After a motorcycle accident, more often than not, police list motorcyclists as the one party at fault for any accident because of the various prejudices regarding motorcycles and speed. In order to combat that, it is important to document all of the facts surrounding your accident very well, such as what happened to:
your motorcycle
your gear
your helmet
the roadway that might show you where the point of rest was with your motorcycle
Most roadways are designed predominantly for cars, even in California where we have a lot of motorcycling. There might be bumps, cracks, or potholes that might be ignored because they don’t necessarily pose a risk for automobile driving but for motorcyclists they can pose a serious hazard. Most of the time after an accident, the motorcyclist loses and ends up in an ambulance.
Preserving evidence after a motorcycle accident (by you or a lawyer with investigators) is important for investigations, particularly when the accident is related to a bad roadway or defect in the motorcycle. When you have a car accident, a lot of times you have skid marks. When you have a motorcycle accident, you’ve got:
tire friction marks on the roadway
gouges, scrapes and actual spots dug out by the motorcycle as it impacts the pavement
fluid leaks where the motorcycle came to rest
scratches on the helmet
scuffs on gear
If you can’t afford to hold off on fixing your bike, you at least need to take a lot of really detailed photographs of your bike and your injuries.
Please enjoy my video to learn more details related to California motorcycle accident claims.
About the author: Claude Wyle is an aggressive advocate for San Francisco Bay Area motorcyclists. Claude has decades of experience representing those harmed by the wrongful conduct of others, and, as a San Francisco motorcycle accident attorney, has fought to protect the rights of those injured throughout his legal career. Claude is also an avid motorcyclist himself. This year, Claude is going to lecture to End Distracted Driving. Please follow this blog for more details on future events aimed at ending distracted driving in California and nationally.
