Oftentimes, many people think that they are automatically entitled to receive money after being in an accident. However, there is more to it than just that. You have to be able to prove your case. This is why it is so important to hold onto any evidence that you might have surrounding your case. If you do not pay attention to all of the specifics surrounding your accident and the damages you are attempting to claim, you could end up losing out on money that you rightfully deserve.
Depending on the specifics of the accident, it might be best to consult with a motorcycle accident lawyer who can hire a private investigator or someone who can reconstruct the accident scene for you. This will help you to preserve any physical evidence by means of notes, film, photographs and diagrams. Private investigators are able to go in and canvas the area for you to determine if there are any possible witnesses to the accident. You want to do everything you can to preserve the evidence from the accident scene, especially evidence that the other party might have in their possession.
Gathering Video and Photo Evidence
If there are surveillance cameras in the area, you want to get copies of any video tapes that could show the scene and how the accident happened. This is extremely important when it comes to showing the other parties negligence. You will want to have anything you can think of marked as evidence and ensure that everything is preserved to the best of your ability.
Damaged vehicles are also an important part of determining exactly how the accident took place. There are numerous situations where vehicle ends up being towed over to the impound yard and the owner is not able to get over to where it is at in time. Next thing they know it ends up being sold off at a lien sale and all of that precious evidence is gone. Beyond losing out on your bike, you have also lost out on being able to prove how much your vehicle is worth. You want to make sure that you at least have photos documenting all of the damage at the very least.
Your damaged gear can also go a long way in being able to prove your injuries and damages in the case. It also allows you to claim them as part of the damages sustained in the case. Save as many receipts as you can so that you can show how much you paid for different things that were damaged. Make sure to take as many pictures as you can of the damage to your items.
Taking photos can also help aid with any aftermarket improvements you might have done to the machine. You will have to prove all of the parts that you added to the bike as well as how much you spent on all of those parts. This is where invoices and receipts are going to come into play. If any of the items were gifts or you cannot locate the receipts for the items, you can easily go online and figure out how much they were worth.
What might you expect to get in return
In the event that your bike cannot be repaired and the insurance company considers it a total loss, you are only going to be able to recover the fair market value of the bike. You cannot get what you owe on the bike. If they give you less than what you owe, it will be up to you to pay the difference. To protect yourself and your pocketbook, you might want to look into getting GAP insurance. This will help to fill in all of those voids. Without that insurance in place, you will be stuck paying on the loan for a bike you do not even have any longer.
Even though this might seem obvious, you will have to provide proof of your injuries and any money you spend on medical expenses while you were injured. You cannot expect to be compensated if you do not have some sort of documentation that outlines your injuries. For reasons such as this, it is strongly advised that you have the help of a Phoenix personal injury lawyer on your side. These medical records are extremely important in being able to prove how much damage you sustained. Take pictures of any injuries that you can see. You also want to take pictures of visible scarring.
If you plan on being able to recover any of the time you were unable to work, you will need to have your doctor write a letter that states that they told you to stay off work to recover from your injuries. The only way you can get money for your lost wages is to prove that it was medically necessary for you to stay away from work for a bit. Your employer will also need to provide you with a letter outlining your wages, job title and the amount of time you missed.
