While motorcyclists make up a small percentage of drivers on the road, motorcyclists are far more likely to be injured or killed in traffic accidents than drivers of other vehicles. Because of this, it’s vital to know what to do after a motorcycle accident no matter if you are the motorcyclist, the driver of a passenger vehicle, or even a bystander.
While you can do many things to protect yourself from motorcycle accidents, they are sometimes unavoidable for even the most careful of motorcyclists. You will be feeling a rush of adrenaline immediately following a motorcycle accident, and you might also be in shock.Â
You should learn now what steps you should take, as this can help you properly react if and when you are ever in a motorcycle accident. Continue reading in order to learn exactly what you should do after being involved in a motorcycle accident.
What Should I Do After a Motorcycle Accident?
Traffic accidents of all kinds usually happen when you don’t expect them to. They can happen on your daily commute to work, and they can happen when you are running routine errands like shopping for groceries. Most accidents happen relatively close to home. You should always expect unexpected things to happen, and you should always drive defensively.
You should take the following steps after being involved in a motorcycle accident:
Get to a Safe Place
Analyze your current situation, as well as your surroundings. Are you in the way of harm? Are you seriously hurt? Get out of traffic and off of the roadway if you can. Check if anyone else has been involved and help them get to a safe place as well if you are capable.
Don’t Remove Any Protective Gear
It’s common for adrenaline, endorphins, and shock to prevent people from feeling injuries or pain after motorcycle accidents. Always be aware of this. Wait for medical help to arrive before you remove any gear in order to avoid making any injuries worse.
Call 911
Call 911 and report the motorcycle accident after you reach a safe place and before removing protective gear. Paramedics and police may arrive at the scene of the accident depending on how severe the accident is.
Seek Medical Treatment As Soon as Possible
You should do this even if you don’t think you’re injured at all. Injuries sometimes take days, weeks, or even months for their symptoms to show themselves. The thing is, not only is it vital for your health to do this, but it’s also vital for your ability to obtain financial compensation for your injuries from insurance companies.
Seeking medical attention ensures that any injuries that resulted from your accident are documented by medical professionals. If you wait too long to get your injuries documented, insurance companies can claim that something other than your motorcycle accident caused your injuries. This can severely damage your ability to obtain compensation for your injuries.
Collect Evidence
You should take lots of photos of the accident scene, vehicle damage, your injuries, etc. You should write down notes and request that the police do a police report and give you a copy of it. You should speak with any drivers involved and get their contact information and insurance information. You should get the contact information of any witnesses to the accident.
Be Careful What You Say
Keep what you say to the absolute bare minimum necessary at the scene of the accident. Anything you say at the accident scene can be used against you. Do not admit fault. Do not apologize.
In addition, you should not speak at all to the insurance company representing anyone else who was involved in the accident. You should leave this to your lawyer.Â
Insurance adjusters are experts at tricking people into saying things that imply their own fault for accidents or imply that their injuries aren’t as bad as they claim. When insurance adjusters succeed in using these dirty tricks, they use that success to pay injury victims less money or nothing at all.
Call Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers and Contact Your Insurance Company
It’s best to speak with experienced personal injury lawyers like Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers as soon as you can after being injured in a motorcycle accident. Hiring expert motorcycle accident lawyers can make a world of difference in terms of how much money you recover from insurance companies.
Insurance companies will typically offer you as little as they can, but motorcycle accident lawyers can negotiate with insurance companies for you. It’s always wise to consult with lawyers before you accept a settlement.Â
Your attorney will typically speak with any insurance companies involved for you, including your own. But no matter who talks to your insurance company, they should always be contacted in a timely fashion.
How Long Do I Have to File a Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit?
It may be necessary to file a lawsuit if the at-fault party’s insurance company is unwilling to offer you a fair settlement.
In California, personal injury lawsuits like motorcycle accident lawsuits must be filed within two years of the date of the injury. This time limit is called a statute of limitations. Failure to file a lawsuit before this deadline expires can forever bar you from obtaining the financial compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers
You have now learned the proper steps to take after a motorcycle accident. In summary, you should:
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible
- Take notes and pictures
- Get copies of police reports and medical records
- Hire experienced lawyers like Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers as soon as possible so that they can file a lawsuit if necessary before the statute of limitations expires
We won’t charge you a fee until and unless we win your case. And if you can’t afford medical treatment, we can get you to the best doctors in California who will agree to not charge you for care until your case is over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our motorcycle accident lawyers answer some of the most frequently asked questions.
What Percentage of Motorcycle Riders Get in Accidents?
What Percent of Motorcycle Accidents Result in Injury or Death?
How Many Motorcycle Accidents Happen Per Year?
What Percentage of Motorcycle Accidents Are Fatal?
Where Do Most Motorcycle Accidents Occur?
What Is a Major Cause of Death in Motorcycle Accidents?
What Is the Average Payout for a Motorcycle Accident?
What Is the Main Cause of Motorcycle Accidents?
What Percentage of Motorcycle Accidents Are the Rider’s Fault?
What State Has the Most Motorcycle Accidents?
Are There More Motorcycle Accidents Than Car Accidents?
How Many Fatal Motorcycle Accidents Occurred in 2019?
Do I Need a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
What Percentage of Motorcycle Riders Get in Accidents?
At least one percent of motorcycle riders get in accidents every year in the United States.
There were about 8.6 million registered motorcycles in the United States in 2020, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). There were 82,500 motorcyclists who were injured in 2020, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).Â
Since some motorcyclists have more than one registered motorcycle, this means that over one percent of motorcycle riders were likely injured in motorcycle accidents in 2020.
What Percent of Motorcycle Accidents Result in Injury or Death?
Over 80 percent of motorcycle accidents lead to injury or death, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
How Many Motorcycle Accidents Happen Per Year?
There were at least 82,500 motorcycle accidents in 2020, according to the NSC, as there were 82,500 motorcyclists injured in 2020, according to the NSC.
It is difficult to put a true number on the number of motorcycle accidents per year because there is an absence of available data, possibly due to a failure to report accidents.
What Percentage of Motorcycle Accidents Are Fatal?
About 2.7 percent of motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles County were fatal in 2019, according to UC Berkeley data. Los Angeles County saw 3,990 motorcycle accidents in 2019, leading to 107 deaths and 4,388 injuries.Â
Speeding was the most common primary crash factor violation involved, followed by automobile right-of-way violations, improper turning violations, and unsafe lane change violations, respectively. Broadside collisions were the most common type of collision, followed by sideswipe collisions and rear-end collisions, respectively.
Where Do Most Motorcycle Accidents Occur?
Most motorcycle accidents occur on non-interstate urban roadways.
Over 90 percent of two-vehicle motorcycle accidents that involved passenger vehicles happened on non-interstate roadways in 2005, according to the NHTSA. And almost 60 percent of these accidents happened on urban roadways.
What Is a Major Cause of Death in Motorcycle Accidents?
According to the NHTSA, head injuries are a primary cause of serious injury and death in motorcycle accidents. The NHTSA recommends that motorcyclists should always wear helmets that exceed or meet federal safety standards.
What Is the Average Payout for a Motorcycle Accident?
The payout you will be eligible for after a motorcycle accident will depend on the circumstances of your individual accident. More severe accidents generally result in larger payouts.
Types of compensation you may be eligible for after a motorcycle accident include compensation for:
- Medical bills: Most motorcycle accidents lead to injuries. The more severe your motorcycle accident injuries are, the more money you will owe in medical bills, and thus, the more financial compensation you’ll be eligible for.
- Lost wages: You may be compensated for any wages lost due to being unable to work. The more severe your injuries are, the longer you will be unable to work, and thus, the more financial compensation you’ll be eligible for.
- Pain and suffering: You may be eligible for financial compensation for pain and suffering following a motorcycle accident. The more severe your injuries are, the more pain and suffering you will experience, and thus, the more financial compensation you’ll be eligible for.
- Property damage: You may be eligible for compensation for the cost of repairing or replacing your motorcycle. The more severe your accident, the more severe the damage to your bike will be. And the more expensive your bike is, the more financial compensation you may be eligible for.
You can find out more during a free consultation about how much financial compensation you may be eligible for if you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident.
What Is the Main Cause of Motorcycle Accidents?
Speeding was the main cause of motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles County in 2019, according to UC Berkeley data.
Motorists failing to properly yield the right of way was the next most common cause, followed by motorists turning illegally and changing lanes illegally, respectively.
What Percentage of Motorcycle Accidents Are the Rider’s Fault?
Road awareness is a common problem among motorists. According to the NHTSA, most multi-vehicle motorcycle accidents occur when other drivers fail to see motorcyclists.
What State Has the Most Motorcycle Accidents?
Florida saw the most motorcycle fatalities in 2020, 600, according to QuoteWizard, who referred to NHTSA data. California saw 539, and Texas saw 483.
Mississippi and Texas both saw 12 deaths per 10,000 motorcycles in 2020. Arkansas saw 11, and Florida saw 10.
Are There More Motorcycle Accidents Than Car Accidents?
No. There are far more car accidents than motorcycle accidents because there are far more cars on the road than motorcycles.
However, motorcycle accidents are far more likely to lead to injury or death than car accidents.
How Many Fatal Motorcycle Accidents Occurred in 2019?
There were 5,014 motorcyclists killed in 2019, according to the NHTSA.
Do I Need a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
You need a motorcycle accident lawyer if you’ve been badly injured in a motorcycle accident. You may be wondering if you can recover the financial compensation you deserve on your own after being injured in a motorcycle accident. You cannot.
Insurance companies are the source of recovery after motorcycle accidents. Insurance companies do not offer fair settlement offers to people without lawyers. They dare unrepresented injury victims to sue them over lowball offers since they know unrepresented injury victims can’t win lawsuits against their expensive lawyers.
You need experienced motorcycle accident lawyers with a proven track record of success like Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers if you want to receive all the financial compensation you are entitled to under California law.Â
When insurance companies see you’re represented by motorcycle accident attorneys who always beat them in court, they offer injury victims fair settlements out of court in order to avoid futile, expensive legal fees. This alone often makes it worth hiring a motorcycle accident lawyer.
Contact Our Motorcycle Accident Lawyers Today
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers represent motorcycle accident victims on a contingency fee basis, meaning we don’t charge a fee until and unless we obtain financial compensation for our clients.
Contact us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle accident. Let us fight for you and help you obtain the largest possible financial recovery for your injuries.
Jeffrey Nadrich
Jeffrey Nadrich is a nationally-recognized California plaintiff’s personal injury attorney. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law. He has successfully represented thousands of injury clients over the last 40 years.
