There are five things to do after a motorcycle accident in Virginia: call 911 and seek medical attention, cooperate with the authorities, hire a Charlottesville motorcycle accident lawyer, follow your lawyer’s advice, and share any records or new information about your medical status with your lawyer.
Call 911 and Get Medical Attention Right Away
If you can, call 911 immediately, even if you don’t think anyone is seriously injured. First responders can assess whether anyone needs medical attention and will document the crash. You will need this record for insurance purposes or to pursue a lawsuit against negligent parties.
Getting medical attention is a vitally important thing to do after a motorcycle accident in Virginia. Your injuries may not be obvious. Motorcyclists are especially prone to internal injuries because their vehicles offer little protection. See a healthcare provider as soon as you can.
Prompt treatment may be important to your recovery, and medical records will show that you did not delay seeking medical attention. It’s an important detail that may matter if you claim compensation for any injuries later on.
For a legal consultation with a personal injury lawyer, call (434) 817-3100
Cooperate With The Authorities
When dealing with law enforcement, remain as calm as possible and give your full cooperation. Do not speculate about the cause of the accident and do not say anything that can be construed as an admission of fault. Simply provide your personal details when asked, and provide information like your direction of travel and anything you saw before the impact.
If you were too badly injured to speak to the police, they will compile their report using information from witnesses and physical evidence. Your lawyer can request a police crash report from the DMV. It shows how the police interpreted what they saw at the scene. If it contains inconsistencies, your lawyer may identify them and request changes.
Appoint a Virginia Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
You can hire a lawyer to represent you as soon as you have made arrangements to receive medical attention. As one of the important things to do after a motorcycle crash in Virginia, having a lawyer means your rights are protected. While awaiting a full medical prognosis, they can:
Investigate Your Case
Injured motorcyclists may worry that they were unable to gather evidence from an accident scene. Although it may be helpful, it is not an absolute requirement. Your lawyer can handle many of the steps to take after a motorcycle accident on your behalf, including evidence-gathering.
For example, they can record damage to your motorcycle, assess road conditions, look for details like surveillance cameras that may have recorded your accident, and find out whether witnesses have any evidence that may help.
Notify Your Insurance Company
Your insurance company requires notification of your accident as soon as is reasonably possible. If you do this yourself, you should not give them any details other than the basic facts, and you should refuse to give any recorded statement. To safeguard your rights, it may be wisest to ask your lawyer to handle all communications with your insurance company.
Seek Compensation on Your Behalf
If another party is at fault in your accident, your lawyer can help you seek fair compensation, handle claims and negotiations with insurance companies, and, if necessary, pursue litigation. Meanwhile, there are some things you can do to help your case.
Follow Your Lawyer’s Advice
Although your lawyer will handle most of the work involved in your case, there are some things you can do after a motorcycle accident in Virginia to improve the chances of a positive outcome. Advice from your lawyer may include the following:
Do Not Discuss Your Accident With Outsiders
Most people don’t realize that dealing with contributory negligence is complex. A mistake on your part may mean you cannot recover compensation. In simple terms, Virginia’s contributory negligence rule means you may be barred from seeking compensation if you played any part in causing your accident.
Your attorney will know how to navigate this, but you may complicate your own case by misspeaking. For example, telling insurance adjusters you did not see an oncoming car, or apologizing for the accident, can appear to be an admission of fault. If anyone calls about your accident, refer them to your lawyer.
Avoid Social Media Activity
Social media activity after an accident can be damaging for a variety of reasons. Even liking and commenting on other people’s posts may seem to indicate that you are not seriously injured. Worst of all, posting any information about your accident or injuries can provide evidence that can be used against you.
Follow Your Treatment Program
Your doctors will give you the best medical advice they can. Closely follow their instructions even if you think they are being overly careful. If you do not comply with your treatment program, insurance companies may allege that you aggravated your injuries through carelessness.
Keep Records and Share Information With Your Lawyer
One of the things you should do after a Virginia motorcycle accident is to save all the paperwork related to your crash. This includes medical bills, physical therapy costs, medical reports, and receipts for any related costs you paid. If you are unable to collect and store this information yourself, ask a family member to organize it for you.
Record other financial losses, too. This may include tow truck costs, and estimates for repairing or replacing your motorcycle and riding gear. Apart from this, your lost wages or earnings will form part of a claim against an at-fault party. Your lawyer will need pay stubs or bank statements as evidence when they demand a settlement.
Meanwhile, keep your lawyer up to date with your situation. If there are new medical diagnoses or expenses they don’t know about yet, let them know. They will need information to calculate your immediate and future expenses and to support compensation claims for pain, suffering, or loss of quality of life.
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Following the Five Things to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in Virginia Improves The Likelihood of Compensation
With serious injuries often resulting from motorcycle accidents, your financial future could depend on doing all the right things.
Following our list of five things to do after a motorcycle accident in Virginia will improve your chances of qualifying for compensation. If you need legal advice after being injured by a negligent driver in Virginia, call MartinWren, P.C. for a free case evaluation.
Call (434) 817-3100 or complete a Case Evaluation form
