There is a true risk to a motorcycle hit-and-run crash in Iowa. A hit-and-run between a car and a motorcycle happens more frequently than accidents between two automobiles. Whether contact was actually made between your vehicles, or the other driver simply ran you off the road without actually striking you, serious injuries can and do occur.
Even if you haven’t identified the person who hit you because they left the scene, you may still have a claim. You need to approach the claim as though you were in any other collision.
What Should I Do After a Motorcycle Hit-and-Run?
Immediately after a crash, you should:
- Call 911
- Get the medical treatment you need. Take an ambulance ride if it is offered to you. The insurance company may try to say you were not badly injured if you do not take an ambulance ride when offered, so take one if you can.
- Keep treating your injuries until you are healed.
What You Need to Note Down After an Accident
Sometime after the crash, you will need to make some notes about how and why the crash occurred.
Make sure to note:
- The time of day
- The weather conditions during the crash
- What you saw and heard before, during, and after the crash
- Take photos of both the location of the accident and any damage to the bike. Take pictures of the scene that include both close-ups and shots from further away. This helps give context to the scene of the crash.
If you have trouble locating the driver who hit you, speak to an experienced Iowa bike accident lawyer. There are a lot of cameras located on businesses and private residences that record their surroundings. These cameras may be able to help locate the person who injured you. An attorney can help you track down these recordings and see if they can be of use.
How to Use Your Own Motorcycle Insurance to Get a Fair Settlement
If you cannot locate the driver who hit you, you may still have a car accident claim if you have the right type of vehicle insurance. This type of insurance is known as uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. An attorney can look at your vehicle insurance contract and see if you have this type of coverage, and if so, how much of it you have.
Generally, UM/UIM coverage provides compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of use – if your body doesn’t work as it did before the crash, you can be compensated for this loss
- Loss of income – this includes what you lost while recovering from the crash, as well as any income you may lose because you need to change jobs due to your injuries
A motorcycle accident attorney can speak to you about these types of harms and losses and explain how you can get compensation.
You may also have a type of coverage known as medical payment coverage, or “med pay.” If you or someone else riding on your bike is injured in an accident, med pay will cover any medical bills associated with the crash – regardless of who was responsible for the crash.
If you have health insurance, submit any medical bills to them, even if the accident was not your fault. Health insurance can be paid back with any settlement you receive – whether you settle with the driver who hit you or your own motorcycle insurance company.
If you have been seriously hurt in a motorcycle hit-and-run accident, call an experienced Iowa motorcycle crash lawyer. RSH Legal offers free, no-obligation case evaluations for Iowans seriously injured in motorcycle crashes. Call 1-800-433-0283 for yours today.
