What Should I Do in the Days Following a Motorcycle Accident?

A motorcycle accident can create long-term implications. At that moment, your priority should be to get the medical care you need. Then, in the days after a motorcycle accident, you’ll have time to make decisions on your next step – and that step should include contacting an experienced motorcycle accident attorney.

At Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi PLC, we work closely with our clients to provide exceptional support throughout the legal process. That begins at that first phone call when you’re not sure what your first steps should be. You can focus on healing while we focus on helping you to recover.

Why You Need a Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Hiring a motorcycle accident attorney after your incident is often a necessary step for those who don’t want to put their case at risk. There are several big reasons why you should hire a professional instead of trying to negotiate this process on your own.

• You need to focus on your recovery. You don’t want to make decisions or try to feel hurried when you should be focusing on healing.
• In every situation, you do not want to make statements that could put you at risk of being labeled the cause of the accident. Let your attorney help you avoid having to speak to the insurance company and create this type of risk.
• A motorcycle accident attorney will help you gather all evidence in your case and, as a result, help you to pursue the compensation owed to you. Often, settling without an attorney could lead to settling for less than what you owe.

What to Do After Your Motorcycle Accident

Whether you are in the hospital or you are at home, the core goal of the legal process is to hold those who are responsible for your losses accountable. You need to start working with your attorney to determine what your losses are and then work with the applicable insurance company to get the compensation owed to you. Here’s what that process may look like.

Document Your Case Thoroughly

One of the most important things you can do as soon after your motorcycle accident as possible is to document what occurred to you. You can record a video, write down the information on a piece of paper, or type it up. No matter what you do, the goal here should be to provide as much detail as possible. 

Try to focus on these areas:

• What was going on right before the incident?
• How were you hit?
• What actions did you take, potentially, to avoid being hurt?
• Did you notice anything on the roadway?
• Did you see the other driver looking at their phone, eating, or otherwise being distracted?
• What about the lights and the traffic?

The more information you can remember, the better. By writing that down, you’ll be better able to remember it later.

Gather Insight into Who Was There

When possible, you should also get the same type of information from others involved in the accident and any witnesses. This is also something that your attorney can help you to do. 

You may also be able to gather more information from cameras that are on homes or businesses in the area of the crash. Again, any information you have can help you to prove your case later.

Document Your Losses

If it has just been a few days after your accident, it can be hard to know your losses. Chances are good that there are a lot of them that have not been realized yet. Still, you can begin to document them, and here are some steps to help you to do that.

• Did you need emergency medical care? That may have involved an ambulance and time in the emergency room.
• Did you have to have a surgical procedure? There are often numerous specialists involved in that process.
• If you spent time in the hospital, you may have medical bills from not just the hospital by those who provided supplemental care in treatment.
• Do you need to do rehab? If so, that could take months to complete, but start documenting that process now.
• You may need help with medications for pain and recovery.
• Did you suffer an infection from the incident? That may also develop in the weeks to come and should be documented.

Then, look beyond your medical care. For example, perhaps the accident left you unable to work at all, and your doctor has told you that you may not walk. All of this may be in its infancy right now, but because of these losses, you need to be able to hold off on settling your cases with the insurance company.

Follow the guidance of your attorney to navigate this process. Your goal should be simply to ensure you have a legal professional available to support and guide you through this process. You should not feel like you have to speak to the insurance company directly, nor do you have to pay your medical bills immediately. 

Let your attorney help you to navigate what is to be expected in the days and weeks to come. Let us help you determine what your losses in your case are.

Filing a Claim Means Having Legal Guidance by Your Side

Protect yourself and your rights to compensation. To do that, ensure you have a motorcycle accident attorney by your side as soon as possible. At Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi, PLC, we provide exceptional support to our clients every step of the way. 

Call us today to schedule a free consultation with a motorcycle accident lawyer.