What Steps Should You Take After a Motorcycle Accident?

Motorcycle accidents often have devastating effects on drivers and passengers. The reality is that motorcyclists have very little protection from external forces, and a collision can lead to catastrophic injuries. Here, we want to examine what steps you should take if you are involved in a motorcycle accident in Denver.

1. Get to Safety

After a motorcycle accident occurs in Denver, the number one priority is ensuring your safety immediately. Motorcyclists need to get to the side of the road and out of the flow of traffic if they are able to. However, if there are any severe injuries, it is never recommended that a victim be moved unless their life is in imminent danger due to their surroundings.

2. Call 911

Any person involved in a motorcycle accident needs to dial 911 and let the police dispatcher know what happened. Law enforcement needs to come to the scene of any motorcycle crash that occurs in Denver, and the dispatcher will also send firefighters and emergency medical professionals to the scene. Even if the incident does not seem severe, the authorities need to come to the scene so they can complete an accident report.

3. Seek Medical Care

Motorcycle accident victims must seek medical care. This should be the priority as soon as safety is secured at the scene of the incident. Seeking medical care could involve taking an ambulance from the scene of the incident to the hospital immediately. Even if the injuries do not seem severe, we recommend that all motorcyclists go to an emergency clinic or a hospital emergency department for a complete evaluation. There are times when injuries are not seen right away, only to affect a motorcyclist in the hours or days that follow the incident. Delayed treatment can have disastrous health effects.

4. Document the Scene

It may be possible at the scene of a motorcycle crash to document the area and gather evidence. Just about everybody has a phone in their pocket that they can use to take photographs or a video of the whole area, including injuries, vehicle damage, traffic and weather conditions, causes of the incident, and more. Additionally, if there were eyewitnesses who saw what happened, including other drivers, passengers, or bystanders, it is imperative to get their names and contact information written down so they can give statements later on.

5. Call an Attorney

A skilled Denver motorcycle accident lawyer should get involved quickly so they can begin the evidence-gathering process. An attorney will use their resources to fully investigate every aspect of the claim, communicate with every other party involved, and help adequately calculate all expected losses.

6. Call Your Insurance Carrier

Every motorcyclist in Denver is required to carry insurance, and they should report any accident to their insurance carrier promptly. Preferably, the incident should be reported on the same day it occurred. Even if the other party caused the incident, the motorcyclist needs to let their insurance carrier know what happened so the claims process can begin. The insurance carrier only needs to know that the crash occurred and that the motorcyclist is seeking medical treatment. They do not need to know the details at this stage.

7. Continue all Medical Treatment

All injured motorcyclists need to continue the medical treatment recommended by their doctor. Discontinuing care early could jeopardize the insurance claim.