If you have been involved in an accident, and your motorcycle was damaged, you might have already filed a claim with your insurance company. If not, here is some solid advice on how to fill out your claim successfully as well as what to do if your company denies your claim. Getting your bike fixed should be the responsibility of your insurance company, if it was your fault and you have collision insurance, or the responsibility of the insurance company of the other driver, if they were at fault in the accident and were insured at the time.
The first thing that you should know about insurance companies is that they may deny your claim,saying that they are not liable for the accident, and leave you with nothing. This is the case even if it is obvious that the other driver was at fault, or if the police findings list the other driver as responsible for the accident, although rare. They may even simply continue to delay your claim as long as possible, in the hopes that you will give up and quit asking about it, so that they will not have to pay out anything on the accident.
This is why it is vital to make sure that you get full documentation from the accident, including pictures from the cars involved, statements from witnesses that saw the accident and copies of all police reports, as well as documenting your health care, physical therapy and motorcycle repair bills carefully. Also, make sure that you don’t admit fault, even to the police and certainly not to the insurance claims adjuster that will likely contact you. Admitting fault is one sure way to make sure your claim is denied. Simply stick to the facts.
Even though you may not be at fault for the accident, many people automatically assume that the motorcyclist is, and so you’ll have to work hard to make sure that you don’t let the insurance company believe that. Establishing liability may be easy if the police has put in their report that the other driver broke a traffic law and therefore caused the accident, but you may not always have the luxury. You may have to get witness statements, security camera footage or photographs of the scene to prove liability, either in court or to the insurance company.
If you find that you can’t handle the claim process yourself, or if the insurance company is making you wait a long time for your claim, and you suspect that they are stalling then you may want to seek out the services of a motorcycle insurance attorney, who can help you collect the damages for the repairs to your bike, storage and towing, injuries, medical care and physical therapy and possibly pain and suffering as well.
