don’t feel pain or think your injuries are minor, you should still accept transport to the hospital. Adrenaline often suppresses feelings of pain, which means that serious injuries like broken ribs and internal bleeding may go unnoticed for hours or days after the crash.

Seeking medical attention at the scene of an accident will create a trail of evidence to support your compensation claim later on. For example, the medical professional’s examination notes and diagnostic test results will help show that your injuries were a direct result of another driver’s negligence.