South River Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

If you ride a motorcycle in South River, you have as much right to enjoy the road as any other driver. When a negligent driver impends on this right and injures you, Jerry can help you get compensation for your damages.

Most motorcycle accidents are caused by negligence. However, it is usually not the rider’s negligence that caused it but the other driver’s. Jerry is a rider as well and is fully aware of the reality of motorcycle crashes. He can help you gather the evidence you need to prove your case. Between your medical records and testimony, you will be able to show how the defendant caused your accident. Jerry can use his experience to obtain other important pieces of evidence to show the long-term impacts your injuries have had on your life.

For a free case assessment with an experienced motorcycle accident attorney, contact Jerry Friedman today at 1-800-529-4464.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident in South River, NJ

Building your lawsuit to recover compensation for a motorcycle accident begins the moment you get hit. Thus, you can take several steps following the crash that will protect not only your health but also your legal rights. Much of the important evidence you will need will be right there on the scene. However, the records from your medical care will usually be the backbone of your claim.

Once you have gotten the care you need, Jerry, our experienced motorcycle accident attorney, can help you file a claim against the person who injured you. By taking legal action with our firm, you can fight unfair claims that you contributed to your accident just because you were riding. Being on a motorcycle does not automatically make you negligent. The following will help you gather evidence and protect yourself so you can recover the compensation you need in South River:

Get to Safety

The most important thing is to make sure you are safe after your motorcycle accident. If your injuries are not too severe and you can move about, get to a safe location before anything else.

Of course, some victims might have devastating injuries or be pinned underneath their bikes. If so, the safest measure is to wait for emergency medical services before moving. Moving while significantly injured could worsen your injuries.

Speak to the Police

When you call 911 for emergency medical care, the police will also be dispatched to the scene. You should be sure to speak with the investigating officers, so they have a full account of the collision from you in their report. The police report cannot usually be evidence at a trial, but it is often pivotal in insurance negotiations.

It will include a summary of the accidents and the officer’s observations. If the officer reports something that makes liability clear, these observations can help prove a claim. For instance, if the officer issued a ticket to the other driver for speeding, the claim might settle quickly. It will also contain the names and contact details of any witnesses who stopped to help.

If you did not get a copy, Jerry can help you obtain one for your case. We can also use the document to get all the defendant’s information in case you did not get it on the scene.

Talk to Witnesses

If your injuries allow you to talk to witnesses, do so. You will want to get their contact information and a description of what they saw during the accident. Our firm can contact these witnesses later and arrange for them to testify in your case. However, if another witness was a driver involved in the accident, Jerry can evaluate their actions to determine if they should be sued with the other driver that hit you.

Get Medical Treatment

Arguably, the most important step is to get medical care immediately after leaving the scene. Considering that motorcycle crashes are rarely minor, going to the emergency room is usually necessary. However, you should still get checked out even if you do not believe you are injured badly.

First, you might have injuries you are not aware of. You will likely be coursing with adrenaline after an accident, which can mask pain and subtle internal injuries. You will get X-rays and other exams at the hospital, which could reveal these injuries.

Medical care is also crucial to recovering compensation in a lawsuit. While you are being examined, your doctor will ask why you are visiting the hospital. They will then note their medical opinions in your records that your injuries were likely the cause of your motorcycle accident. This will show the causal link between your injuries and the incident that caused them.

Without medical documentation, you will not be able to get compensation. There will simply be no way to prove the injuries you claim to have sustained. If your medical records are thorough and you have kept to your treatment plan by the letter, it will make settling your claim that much easier.

Get a Lawyer

After getting the care you need, the next step is to contact Jerry to get your claim started right away. This is important for a few reasons. First, if you file your lawsuit months after the accident, the insurance company will use this to argue that your claim is not that serious. This is a common tactic to reduce a victim’s compensation.

Second, you only have a limited amount of time to file a claim in South River. The statute of limitations, found under N.J.S.A. § 2A:14-2(a), only allows two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for a motorcycle accident. This is a very short amount of time, especially when building a case for what might be a catastrophic accident. Because the rule is intended to limit the burden on the court, you will not be allowed to file a claim once the two-year deadline passes.

As mentioned, you might have a great deal of medical evidence in your case. Some of these medical records you will already have, but the majority of them will need to be gathered from your various providers. If you saw various specialists, like surgeons and physical therapists, we will need to get that information so a complete picture of your treatment plan can be shown.

Fortunately, once your lawsuit is filed, the only time limit is the one we set. We will negotiate with the insurance company, organizing the evidence so that liability is clear. If it takes a year or more to settle, it is usually worth it to get all your damages covered. If you need to fight the matter in court, Jerry will be ready.

Our South River, NJ Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Can Help

Call motorcycle accident lawyer Jerry Friedman at 1-800-529-4464 for a free case review.