No matter how safely you operate a scooter, a chance will always remain that you will become involved in an accident. Scooter accidents most often occur because another motor vehicle operator is negligent, distracted, or is otherwise not paying attention to the road.
Following a scooter accident, accident victims can feel very dazed, confused, and unsure of who they should turn to or what they should do next. To make matters worse, many victims have suffered an injury in the accident and may experience intense pain at the scene of the collision.
Assuming you can do so, the first thing that you should do following your scooter accident is to call the police and paramedics to the scene. You do this by dialing 911. When a police officer arrives at the scene, he or she will typically ask for your account of what happened. Tell the officer what you remember and what you observed immediately before the accident occurred.
You should also ask the officer to prepare a police report so that everything is in writing. The police officer will also typically note who was at fault for the accident in his or her police report—and whether he or she issued the at-fault individual a citation. This report can become an important piece of evidence if there is later a liability dispute in your case.
In addition, you should speak with any eyewitnesses who appear at the scene of the accident. These individuals can make assessments about how the accident likely occurred, how fast the vehicle or vehicles were traveling, and who was likely at fault for the accident. You should also obtain contact information from these individuals, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses, if they are willing to provide them.
Moreover, if you are feeling any kind of pain or believe that you have been injured in the accident, it is important that you immediately seek follow-up medical care and treatment. It is also a good idea to take an ambulance from the accident scene to an urgent care facility or hospital emergency room that is nearby.
As part of your initial medical treatment, healthcare providers will most likely administer imaging studies, such as MRIs and X-rays, to determine if you have any broken bones. They will also give you a complete physical examination and determine what, if any, other injuries you sustained in the accident. The emergency room doctor can also make recommendations for future treatment, including following up with a specialist or a primary care doctor in the coming days and weeks.
Always seek emergency medical treatment following your accident, no matter how well you feel. Failing to do so may allow the at-fault driver’s insurance company to insist that you must not have been as seriously injured as you claimed to be. It is equally important that you follow-up with a specialist or with your primary care doctor, if that is the emergency room doctor’s recommendation. This will be evidence that you are treating your injuries and medical treatment seriously following your accident.
Also, if the at-fault driver’s insurance company asks you for a recorded statement at some point following your scooter accident, you should politely decline. Even though insurance companies and their adjusters may seem empathetic and kind when speaking with you, the purpose of your recorded statement is to provide an opportunity for the insurance to deny your claim or otherwise prevent you from obtaining the compensation for your injuries that you deserve.
Therefore, you should never agree to provide a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company without having your own lawyer present on the call when you give the statement. Even though an insurance company adjuster may say something to the contrary, you are never required to provide a recorded statement to the at-fault individual’s insurance company.
As soon as possible after your scooter accident, you should speak with a knowledgeable Gwinnett County scooter accident attorney at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC. Our legal team can investigate your case and gather the necessary legal and medical documentation to pursue a claim on your behalf. Moreover, we can do all of this while you are still being treated for your injuries.
