What to Do if You Witness a Motorcycle Crash

What to Do if You Witness a Motorcycle Crash To witness a motorcycle accident can be emotionally devastating. To see a person being thrown through the air and landing hard, or tumbling at high speed, is gut wrenching. The scene becomes engrained in the witnesses mind but that scene may also cause events leading up to it to become vague, resulting from dominant mental impact of the crash itself. It is important to the victim of the motorcycle accident that you do all that is possible to help reconstruct what occurred that day. A good witness is invaluable in helping the bike rider with his case in the future. If you are the witness of a motorcycle crash, stop at the scene and call 911 immediately. The operator will ask about any injuries. You must assume that the rider was injured, even if the rider appears to be fine. Secure the scene as safely as possible, until emergency crews arrive, to prevent further accidents. Do not move the injured rider. Take as many pictures as possible from all angles of the motorcycle, any other vehicles involved, the roadway, any landmarks or anything else that may help to determine the cause and location. When police arrive, be sure to tell them exactly what you saw. You may not remember a day later. Was the motorcycle traveling at a safe speed? Was the rider staying within the proper lane? Was there any vehicle that contributed that did not actually make contact with the motorcycle? The victim of a motor cycle accident will likely be injured to a point where he will not be able to gather information from witnesses, take pictures or even give an account to police. The victim needs a sound witness to step in and do what is necessary that his incapacitation prevents. Try to locate additional witnesses and get their names and contact information. They may decide to leave before the police arrive. This will be a great help to the victim in the future. The victim of a motorcycle crash, either the rider or a passenger is likely to receive serious, or even life threatening, injuries including:

• Traumatic brain injury – Even with wearing a helmet, traumatic brain injuries are common in motorcycle accidents. These may include concussion and diffuse axonal injury. The injured person may be conscious or unconscious.
• Bone fractures – Broken bones are common in motorcycle accidents.
• Spinal injuries – Spinal injuries are the main reason why the victim of a motorcycle accident should not be moved. Additional injury can occur, leading to paralysis.
• Internal injuries – Internal bleeding and organ damage may be present without showing any symptoms.

As the witness to a motorcycle accident your account of what actually took place is critical. The rider may have no memory of the accident at all and will rely on your firsthand information as the cornerstone of his case. Memories may fade away and evidence may disappear along with other witnesses. The pictures that you take and the information that you gather at the scene could be the basis for the plaintiff's entire case. If you should witness a motorcycle crash, do the right thing and help as much as you can. If you were the victim would you not want the same? Dolman Law is a well-known motorcycle accident law firm. We have successfully represented countless victims of motorcycle crashes in Florida. Unlike the many attorneys who claim to be motorcycle attorneys whose only correlation is that they ride motorcycles, we represent and litigate motorcycle crashes with experience and aggressiveness. If you have been the victim of a motorcycle accident or know someone that has, please contact the motorcycle accident team, at Dolman Law today. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA 800 North Belcher Road Clearwater, FL 33765 727-451-6900