After a motorcycle accident, avoid saying much about your accident to either the other party, insurers, or even friends. This reduces the chance that something you say will get misconstrued, which could affect your compensation case. You can also avoid mistakes like failing to preserve evidence or get prompt medical care.
A Dallas motorcycle accident lawyer can offer tailored legal advice about what to avoid saying or doing about your crash. They can offer you legal representation, eliminating the need to worry about what to avoid saying or doing—you can just focus on recovering from your injuries.
What Not to Say After a Motorcycle Accident
As a rule, you should stick to the basic facts when speaking about the motorcycle collision. You don’t need to provide anything more than the location and time of the crash, the contact information for everyone involved, and the bare bones of what occurred. In fact, you can share this information with your lawyer, if you hire one, to ensure you protect yourself.
Don’t Apologize
For some people, saying sorry is a way to express sympathy rather than guilt. Unfortunately, this attempt at expressing sorrow for someone’s situation or injuries could be interpreted as an admission of fault. Never apologize after an accident.
Don’t Chit-Chat
If you are conscious and physically OK enough to talk with the other party, it’s tempting to be polite and make conversation or guess about what happened. It may seem harmless, but they might remember what you say and report back to their insurer or legal representative, using it to assign you fault. Just exchange pertinent information and keep small talk minimal.
Don’t Go on the Record
Too many people don’t realize they do not have to give a recorded statement to an official or insurance company. In fact, this is one of the things you should not even say to your insurance provider after an accident.
An insurance adjuster will ask you questions, often in the guise of expressing concern or serving you better, but they are looking for a way out of paying your insurance claim. The less reason you give them, the better.
Don’t Post on Social Media
What not to say after an accident includes your actions in the digital sphere. Refrain from posting anything about your accident or injuries on your social media accounts. These are easy to access and use as evidence to lower your damages or outright deny your claim.
What Not to Do After a Motorcycle Crash
What you do after a motorcycle accident is just as important as what you say. Similar to communications, you can protect yourself by letting your personal injury lawyer handle your case.
Don’t Neglect Seeking Prompt Medical Attention
While motorcycle collisions can cause serious injuries, you may still initially walk away feeling mostly OK. However, don’t take this feeling to mean you are OK. Whiplash, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and internal injuries can take time to manifest symptoms. An adrenaline rush after an accident can also temporarily mask pain.
Seeking medical help ensures injuries are spotted and treated right away. In addition, you create medical records and evidence by seeing a doctor—evidence of injuries, how serious they are, what care you need, what it costs, and how they will affect your life.
Don’t Wait to Report an Accident
This includes reporting the accident to a police officer and your insurance provider. Not reporting an accident to the police can carry stiff legal repercussions, while not reporting it to insurers could put your claim at risk of denial. Cover your bases by notifying any relevant parties.
Don’t Jeopardize Accident Evidence
Did you know that even the clothes you wore during your motorcycle accident could be evidence? From clothing to bystanders’ cell phone footage to the physical debris from the crash, it’s easy to overlook what evidence you will need to prove negligence. Document and save everything you can. Our attorneys can also help recognize what is important to your case.
Don’t Accept Initial Settlements
Insurers frequently offer settlements too quickly for you to know what you need, making them too low to cover all your accident-related costs. Whether you are going through your insurance company or another party’s insurer or negotiating a settlement through a lawsuit, you can check with a motorcycle accident lawyer to determine what fair compensation is for your damages.
What You Can Do After a Motorcycle Accident
You should avoid saying or doing a lot after a motorcycle wreck, but you don’t have to remain completely inactive, waiting for an insurer or liable party to decide what you deserve. In fact, because the other parties are out to protect their interests, you might want to take steps to ensure you aren’t taken advantage of.
Do Hang Onto What You Can
Although Loncar Lyon Jenkins team can help you compile all the information you need to pursue compensation through a claim or lawsuit, if you are able, you can do your part to preserve evidence like:
- Clothing from the crash scene
- Compelling witness statements
- Photos or video footage (e.g., from a dashcam, cellphone, or traffic camera)
- Hospital and doctor bills
- Diagnostic tests and imaging
- Receipts for out-of-pocket costs
- Prescriptions for medication or equipment
- Parking or transportation costs
- Employment records
- Notes from calls with insurers
- Insurance policy documents
Do Talk to a Lawyer
You can hire a motorcycle accident lawyer even for a minor accident. You may just want a legal professional to answer questions about your rights, or you may want to hire an attorney to handle a complicated injury lawsuit. No matter what stage you are in, you have a right to legal help.
Talk to a lawyer if you seek guidance with the following:
- Understanding how insurance affects your motorcycle crash.
- Talking to insurers or other parties without saying too much.
- Distinguishing a good settlement offer from a bad one.
- Recognizing what relevant evidence is and how to preserve it.
- Avoiding common pitfalls in motorcycle accident cases.
- Determining the insurance and lawsuit deadlines in your case.
- Filing paperwork correctly for a claim or suit.
- Understanding liability if you think you played a role in the motorcycle crash.
- Determining how much time you have to sue for damages. For example, in Texas, you generally have two years from the accident date to file an injury lawsuit, per Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003.
Talk to Loncar Lyon Jenkins About Your Motorcycle Accident for Free
If you’re worried about what to say or do following a motorcycle wreck, contact our law firm today. Our motorcycle accident attorneys can do more than list what to avoid—we can take over your case.
You won’t have to expend any mental energy worrying about pitfalls or mistakes. We can represent you and seek fair compensation while you focus on recovering from the accident. To get started, call today.
