The state of California is beautiful, with a lot of places to go, great roads, and luscious views. This plays a large role in the popularity of motorcycles in the state, as, at any given time, you can find one or more bikers going around having fun on any street. However, riding a bike can be dangerous, too, and if you find yourself in a bad situation, having been injured or caught in an accident, you should be aware of the course you have to take.
- Finding the right lawyer
The first step to coordinating your accident case is to find the best California motorcycle accident lawyer that you can. Finding legal expertise can be tough, which is why this should be a priority for you before you do anything else, possibly even before you get into an accident at all. The best way to hire the right lawyer is to cross-check with reviews and testimonials from older clients, check track records, and have initial consultations with the biggest legal firms in your area, after which you’ll be able to settle on a lawyer that connects to your case personally and is motivated and willing to fight for your case.
- Negotiating with insurance providers
If you’ve been in an accident, you’ll have to deal with a lot of upcoming bills, with the two most important being repairs for your bike and healthcare expenses for any injuries you got. If you have health and vehicle insurance, you can count yourself lucky since many companies allow accidents on the road to be fully covered by insurance. However, before you’re ready to get your claim, you’ll have to work things out with your insurance provider by negotiating with them and providing them with all the information; this is another aspect that your lawyer can help out with since a lot of personal injury lawyers are able to negotiate with insurance providers on their client’s behalf.
- Getting punitive damages
Punitive damages are an umbrella term for a type of compensation you can get if the other party involved in your accident was totally at fault for the entire situation, in which case a suit can be filed, with the wronged party getting paid for all of their expenses, whether it’s legal fees, healthcare costs, or money given for shock and stress. Punitive damage is a route you should go down if you’re equipped with the right legal representation and if you truly believe you were not at fault in the accident.
- Collecting evidence
Getting evidence for the accident you’ve been in is vital no matter what steps you want to take, as this evidence helps in settlements, trials, and insurance claims. When you get into an accident, if both you and the other party are safe and uninjured, you can take some time to take photographs of the scene and the condition of your bike before calling the police. If you need medical attention, you can still collect evidence after the fact, as the statement you and the other party give to the police can be collected at any time to use in court.
- Getting negligence claims
Negligence claims are another type of claim you can use to get compensated for the accident you’ve been involved in and are the most common form of getting compensated after an accident. These can only work if you have enough evidence of what really happened, but if you’re able to prove your side in court, you’ll be entitled to compensation for all the trouble you’ve been through and then some. Negligence claims are common in cases where the other driver was texting and driving, under the influence, or being highly negligent in some other way.
Conclusion
Owning a bike may be necessary if you need to get from A to B reliably, but you may be running a greater chance of injury or an accident. The safest way to continue using your bike in the long term is to ensure you know exactly what to do if you ever find yourself in an accident, and if you use the information in this article, you’ll be able to do just that, getting all the compensation you need to get back on track.
