The moments after motorcycle accidents are chaotic and stressful, and the following days and weeks are no easier for victims who suffer bad injuries. As you focus on making a full physical recovery, we can prioritize your compensation claim, handling each stage, from filing to negotiating settlements or going to trial.
Immediately after the crash, when you might be most scared, stressed, and in pain, call 911. Officers can collect involved parties’ information and help you photograph and otherwise document the scene. Your physical health should be a top concern, particularly if you are in considerable pain and have visible injuries at the scene. Follow treatment plans doctors make for you so your medical records are complete. We will use these records as evidence of your injuries and proof of your damages, so they must be thorough. Furthermore, we will calculate your fair recovery before filing so you know what your case is worth.
Call Rice Law’s motorcycle accident lawyers for help with your case today at (410) 694-7291.
What to Focus on After a Motorcycle Accident in Beltsville
Right after a motorcycle accident in Beltsville, focus on documenting the scene and exchanging information with the at-fault party. Then, prioritize your health and seek medical attention for any injuries sustained during the crash. Next, focus on initiating your case with our attorneys so we can calculate your deserved damages and file the lawsuit on time.
Documenting the Scene and Exchanging Information
In the moments after the accident, the first thing you should do is call 911. This will make it easier for you to exchange information with the other party or parties involved in the accident and document the collision as a whole. While you should be candid with officers about what happened, refrain from apologizing for the crash or saying anything that could be misconstrued as you accepting fault. Maryland is a pure contributory fault state, so any victims who contribute to causing their accidents are totally blocked from getting compensation.
Keep this in mind when speaking to the at-fault driver. Keep conversations minimal, do not discuss the accident’s events, and only give them your contact and insurance information. Do not leave the scene before telling officers if you are injured. Let paramedics who arrive take you to the hospital if necessary.
Do your best to take pictures of visible damage to your motorcycle, impact points on the other driver’s vehicle, and possible debris or car parts left on the road.
Prioritizing Your Health and Seeking Medical Attention
Motorcycle accidents pose a high risk of serious injury to riders, such as lacerations, skull fractures, concussions, back injuries, displaced fractures, disfiguring facial injuries, and more. Right after the crash, one of your top priorities should be your physical health and safety, so go to the hospital if you need urgent medical attention. Not all injuries are immediately obvious because of the shock and trauma associated with motorcycle accidents. Whenever you do notice injuries, get evaluated.
Physicians can tailor a treatment plan to your injuries and start you on the right course of medication, rehabilitative therapies, or other care to aid your physical recovery.
The length of your treatment plan and how long it takes you to reach full physical recovery will depend on your specific injury. Some victims might be out of work for many weeks, others for months or even years, like those who suffer permanent spinal cord damage. While sticking to your treatment plan can get overwhelming, and you might get tired of routine doctor appointments, prioritizing your health is one of the most important things you can do while our lawyers prepare your case. Failure to do so could lead to notable gaps in your medical records that the defendant might point to questioning your claim’s legitimacy and your need for compensation.
Initiating Your Case and Calculating Your Recovery
The statute of limitation for motorcycle accident lawsuits and other motor vehicle claims in Maryland is three years. Initially, this often seems like plenty of time for victims to seek legal assistance, prepare a lawsuit, find evidence, and file a claim without even the threat of missing the statute of limitations. In reality, victims enduring painful injuries and undergoing arduous medical procedures might be understandably distracted from their financial recoveries. When this happens, there is the risk of some evidence getting lost or degraded with time, like eyewitness statements that do not get recorded immediately after accidents. With your injuries taking up most of your attention and time, our motorcycle accident lawyers can start preparing your lawsuit and calculating your deserved financial recovery.
That recovery will be based on the damages you incur that we identify as we prepare your case, starting with medical damages. They should be fully covered, including any upcoming medical procedures, like surgeries scheduled for months down the line. We will also factor in the income you lost out on by not being able to work following the accident. We can also have experts review your injuries and occupational responsibilities to see if you could ever return to that same income and earning level. Furthermore, you will undoubtedly suffer intangible damages because of motorcycle accident injuries, and we will take the necessary steps to document and calculate non-economic damages. Having victims give personal statements in court, keep journals detailing their pain and suffering, and get assessed by mental health experts who can testify about victims’ possible anxiety, depression, or a general reduction in their quality of life because of negligent drivers’ actions, can help prove non-economic damages from motorcycle accidents.
Knowing the compensation you are entitled to before filing is vital so that we can accurately evaluate settlement offers to see whether or not they are fair. Underestimating your damages or not including some losses in requests for relief could leave victims on the hook for paying them themselves, which our lawyers will seek to avoid when handling victims’ recoveries after motorcycle accidents.
Call Rice Law About Your Motorcycle Crash in Beltsville
Call Rice Law at (410) 694-7291 for a free case review from our motorcycle accident lawyers.