What to Do After a Crash

At the Scene: Capture Lane Position and Traffic Flow

Before anything is moved, photograph the full scene from at least four angles: front, rear, and both sides. Include lane markings, the position of surrounding vehicles, and any gap in traffic you were filtering through if lane-splitting is legal in your state. These images establish your lane position at the moment of impact — the single most contested fact in commuter-rider claims.

Call 911 and give the responding officer a factual account of the other driver's action: door opened without looking, turned across your path, merged without signaling. Specificity in the police narrative matters more than general statements about who was at fault. Collect the other driver's license, insurance card, and plate number, and get contact information from any witnesses before they leave.

Within 24 Hours: Medical Assessment and Symptom Logging

Seek medical evaluation the same day even if you walked away from the crash. Commuter motorbike falls frequently cause hand and wrist injuries — scaphoid fractures, metacarpal breaks — that produce only mild swelling initially but require surgical fixation when diagnosed correctly. Ankle and knee damage follows the same pattern. A same-day medical record timestamped to the accident date eliminates the insurer's causation argument before it starts.

Begin a daily symptom log the evening of the accident. Record pain levels on a simple scale, note which activities you can and cannot perform, and document any sleep disruption. This contemporaneous record is far more persuasive than trying to recall details during a deposition months later. Keep the log going until your physician certifies that treatment is complete.

Within 48 Hours: Gear Inventory and Ride Data

Lay out every piece of protective equipment and photograph it individually: helmet exterior and interior padding, jacket armor panels, glove palm sliders, boot soles and ankle reinforcement. Record the manufacturer, model, CE rating, and purchase date for each item. This inventory serves two functions — it proves you rode responsibly and it documents the force of the collision through damage patterns that medical records alone cannot capture.

If your motorbike has a GPS tracker, trip-logging app, or onboard diagnostics, download the data from your last ride. Speed, route, and timestamp information can confirm that you were traveling at a safe speed and following a lawful route. Dashcam or helmet-cam footage should be copied to two separate storage devices. Delete nothing — even footage from rides before the accident could become relevant if the insurer challenges your riding habits.

Within 72 Hours: Insurer Contact and Legal Consultation

Notify your own insurer with the basic facts: date, time, location, other party's information. Keep the conversation brief and factual. If the at-fault driver's insurer contacts you directly, decline to give a recorded statement until you have spoken with an attorney. Early recorded statements are designed to extract concessions you cannot take back.

Consult an attorney who understands two-wheel commuter claims. Lane-splitting disputes, gear-adequacy challenges, and ride-data interpretation require specific experience. Ask the attorney whether your state's filing deadlines include any shortened administrative-notice requirements — particularly if the crash involved a government vehicle or happened on a road with a known maintenance defect.

This is general information, not legal advice — consult a licensed attorney in your state. motorbikelawyers.us is an independent information site, not a law firm.