North Carolina Motorcycle Accident Aftermath – Don’t Make a Bad Situation Worse!

July 7, 2011, by Michael A. DeMayo

Whether a racing teenager knocked your bike off the road and gave you a head injury and serious lacerations and road rash; or a careless pedestrian wandered in front of your bike, causing you to veer off into oncoming traffic and get seriously hurt, you want a smart way to figure out how to pick up the pieces from your North Carolina motorcycle accident.

Unfortunately, many victims make profound mistakes in the minutes, hours, days, and weeks following their crashes which prevent them from collecting due compensation, healing properly, and returning their lives to normal. Here are a few:

1. Failing to collect information from the scene of accident

Obviously, in the wake of your North Carolina motorcycle accident, you should immediately seek medical attention – as well as help other injured victims get attention as well. But in terms of your case, you should also be mindful of collecting info that you can use later to build a potential lawsuit – info such as the names, numbers, and contact information of all drivers involved; witness reports; photographs of the accident and property damage and injuries; police reports; or any other relevant information. Failure to collect info quickly can result in its degradation – or, in the case of witness statements, it being forgotten or misremembered later on.

2. Taking too long to find good help

A North Carolina motorcycle accident law firm can help you strategize immediately about who might be liable, how potentially to hold that person or company or insurance company to account, and how to deal with other problems or potential opportunities that arise along the way. Again, the longer you wait to acquire representation, the greater the possibility that critical information will get lost, misremembered, or otherwise warped and degraded.

3. Undercutting your case by saying things you shouldn’t

If you make an admission of guilt in a crash – saying things like “I am sorry; I should have signaled” or something along those lines — you can potentially wind up as a target in a case where you’re really the victim. Likewise, if you admit certain facts to the other driver’s insurance company’s representatives, for instance, you can waylay your chances for an optimal settlement or trial verdict. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t tell the truth – but be sure to talk to an attorney before you start discussing your case widely, so you don’t potentially impede your chances of an optimal settlement or verdict in your favor.

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