Here are the first steps you should take at the scene of your Motorcycle Accident:
- Ensure everyone’s safety. Immediately after your accident, check for your own injuries. And if you’re able to do so, check to see if anyone else has been injured. If you or anyone else requires medical attention, call 911 right away (or ask someone else to do so).
- Move to a safer location. If you’re accident occurred in the middle of the road, move your vehicle and any others that were involved to a safer location that is off the road. To alert other drivers that might approach the scene, turn on your hazard lights or use flares.
- Remain calm. You and the people around you might be tempted to panic after an accident. But try to remain as calm as possible. As long as you and everyone else are out of harm’s way, just remember that everything is going to be okay.
- Exchange information. All drivers who were involved in the accident should exchange relevant contact information. You’ll want to gather everyone’s names, addresses, phone numbers, and insurance information. Also, write down all related vehicle information, including license plate numbers, make/model of the vehicles and basic descriptions.
- Document your surroundings. If possible, photograph or write down any important details about your surroundings that might be related to your accident. These details can include street signs, pot holes, broken street lights, and neighboring buildings.
- Call the police. If anyone was injured in the accident, or if property damage has occurred, immediately call the police. The police won’t necessarily determine wrongdoing. Rather, they will document the accident in a police report, which can be critical if you seek to recover financially for your injuries or any damages that occurred to your motorcycle or other property. Even if you notice some of your injuries or damages after you’ve left the scene of the accident – even if it’s hours or days later – the police report will be valuable for your recovery.
- Ask witnesses for a statement. If witnesses are around, and if you’re able to do so, ask them to write or record what they saw. If they’re not able to provide this information at the scene of the accident, ask for their contact information to collect these details as soon as possible. If the witnesses took any photos, ask them to send you copies.
- Don’t admit fault. No matter who or what caused the accident, don’t apologize or accept anyone else’s version of the story until the shock of the accident has worn off. Anything you say at the scene of the accident might come back to haunt you later.
Now that you’ve taken care of everything at the scene of the accident, contact an experienced motorcycle accident attorney to help you through the next steps, including any insurance company claims or legal action.King Aminpour Motorcycle Accident Lawyer has been helping motorcyclists in San Diego recover from motorcycle accidents for 20+ years. If you or a loved on has been involved in a motorcycle accident, contact us today.
