4 Step Action Plan When You Got Into Motorcycle Accident Without Insurance
Don't panic! You may or may not be personally liable for the accident, but you should always have a plan.
There is a reason why so many people ensure that they have the right insurance when they are in charge of any sort of vehicle. When things go wrong, you can claim on the insurance and not be personally liable. However, if you have got into a motorcycle accident and you don’t have the right insurance then it can be too late to think about this. Instead, it is a case of damage limitation. You may or may not be personally liable, depending on what has happened in the accident itself. Getting the right guidance, and gathering the right evidence, will go a long way to ensuring that you don’t end up with a huge bill to pay.
Step 1 - Finding a personal injury lawyer in Las Vegas
If the accident has taken place in Las Vegas, your first step is to find a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer or a lawyer specializing in road accidents. Even if you have not sustained a personal injury, these lawyers will know far more about the process and how you can hopefully prove your innocence, or minimize what you might be liable for.
Did you know, for example, that if you are in a motorcycle accident and the other party was not wearing a helmet, this might significantly reduce your liabilities when it comes to paying for treatment of injuries. The right injury lawyer will be able to help you to establish your case.
Step 2 - Gather as much evidence as possible
If the accident was not your fault then it is imperative you are able to prove this. Talk to anyone who was at the scene, gather photographs or even dash cam footage if you can, this way, you will have ammunition if the case goes to court and it looks like you could be on the hook.
If you are not at fault for an accident, it is always important to prove this, but if you are not insured it becomes even more vital due to the fact that you could be on the hook for a huge bill. $20,000 in damages such as punitive damages and medical bills is not unusual.
Evidence doesn’t just mean footage, it can mean things like getting your injuries seen straight away so there is a medical record of what has happened to you.
Step 3 - Prepare for a penalty
In Nevada, as elsewhere in the USA, it is a criminal offence to drive without insurance. The penalties could range from fines of $500 to $1,200 depending on how long you have been without insurance. Paying a penalty and filling in forms is usually far preferable to having to pay out for the accident. You might have to pay this even if you are not found to be guilty of causing the accident.
Step 4 - Establish whether you have a claim
If you have been in a motorcycle accident and you aren’t insured, your first fear will probably be whether or not you are in any way liable. There are few protections for an uninsured driver. However, even if you do face penalties for your illegal act, that doesn’t mean that you won’t have a legal case against the other drivers involved, especially if fault can be pinned on them using the evidence you established.
As well as absolving yourself of blame, you might be able to claim for damages based on the traumatic experience. Driving without insurance is a crime, but it doesn’t mean you should be subjected to dangerous driving yourself.
Conclusion
This is all about getting the right representation and going into as much detail as you can. It is always a good idea to collect evidence from the outset, and don’t rely on the police or anyone else to do so. There’s no denying that there is some blame attached if you drive without insurance, and you might be penalized for doing so, but the court cases are usually much more complex than this. The right lawyer can save you many thousands of dollars in potential payouts based on the accident.


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