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Motorcycle Law

Types Of Injuries

Types Of Accidents

Involved in a Motorcycle Accident

Being involved in a motorcycle accident can turn your life upside down in a matter of minutes. Which is why if you have been involved in a motorcycle accident, you should seek professional legal help immediately to protect your rights to compensation.

There is a cut off date (statute of limitations) for any legal action that limits the time you can seek compensation for our injuries, pain and suffering and property damage. In California that limit is usually set at two years, however, an experienced attorney will determine if there are any exceptions; bringing a suit against a government entity for example, has a six month statute of limitations.

I was in a motorcycle accident!

1. Get medical attention
2. Don’t talk to the insurance companies
3. Get an attorney

By getting an experienced attorney, you only have to concentrate on getting better and taking care of yourself while they take care of everything else. They will gather facts and evidence that will help your case; starting with the traffic report, talking to witnesses, investigating and reconstructing the accident in addition to anything else that can help our case. They can even refer you to a doctor who specializes in injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents for treatment.

What happened?

Motorcycle accidents happen within minutes that you do not know that was the cause of it. A motorcycle attorney will be able to use the existing evidence and investigate the damages to the motorcycle as well as the location of the accident and sometimes going as far as recreating the accident to figure out the guilty party and get you a fair compensation.

Insurance companies work to get settlements for the lowest amount possible. An attorney will deal with the insurance company so you don’t’ have to speak to them or give a statement that will damage your case. Insurance companies will use your statement to give you the lowest possible settlement amount, deny your claim, and at times use your own statement to turn around and blame the fault on you.

If you were involved in a motorcycle accident, insurance companies will offer an amount that may seem fair, however, an experienced attorney knows that there is more money for you and will fight to get it. They will get you compensation for your loss of work, future earnings, pain and suffering, medical bills, and property damage.

If the accident involved more than one party, there are other factors that determined how much compensation you can get, an experienced attorney will fight for you and get you the highest settlement from the accident.

Being involved in an accident can cause a lot of stress, not knowing what to do, where to go, who to talk to, which is why it is important to get an experienced motorcycle attorney who will deal with all the details and burden of taking care of insurance companies while you focus on getting better.

Involved in a motorcycle accident? What to do and not do with …

The insurance company

Do not discuss your injuries with anyone especially the insurance company.
Do not give a written or recorded statement.
Do talk to your property damage adjuster, however, limit your discussion to vehicle property damage, tow fees, storage fees, setting up a rental while your car is being repaired.
Do not sign anything, insurance companies may try to get you to sign a release that will prevent you from suing them in the future. It is better to consult an experienced attorney before signing anything.

Doctor

Do listen to your doctor, following doctor’s orders will help you with your recovery.
Do tell your doctor about your injuries; doctor’s and nurses mark down all conversations with their patients, so if you do not let them know of all the injuries you have it will be difficult to prove later that you actually had something that you didn’t mention to the doctor.
Do attend all of your doctor appointments. Missing any appointments can be seen as you not being serious about getting better, or even worse, not having that many serious injuries.
If you are given the run around by the insurance companies, not returning your calls, no inspection of the vehicle has been done, they have not paid for repairs and other expenses that they should have, call an experienced motorcycle attorney that will help you.

Documents

Do keep all documents relating to the accident. Medical bills for ambulance, hospital, doctors, prescription drugs, household expenses, transportation, and any other bills related to this case.

Do keep:

photographs showing your injuries
photographs showing damages to your vehicle
your repair estimate
health insurance card
insurance declaration page
contact information for any witness
medical bills incurred

Do pay your bills, although someone else might have caused this accident, you are still obligated to pay your medical bills until your case settles. If you have health insurance, submit your bills to your insurance company. If you don’t have health insurance talk to your doctor to see if you qualify for health programs that are available to the public.