What to Do Following a Motorbike Accident
The period following a motorcycle accident can be disorienting—you may be in shock, injured, or distressed. Yet, it is important to follow certain steps if you are physically able in order to prevent the at-fault driver and their insurance company from building a case against you.
After a motorcycle accident, make sure to do the following:
- If you are hurt, seek medical attention right away
- If you are undamaged, check on the well-being of your passengers and anyone else involved
- Call the police (and get the badge numbers and contact information of whoever shows up)
- Take pictures and videos of the scene of the accident, the damage to your vehicle, and of your and your passenger’s injuries
- If the insurance company sends their own investigator to the scene or calls you after the accident, do not talk to them
Even better, tell the insurance investigator you’re retaining Curtis | Walton Law and that your attorney will be in touch shortly. Then give us a call at 720-815-4402 or contact us online.
What To Do if You Think You May Be Hurt
Regardless of how you feel following your motorcycle accident, seek medical attention immediately. Don’t tough it out because you likely won’t notice all your injuries until shortly after the accident. Even if you don’t think you are seriously injured, slight aches and pains can turn into serious medical problems in the future.
Nothing is more important than your life and your health, so even if you don’t feel like you need one, go see a doctor. Don’t forget, your medical treatment is an important part of your case, and accident-related doctor visits are often paid for by your health insurance and the at-fault person’s insurance.
Why Should I Hire a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer?
There is nothing stopping you from filing a personal injury claim against an insurance company by yourself. In fact, insurance companies want you do this.
Without the pressure of a skilled and knowledgeable personal injury attorney, an insurance company will do everything they can to delay and minimize the value of your case. They do this to wear you down and pressure you into taking a fraction of your case’s value.
Insurance companies can afford to hire an army of lawyers who will do all they can to make sure that you are paid the smallest amount possible. This is why you need a skilled attorney to fight for you and your interests.
Hiring an attorney is especially important when you are facing:
- Serious injuries
- Large medical bills
- Loss of wages
Insurance adjusters are experts at reducing your case’s value or denying it altogether. You need us because we know the law, we know the rules, and we know insurance companies. Don’t do it alone.
What Traits Should a Good Motorcycle Lawyer Have?
When you or a loved one has been hurt in a motorcycle accident, it’s important you work with someone who possess a deep understanding of the complexity and severity of such accidents, as well as the knowledge how to move forward during the crucial time period immediately after.
Other things you should look for in a motorcycle accident attorney are:
- Experience with motorcycles
- Legal experience in your state
- Knowledge of the laws in your state
- Knowledge about the local courts’ rules
All the above traits can be found in every Curtis | Walton Law attorney. Unlike most other accident lawyers, our lawyers know motorcycles just as well as they know the legal system.
What Are Damages, and Which Damages Can I Recover?
Damages are money given to someone who has been injured. Financial damages fall into two categories, compensatory and punitive damages.
What Are Compensatory Damages?
Compensatory damages are exactly what they sound like. They are compensation for losses suffered by an injured person.
Some of the most common forms of compensatory damages are:
- Property damage (e.g. damage to your bike, gear, cell phone, etc.)
- The costs of past and future medical care
- Lost wages (i.e. the money you lost because your injuries prevented you from working)
- Loss of earning potential (i.e. the money you will lose in the future because of your injuries)
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium (i.e. money given to compensate for damages suffered by a spouse or family members of an injured person, e.g. a spouse being unable to cook, clean, or be a companion as a result of their injuries)
Determining dollar values for some of the above damages—such as pain and suffering and loss of consortium—is an extremely difficult thing to do. Getting insurance companies to pay you these damages is even harder.
When you’re dealing with insurance companies, determining dollar values for something as straightforward as medical bills is a struggle. For example, if you incurred $50,000 in medical bills because of an accident, you should receive $50,000 for these bills. While this may seem obvious, insurance companies stay in business by arguing that you are owed less—much less.
Insurance agents are experts at coming up with excuses to not pay you. Perhaps the insurance company refuses to pay you by saying you previously injured the same body parts you hurt in your accident—this is a common ploy, even if your prior injury was ten years ago. An insurance adjuster may trick you into saying something harmful to your case in an interview or the insurance company may argue that your doctor charged too much for your treatment, so they won’t pay the entire bill.
These roadblocks and more are why you need an experienced Curtis | Walton Law attorney by your side making sure that you receive the compensation that you deserve.
What Are Punitive Damages?
These are damages that serve as a punishment for an at-fault party. This applies particularly in cases of outrageous negligence or illegal behavior, such as being injured by an intoxicated driver.
Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages can only be awarded by a jury. If you decide to handle your injury claim without a motorcycle accident lawyer in Colorado, you would likely never know about, let alone receive punitive damages.
How Can I Collect Damages?
Getting money from an insurance company is like getting water from a stone. Our attorneys at Curtis | Walton Law know that having an injury claim is one of the most difficult experiences in a person’s life, especially if they are already in pain from their accident. This is why we employ a team of experienced and friendly Denver motorcycle accident lawyers who are willing to fight the insurance companies for you, so you can focus on your family and your health.
Contact Our Denver Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
There's no law firm that understands how to fight for your rights like ours. Our Denver motorcycle accident attorneys ride bikes, so we know how to help you receive justice after your Denver motorcycle accident. Call to schedule a case consultation with our team for FREE.
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