Riding a motorcycle comes with a lot of risks. Being a small vehicle that can be difficult to see makes for a dangerous time on the road. In addition, riding on an open vehicle like a motorcycle makes any accident that much more serious, regardless of your speed at the time.

Understanding the risks of motorcycle accidents is essential if you regularly ride one of these vehicles. It’s important to understand what could happen if you do get into an accident as well as how to avoid one.

If you ride your motorcycle recklessly, you are endangering your life. A motorcycle accident is a serious affair and can seriously injure you or be fatal.

If you are in a motorcycle accident, be sure to follow these steps.

1. Assess the damage.

Chances are if you’re the motorcyclist and the other driver was in the car, you’re looking a bit more worse for wear. If you’ve been injured, be sure to call for medical attention in addition to calling the police to file an accident report.

Even if you don’t feel like you were injured too badly, you always want to get checked by a medical professional.

Check the damage to your bike. Did it just get a few scratches or is it no longer rideable?

2. Take lots of photos.

Get your phone out and take photos of everything. Where your bike landed, damage to your bike and the car, your own injuries, the road, the total scene of the accident, and anything else that seems at all relevant to your accident.

You never know when you might need photos to prove fault or to help get the compensation you deserve following your accident and throughout recovery.

3. Call the police.

Always, always, always call the police to file an accident report. Don’t ever just take the other driver’s information and be on your way. You should always have the proper authorities come in to assess the damage themselves and put together a report on their findings.

This also helps to ensure you have the correct information of the other driver so that you can quickly file an insurance claim to get any damages to your bike fixed.

4. Contact your insurance company immediately.

It’s likely that you already have a deadline to file an insurance claim on your accident report, but regardless, you do not want to delay this. The sooner you contact your insurance company to get your claim started, the better.

5. Hire a motorcycle accident attorney.

There’s always a stigma attached to motorcycles and motorcycle accidents, so it’s smart to hire an attorney to help fight for you to ensure you get everything you deserve. Especially if you have been injured in the accident, we want to make sure you get all of the compensation you should for physical damages and lost wages.

If you’ve been in a motorcycle accident, don’t wait. Call The May Firm today and schedule a free consultation.