Motorcycle accident victims in Alabama have clear legal rights. If a reckless driver, a trucking company, or another party is responsible for your injuries, you are entitled to just compensation for the costs you have incurred and that you will incur in the future. An experienced Birmingham motorcycle accident attorney will be able to help you seek just compensation, and, if you receive a settlement offer, your attorney will be able to help you decide whether to accept or keep fighting for more.
However, your Birmingham motorcycle accident attorney can only help you if you take the necessary steps to assist yourself. Among other things, this means avoiding mistakes that could jeopardize your recovery.
What Not to Do if You’ve Been Injured in a Motorcycle Accident
What are the mistakes you need to avoid after a motorcycle accident in Alabama? Here are 10 all-too-common mistakes that can prevent riders from recovering the financial compensation they deserve:
1. Not Reporting Your Motorcycle Accident
Any time you are involved in a motorcycle accident, you should report the accident to the police and your insurance company. Not only is filing a report with the police required for most accidents (and most motorcycle insurance policies require riders to report any accidents), but reporting the accident is also an important step for documenting the accident and proving that you have a claim.
2. Not Seeing a Doctor
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, you will want to see a doctor right away. This also serves a dual purpose. First and foremost, if you need medical treatment, seeing a doctor promptly will help maximize your chances of a successful recovery. Second, if you see a doctor promptly after your motorcycle accident, this will help with proving that your injuries are accident-related. If you don’t have medical records linking your injuries to the accident, the insurance companies will use this to argue that you aren’t entitled to coverage.
3. Ignoring Your Doctor’s Advice
Once you’ve seen a doctor, you need to follow your doctor’s advice (or seek a second opinion if necessary). You should not ignore your doctor’s advice and return to riding or resume work too soon. If you make your injuries worse by putting stress on your body when you are supposed to be resting or rehabilitating, this could also provide the insurance companies with grounds to dispute your claim.
4. Waiting to Hire an Attorney
Seeking just compensation for a serious motorcycle accident in Alabama requires experienced legal representation. As a result, you will want to hire an experienced Birmingham motorcycle accident attorney promptly. Once you hire an attorney, your attorney will be able to conduct an investigation focused on gathering the evidence needed to prove your legal rights, and your attorney will be able to start dealing with the insurance companies on your behalf.
5. Underestimating the Costs of Your Injuries
One reason why many injured riders don’t file claims is that they severely underestimate the costs of their injuries. Serious accident-related injuries can lead to a variety of financial and non-financial costs, and, in many cases, riders can continue to incur these costs for years. If you have been seriously injured in an accident, you may be entitled to substantial compensation, and you owe it to yourself to find out how much you deserve to recover before it is too late.
6. Relying on the Insurance Companies
In the vast majority of cases, seeking compensation for a motorcycle accident typically involves filing an insurance claim (or possibly multiple insurance claims). However, you need to be very careful to avoid relying on the insurance companies. The insurance companies do not have your best interests in mind, and if you rely on them to assess liability or determine how much you are entitled to recover, you are not going to receive the full compensation you deserve.
7. Posting on Social Media
When you are recovering from a motorcycle accident, you need to resist the temptation to post on social media. You should not post photos or videos on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or any other platform. Insurance companies may review your profiles, and if they find something they can use against you, this could have serious ramifications for your recovery.
8. Not Documenting the Accident’s Consequences
While you shouldn’t document your recovery on social media, you should keep documentation of the accident’s physical, emotional, and financial consequences. Among other things, this means keeping records such as:
- Medical records
- Medical bills and receipts
- Insurance documents
- Employment records
- Notes about the day-to-day effects of your injuries
You can also take photos and record videos during the recovery process. The more you can do to document your pain, suffering, emotional trauma, and loss of enjoyment of life, the greater your chances will be of recovering the full compensation you deserve.
9. Not Having Realistic Expectations
When you are facing the consequences of a serious motorcycle accident, it is important to have realistic expectations. You can effectively assert your legal rights and obtain compensation from insurance companies if they are liable. At the same time, however, every rider’s circumstances are different, and it will be important to make sure that you have an accurate understanding of the compensation that you are entitled to recover.
10. Focusing on the Short Term
Finally, far too often, riders focus on the short term. They focus on obtaining a settlement that covers their medical bills, allowing them to move forward. However, this can prove to be a very costly mistake. The total costs of your injuries could be far greater than your outstanding medical bills, and if you settle your claim too soon, you could find yourself without the financial resources you need in the future.
Get the Help You Need from an Experienced Birmingham Motorcycle Accident Attorney
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in Alabama, we strongly encourage you to contact us so that we can help you with your recovery. To schedule a free consultation with an experienced Birmingham motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible, call 205-855-2745 or tell us how we can reach you online now.