Some of the more common motorcycle injuries include:
Treatment for even one of these serious injuries can be very expensive, and many riders have multiple injuries following an accident. Your health insurance may cover some of the expenses, but even the co-pays can be high. Or your insurance company may find a random reason not to cover your care at all.
Fortunately, there may be other options depending on the nature of your accident. If another driver was at fault, you may be able to get coverage from their insurance company. If the accident occurred on private property, there may also be some liability with the property owner. If you were riding your motorcycle somewhere to run an errand for your job, you might be covered under worker’s compensation.
Which of these options applies to your situation? This is often hard to figure out on your own, especially if you’re in pain or trying to secure treatment. The best thing you can do is speak with a personal injury lawyer before you make any decisions. Most attorneys will meet with you for a free consultation and explain your options.
Don’t accept anything until you’ve had the chance to talk with an attorney. It’s not unusual for insurance carriers to make an offer quickly after an accident. Often their first offer is a lowball one that may not even begin to cover all the costs you’ll be facing in the coming days. This is complicated by the fact that insurance adjusters have a very good idea of what your future care will likely cost – but most patients don’t. Your insurance carrier, for example, may know the average cost of treating a concussion in the ER. Do you? Do you know how much of the total cost will be covered by your health insurance, if any of it?
Because most people dealing with an injury don’t know these numbers, it’s a good idea to hold off on accepting any offers until you receive qualified legal advice. In fact, it’s better not to speak with the insurance company yourself at all. Insurance companies regularly record calls, and may ask all sorts of questions when you’re in pain, on prescribed narcotics for pain, or otherwise distracted by your injuries. You don’t want to be answering questions in such a state, especially from an insurance adjuster who may be trying to twist your words to find an excuse to deny payment. If you say the wrong thing, you can hurt your otherwise legitimate and potentially valuable case.
So what should you do? Call a lawyer and don’t talk to the insurance company! If an insurance company calls while you’re in the hospital, tell them you can’t talk right now and hang up. If they call back, let it go to voicemail. You can also ask a friend or relative to handle screening your calls while you recover. As soon as you’re feeling up to it, contact a North Carolina motorcycle accident attorney like Auger Law and ask for a free consultation to understand your options for covering the cost of your recovery.