Were you seriously injured in a motorcycle crash and have questions? Read these 4 motorcycle accident tips, then call our Atlanta lawyer now.
1. Mistakes to Avoid After an Accident
One of the first things that someone who’s been in a motorcycle wreck needs to do is preserve evidence. That may be in the form of clothing they were wearing, the motorcycle itself, their helmet – things that show what type of impact they received.
Another mistake that we see people make is not getting medical attention quickly enough. A lot of people tend to delay their treatment and wait several weeks. When you do that, you give the insurance company the opportunity to argue that you weren’t actually injured in the collision. If you feel injured at the scene, make sure you get medical treatment. If it’s not until the next day that you start feeling pain, which is very common, make sure that you go then and have those symptoms documented. We want to make sure that we can show that you had documented symptoms as soon as possible after the collision.
Another mistake is not following through with your treatment. It’s essential that when you start treating, you do what your doctor says and keep your appointments. Don’t leave gaps in the treatment that insurance companies can use to argue against your claim. Don’t give them that opportunity.
Finally, it’s crucial to make sure you hire an attorney who is skilled at handling motorcycle wreck cases and knows how to present them properly. Don’t waste time and allow evidence to disappear and diminish the value of your case. Immediately contact a qualified personal injury attorney and make sure that they are handling your case properly from the outset. Don’t hire the wrong attorney or your case can dissolve into nothing.
2. Steps to Take After an Accident
The first thing they need to do is the same thing they need to do in any other type of personal injury matter, and that is to seek immediate medical attention. People who have been injured often want to delay and see if the injuries are going to get better on their own, but that’s not the best thing to do when you’re talking about pursuing a personal injury claim. It’s important to get immediate attention and document what injuries you already are experiencing. Insurance companies are notorious for pointing out gaps in seeking treatment and trying to minimize claims because someone did not seek immediate treatment. Don’t give them this advantage, and don’t wait around. Seek treatment immediately.
The next thing you need to do is follow through with what your doctor advises, and make sure you keep up with your treatment. An easy way to derail a good personal injury case is to seek medical treatment but not follow your doctor’s orders and not follow through with your treatment. The next thing you need to do after seeking treatment is find an experienced lawyer who handles motorcycle cases and knows how to work those cases and preserve proper evidence.
3. Liability
One of the first things we need to evaluate in motorcycle injury cases is who the responsible party is. When looking at a motorcycle injury case involving either a driver or a passenger on a motorcycle, the first thing we have to do is determine who caused the accident. In that regard, motorcycle cases are not any different than a general car wreck case. If someone else negligently operated their vehicle and caused an accident where someone who was driving a motorcycle or riding on a motorcycle was injured, that party will be responsible for the damages caused.
4. Choosing the Best Attorney
There are some unique issues that arise with motorcycle cases. The primary one is we find that jury pools are not usually overly sympathetic to motorcycle riders. They see motorcycle riders as daredevils and people who often get what’s coming to them because they are taking risks. We know that the laws are not slanted this way and that motorcycle riders have the same rights and protections as anyone else driving on the road, and we’re here to protect those rights. We have handled numerous motorcycle claims and know the ins and outs of dealing with these types of cases.
Another thing that you want to find when you’re looking for a motorcycle injury attorney is someone who knows how the insurance industry works. I spent many years of my career working for insurance companies and defending insurance claims before I realized that I was on the wrong side of these cases and that my passion was helping people who had been injured, not defending people who had caused injuries. Now, I take the knowledge that I gained in defending those cases and put them to work for injured individuals. You always want to make sure that you have an attorney that knows how the other side works, and at the Gunnels Injury Law we provide that.
Another thing to make sure you have in a motorcycle injury attorney is someone who will take a case to trial. Insurance companies keep lists of attorneys they know will try cases, along with a list of attorneys that they know are always going to take the top settlement offer whether it’s fair or not. It’s surprising how many attorneys are afraid to go to court.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured in a motorcycle crash in Georgia and have questions about these 4 motorcycle accident tips?
Contact the experienced Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers at Gunnels Injury Law today to arrange a free consultation and case evaluation.
Let our experience work for you.
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