What Does a Motorcycle Accident Attorney Need From Me?

Have a Motorcycle Accident Claim? You Can Help Your Lawyer Strengthen Your Case!

Motorcycle accidents can easily leave victims with severe injuries.

According to the National

Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA), in 2014, approximately 92,000 individuals received injuries in motorcycle accidents.

In the vast majority of these incidents, the injured motorcyclists were innocent victims.

They did nothing wrong. All they did was choose to ride their motorcycle.

If involved in a motorcycle accident, you may think about hiring a personal injury lawyer.

If you haven’t hired a lawyer, you should seriously consider it. Your case needs all the help it can get when you go up against the insurance companies.

In either case, your lawyers will require things from you. This includes specific documents your motorcycle accident lawyer will want to see. Every piece of evidence available will help develop a full understanding of your situation and your chance for a recovery.

In the article below, we will go over a list of documents that your accident attorneys may want to have during the course of your claim.

Should I Hire A Motorcycle Accident Attorney?

Before we explain what your motorcycle accident lawyers will require from you, you should understand why it’s in your best interest to hire a personal injury lawyer in Atlanta.

Suppose you recently received an injury in a motorcycle accident. In that case, you may be wondering whether or not to call a lawyer.

Now suppose the insurance companies contacted you or another party offered you money for your injuries and any property damage.

In that case, you may feel like retaining a motorcycle accident lawyer may be a waste of your time and money.

Besides, why would you pay lawyers to represent you if you can handle it yourself?

Always retain lawyers after a motorcycle accident, no matter what the circumstances of the accident were.

There are many ways that motorcycle lawyers can help accident victims.

Having an experienced motorcycle lawyer guide you through the personal injury claims process can make it much easier than trying to navigate it by yourself.

Have questions about the physical results of a motorcycle accident? Read our blog post, “What are Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?” 

Your Insurance Policy

If you have an insurance policy for your motorcycle, your lawyer will want to see a copy of it to review what type of financial recovery you may be entitled to.

If you don’t have an actual copy of your policy, don’t panic.

Your lawyers can obtain one, with your approval, from your motorcycle insurance company.

Evidence of Premium Payments

Your accident lawyers will need evidence that your automobile insurance policy premiums have been paid if you have a policy.

You should receive statements or bills from your insurance companies every so often, notifying you that premiums are due.

Being able to give your lawyers those statements and evidence of your payment, whether through canceled checks or a receipt, will help prove that the policy is current and “paid up.”

Information Exchanged at the Accident Scene

Names and telephone numbers will often be exchanged between the parties of an accident while they are still at the scene.

If you have this information, even if you’ve already contacted the other parties, your lawyer needs it.

Information Provided by the Police at the Accident Scene

In almost every case, especially with motorcycle accidents, the police will be called to the scene of the accident.

When the police arrive, they will draft an accident report. This may include a diagram of where the various cars, motorcycles, or pedestrians were when the accident occurred.

The report will also include the responding officer’s first impressions of what caused the accident.

This is crucial information that will allow your lawyers to develop a total understanding of your case.

Providing your lawyers with a copy of the accident report or anything else drafted by the police will be a huge help.

If you don’t have a copy of your police report, your attorney will obtain one for you.

Tickets Related to the Accident

If you were ticketed after the accident, please tell your attorney.

This includes any sort of traffic violation such as failure to yield, speeding, or any other violation. Your attorney needs to see a copy of your ticket.

Photographs

If your motorcycle was damaged in an accident, and it likely was, it is good to take pictures of the damage that occurred.

In a situation where you didn’t think to take pictures or you weren’t able to, a representative of the insurance company may have already done so.

Take any photos you have of the damage to your motorcycle and the accident scene to your attorney as soon as possible.

If you weren’t able to take pictures, please let your attorney know.

Statements

There is a good chance that when you are involved in a motorcycle accident, you may be contacted by a representative from one of the insurance companies.

Your insurance company will often want to obtain an official statement from you about the accident.

If you were contacted and provided them a statement, you have a right to obtain a copy of the statement you gave.

From there, you should give a copy to your attorney.

If you don’t have a copy in your possession, let your lawyers know that you gave a statement so he or she can obtain a copy of it.

Keep in mind that you aren’t required to give a statement to the insurance companies, particularly once you have hired an attorney.

It’s often in your best interest to never speak with the insurance companies and let your lawyers handle those interactions.

If any of the insurance companies contact you, make sure that you always let your lawyers know.

Medical Records

If you’re involved in a car accident, you may have sustained physical injuries for which you sought medical care and attention.

If so, your lawyers will need copies of your medical records. This way they can get an understanding of your injuries and obtain a feeling for how long it will take you to make a complete recovery.

Give your lawyer copies of all of your medical records and medical bills that you have accrued.

If you don’t have copies of your records, give your attorneys the name and address of all medical providers you’ve seen.

With your written permission, your motorcycle accident lawyer will be able to obtain your records.

Psychological Records

Sometimes your motorcycle accident will have an emotional or mental impact on you.

This often causes people to seek psychological or psychiatric care.

If this has happened to you, your motorcycle accident attorneys will need to know about it and get copies of your treatment records.

Just like with your medical records, you should provide your lawyers with a copy of any psychological records.

If you don’t have the record, provide your lawyers with the names and addresses of your mental health providers and a signed release form.

Pay Records

If you haven’t been able to work due to a motorcycle accident, your lawyers may be able to obtain compensation for your lost wages.

To do so, they will need to calculate how much money you haven’t been able to earn as a result of the car accident.

Providing records of your pre-accident earnings and your post-accident earnings will help your motorcycle accident attorneys make this calculation.

Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident? Contact The Angell Law Firm

Gathering essential documents is an integral part of any personal injury accident case.

Still, it’s just the first in a series of steps you will need to take during your personal injury case.

Consulting with a motorcycle accident attorney experienced in handling car accident cases will help you better understand your case and tell you what the next steps are.

Before you move forward with your case, consider speaking with the experienced motorcycle accident lawyers with the Angell Law Firm first.

The Angell Law Firm always provides a free consultation that is completely risk-free to you. It allows them to gather information about your case and determine if they can help.