After a motorcycle accident in North Carolina, prioritize your safety first and foremost. As soon as you make sure you’re safe, call 911 and report the crash to law enforcement. You should also seek medical attention even if you don’t have any noticeable injuries.
From there, exchange contact information and details about your insurance with the other driver involved in the collision. Then, report the accident to your insurance company and contact a motorcycle accident lawyer in North Carolina as soon as possible.
The First Minutes After the Crash: Safety Comes First
Motorcycle accidents leave riders exposed to traffic, broken glass, leaking fuel, and secondary impacts. If it’s safe to do so—and moving won’t worsen your injuries—getting out of the way of active lanes can reduce the risk of another collision or further damage.
If you’re in pain, feel dizzy, or can’t move your arms and legs, staying where you are and waiting for EMS to arrive is often the safer choice. For those who are mobile, it doesn’t hurt to take photos of the scene before vehicles are moved or other aspects are rearranged.
Details like lane position, skid marks, debris, and where the bike came to a stop can disappear within minutes, yet those details often become very important later on when taking legal action.
When Police Should Be Called After a Motorcycle Accident
In North Carolina, a crash is considered reportable when it involves injury, death, or property damage of at least $1,000. Most motorcycle accidents meet this threshold.
When law enforcement responds to the scene, they will fill out a police report, which you can then use as part of your insurance claim or lawsuit. Even so, motorcycle crashes happen fast, and there are a lot of factors at play in the immediate aftermath of the collision.
As such, it’s not unusual for officers to overlook certain details or misunderstand how the crash unfolded. Thankfully, body camera footage can also be referred to, and it captures real-time statements, visible injuries, and roadway conditions before anything changes.
North Carolina’s Contributory Negligence Rule Makes Small Details Dangerous
North Carolina adheres to something known as contributory negligence. This can prevent victims of motorcycle collisions from recovering compensation if the injured person is even 1% at fault for the crash.
Insurance companies know this rule well and will likely seek to place blame on the rider. These are common arguments often introduced by insurance companies in an attempt to evade responsibility:
- “The motorcyclist was speeding.”
- “The rider should have been more visible.”
- “The motorcyclist was in the wrong part of the lane.”
- “The rider had time to avoid the collision.”
With an attorney by your side, you’ll have someone defending you against these suggestions and working on proving that the collision was not your fault.
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When the Crash Involves a Commercial Vehicle or Trucking Company
Motorcycle crashes with commercial vehicles often result in additional paperwork and heightened pressure from the defense. Trucking companies often have internal response protocols, and some dispatch investigators quickly.
Logbooks, camera systems, and maintenance records can help you defend yourself against any suggestions of fault. All of this evidence matters in crashes involving tractor-trailers, dump trucks, delivery vehicles, and work trucks, where liability and evidence can get technical fast.
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What to Do if the Other Driver Hit You and Then Fled the Scene
Hit and run motorcycle crashes often come with a greater sense of urgency. People who are hurt on the scene still need treatment, but there’s also the added stress of having to locate the at-fault driver.
In many cases, uninsured motorist coverage becomes the primary path to recovery. Police reports, witness information, and video footage matter now more than ever because they can help you identify information about the responsible party.
A partial license plate, a brief vehicle description, or a glimpse of a company logo can be the difference between identifying the driver and never finding them. Insurers often scrutinize these claims closely, regardless, and contributory negligence arguments still apply.
Pain and Suffering Is Often the Heart of a Motorcycle Claim
Insurance companies tend to focus on medical bills because they’re easy to calculate. The harder—and more important—part is showing how the crash changed your life. The strength of these matters is often what separates strong claims from low settlement offers:
- Chronic pain that changes your routine
- Loss of mobility and independence
- Anxiety in traffic or around intersections
- Fear of riding again
- The strain that injuries place on relationships and daily life
Your lawyer can make sure the impact of your injuries is emphasized and exemplified in your case.
Call Us for Advice Regarding What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in North Carolina
After being injured in a motorcycle-related crash, victims aren’t just dealing with serious injuries. They also find themselves worrying about unfair blame and insurance pushback, not to mention confusion surrounding the state’s strict contributory negligence rules.
As overwhelming as the aftermath of the collision can be, you can alleviate some of your stress by offloading it onto lawyers who have experience handling cases like yours. With more than 36 years in business, CR Legal Team has helped 200,000 people and counting.
With 100 years of combined legal experience, we Care Like Family, Listen To Learn, and Do What’s Right. You can count on us for Whole-Person Legal Care™ that looks beyond the claim itself and supports your overall recovery. We’ll help you move forward with confidence.
