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When you’re out enjoying a bike ride, it’s natural to let your mind wander and get caught up in the sheer pleasure of being outside and having your body in motion. As such, getting suddenly struck by a motor vehicle can be deeply shocking, even traumatizing. Because of this, bike accident victims often don’t think clearly. In the immediate aftermath of their accident, they make critical mistakes that imperil their recovery.

To help you avoid these types of errors, our team has put together an easy-to-follow checklist. We recommend that cyclists keep this list handy, following it to ensure you put your physical and financial health first following any accident.

After a Bicycle Accident: Our Checklist

First and foremost, call 911. The driver of the motor vehicle may try to convince you that this isn’t necessary but remember that the cyclist is much more likely to sustain property damage and physical injury than the driver is. Even if you think you’re okay, you’ll want to have emergency responders come out, if only to file an official report.
Beyond that, here’s what we recommend:

Finally, make sure you know the name of a skilled bike accident attorney. If you live in the Houston area, consider McLaurin Law. We’re known for our passionate defense of bike accident victims, and we’d love to help in any way we can. Reach out to us to schedule a consultation.

Social media:

What should you do following a bike accident? Here’s a checklist for every cyclist to keep handy. #bikeaccident #personalinjury #mclaurinlaw

Imagine this scenario: It’s a breezy evening in Houston, and you’ve decided to take your motorcycle out for a quick after dinner spin. You’re enjoying the ride and relishing the fresh air when, out of nowhere, a distracted driver changes lanes without seeing you, sideswiping you and knocking you clean off your bike.

Needless to say, such an event can be traumatizing, resulting in significant injury as well as damage to your motorcycle. All of a sudden, your peaceful after dinner ride has turned into a nightmare. One of the best things you can do is to file a claim with the driver’s insurance company, seeking restitution for your medical expenses, lost wages, motorcycle replacement, and so forth.

Tips for a Smoother Motorcycle Accident Claims Process

Navigating the insurance claims process can be a hassle and a headache, even under the best circumstances. When you’re anxious and injured, the process can be downright excruciating. Thankfully, there are a few tips you can follow to ensure the smoothest process and the most desirable outcomes possible.

1) Gather Evidence

If you’re able to safely collect any information at the scene of the accident, such as taking pictures with your phone, do so. Try to collect images of all the damage to your bike; the position of the car that was involved; any visible injuries you’ve sustained; any damage to surrounding properties, like fences or medians; and the insurance cards or contact information from the driver and any witnesses. Such evidence can greatly strengthen your claim.

2) Seek Medical Treatment

Even if you don’t believe your injuries to be serious, you should always seek a consultation from your doctor. Keep records of the diagnosis, the treatment plan, and medications you take, any follow-up or referral appointments, and so on. Make it clear to the insurance company that you have truly sustained injuries and have done your due diligence to get treated.

3) Communicate Clearly with the Insurance Company

After the accident, we recommend calling your insurance company as soon as possible to get the ball rolling on your claim. Before you provide a statement to the other party’s insurance company, however, we advise meeting with legal counsel.

4) Don’t Repair Your Bike

This can be tough, but generally, we’d recommend preserving your bike as-is, ensuring that you can submit it as evidence should it be necessary to do so.

5) Choose the Right Attorney

Finally, to help alleviate some of the frustration from the insurance claims process, we advise you to choose a skilled attorney with experience handling motorcycle accident cases. At McLaurin Law, we’re pleased to offer our guidance and our passion to injured motorcyclists throughout the Houston area.

Contact a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today

The bottom line: Motorcycle accidents can be traumatizing, but you don’t have to face the aftermath alone. Seek the legal counsel you need by reaching out to McLaurin Law at any time.

Social Media:

Motorcycle accidents can be traumatizing, but you don’t have to face the aftermath alone. #mclaurinlaw #motorcycleaccident #personalinjury

There are countless reasons to ride your bike on public roads. Maybe you do it for exercise, to reduce your carbon footprint, or simply because you enjoy the fresh air over being confined in an automobile.

No matter why you choose to cycle, it’s important to be mindful of potential risks. Bike accidents happen all too often, for reasons that are often driver related. For example, a driver who gets too close to the bike lane or fails to check for cyclists before taking a turn can place nearby bike riders in real danger.

Should you ever become injured or sustain property damage in a bike accident, particularly one involving a car or truck, it’s vital to seek a personal injury attorney who can help you get just compensation. But even more fundamentally, we urge Houston’s cyclists to be vigilant, recognizing the most common causes of bike accidents and remaining on guard against them.

What Causes Bike Accidents Involving Motor Vehicles?

Here’s something else to know: By recognizing the specific cause of a bike accident, the cyclist can have much better odds of holding the driver accountable. With that in mind, we invite you to consider some of the most common causes of bike accidents that involve motor vehicles.

Speak with a Bicycle Accident Attorney in Houston

No matter the cause of your bicycle accident, it’s critical to seek qualified representation. McLaurin Law, PLLC has a proven track record representing bike accident clients in Houston by  passionately fighting for their fair compensation. Schedule a bike accident consultation with one of our lawyers by calling us today.

When the weather’s nice, there’s really nothing more exhilarating than taking your motorcycle out for a spin. Even the most cautious motorcyclists can have their fun disrupted by accident or injury, sometimes resulting in serious long-term disability. As such, it’s crucial not only to exercise great care for safety, but also to know the name of a qualified motorcycle accident attorney who can represent you, just in case.

Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Indeed, there are a number of common accidents that motorcyclists should be aware of, including road rash, facial fractures, broken bones, burns, and spinal cord injuries.

It’s easy to downplay some of these injuries, particularly road rash. Inexperienced riders may assume that road rash is essentially just a matter of scrapes and bruises, when in reality, it’s a much more serious condition. When left untreated, road rash can result in permanent damage to the skin, encompassing persistent infection, surface nerve damage, and more.

Likewise, something like a broken ankle may seem relatively minor, but be aware that motorcycle accident injuries can also encompass facial disfigurement, traumatic brain injuries, burns, which are common to motorcycle accidents and often cause permanent nerve damage that can severely impede your quality of life, and even paralysis.

What About Head Trauma?

Some motorcycle accident injuries prove fatal, and none more so than significant head injuries. Among riders who die in motorcycle crashes, about four out of five die because they are ejected from their bike at the moment of impact, flying through the air and landing with considerable force on their head.

Not only is head trauma the leading cause of motorcycle fatalities, but a significant number of riders who experience head trauma end up with neurological complications that make it challenging to continue working or living independently.

What to Do After a Motorcycle Accident

Motorcycle drivers should note that not all motorcycle accidents are immediately evident, and it’s possible to walk away from a crash assuming you just have minor scrapes and bruises. However, some of the most serious motorcycle accident injuries manifest days, even weeks after the collision. And by that point, it may be too late to receive adequate care.

As such, we highly recommend that anyone involved in a motorcycle accident seek immediate care from a doctor. Even if you don’t think you’ve been seriously hurt, a doctor can provide a more in-depth examination, checking for any signs of latent or unseen injuries. Not only does this ensure prompt care, but it can also strengthen any insurance claim or lawsuit you bring based on your injuries.

Seek Representation from a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Houston, TX

It’s imperative to put safety first any time you’re on a motorcycle, always dress properly in a helmet, gloves, and long pants. If you ever are involved in a motorcycle accident, seek medical attention right away. And be sure to solicit help from a qualified motorcycle accident attorney, who can help you seek the compensation you need.

The law firm of McLaurin Law, PLLC has a strong reputation for passionately representing the rights of our clients, and we are here when you need us to discuss a motorcycle accident injury. Reach out whenever you’d like to talk.

8 Things to Do After a Bicycling Accident

Bicycling can be a great form of exercise, leisure, or everyday transportation. Even for the most safety-conscious cyclists, however, a biking expedition can sometimes go sideways, resulting in accident and injury. If you are ever involved in a bike accident, there are a few important steps to preserve your health and the integrity of your personal injury claim.

What to Do After a Bike Accident

1) Wait For The Police.

Even if you do not believe you have been injured, it’s always wise to file a report with the police. Doing so can shore up your claim should injuries develop later on, or should you need a way of tracking down the motorist who was involved in the accident at a later date.

2) Don’t Negotiate.

Even if the motorist apologizes or expresses fault, it’s best not to negotiate on the spot. Wait for your insurance adjuster and/or personal injury attorney to do that. Remember that, at the scene of the accident, you may not have a clear sense of your injuries or property damage, making it unwise to negotiate just yet.

3) Exchange Information.

Ask to exchange contact information with the motorist. If you have your phone on you, request to take a picture of their driver’s license, license plate, and insurance card.

4) Talk With Witnesses.

If there are any onlookers who witnessed the accident, ask to get their contact information, as well. Their testimony may play a crucial role as you process your claim, or if the claim makes it to the courtroom.

5) Document Everything.

If you can safely do so, try to take as many photos of the accident scene as you can. Get photos of any damaged property (including your bike), and photos of your injuries. Also try to pan out for some wider shots that capture the road conditions, any broken fences/medians/signs, the direction the car was going in, etc.

6) Seek Medical Attention.

Even if you just have a few minor scrapes and bruises, we recommend seeking a medical consultation right away. Sometimes, bike accident injuries do not show up for a few days after the accident. To strengthen your legal case, you will want to demonstrate that you sought medical care right away.

7) Preserve Evidence.

Hang on to busted helmets or broken bike parts. Avoid getting your bike repaired right away. Yes, this will entail some inconvenience, but it can provide you with crucial evidence to strengthen your personal injury claim.

8) Seek Professional Guidance.

With any questions about your personal injury claim, or to get support as you go head-to-head with the insurance company, make sure you find a qualified personal injury attorney who has significant experience handling bike accidents.

If you live in Houston, reach out to McLaurin Law. Our team is known for passionately defending our clients, including cyclists who have been injured simply trying to navigate local traffic. Reach out to us to discuss your bike injury case today.

During the dog days of summer, there’s really nothing more relaxing than a day spent out on the water. Often, boat owners practically live on their vessels during the on-season, enjoying long days of leisure with their friends and loved ones. It’s important to remember, however, that even an idyllic day at sea can turn into a medical, financial, or legal nightmare, simply due to mundane accidents.

One of the best ways to prepare for possible boating accidents is by knowing some of the most common causes of these accidents. Awareness can be a vital first step toward protecting your safety, and the safety of your loved ones, during your next boat outing.

5 Common Causes of Boating Accidents

1) Operator inattention.

Operating seacraft is a major responsibility. Your attentiveness can be actual life-or-death for your passengers, for other boaters, and for yourself. So even if you’ve been operating boats forever, and feel totally comfortable behind the wheel, that’s no excuse for drifting into distraction.

The bottom line: When driving a boat, you should be at least as vigilant and attentive as when you’re driving a car.

2) Inadequate lookout.

As you focus your attention on operating the boat, you’ll need someone else on board serving as a lookout. It’s that person’s job to keep an eye out for water skiers, jet skiers, swimmers, and other, smaller seacraft.

When out on the water, always have a designated lookout who can survey your surroundings from a different angle. A good lookout can help the driver see obstacles that might otherwise be missed.

3) Driver inexperience.

In much the same way that first-time drivers tend to be more accident-prone, first-time boaters are also more likely to make simple errors or mistakes. That’s because a boat is a fairly sizable piece of equipment, and maneuvering it skillfully takes time and practice.

Everyone must start somewhere, of course, but if you have a novice behind the wheel, there should always be a more experienced operator there to supervise.

4) Speeding.

Going full throttle across the open water can be a lot of fun, but it also brings significant risk. Operating your boat at excessive speed decreases your reaction time while increasing your chances of collision.

It’s especially important to slow down in congested waters, or any time you’re within close proximity to other seacraft. Allow yourself the time and space needed to react judiciously, just as you would when driving down a crowded highway.

5) Alcohol use.

Summer days are made for cracking open a beer, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with bringing a cooler full of cold libations onto your boat. However, it’s dangerous to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol for the same reason that it’s dangerous to drink and then drive a car. Note that alcohol consumption is responsible for a high percentage of boating-related deaths each and every year.

Addressing Your Boating Accident Claim

Keep these guidelines in mind to help reduce your risk of accidents on the water. And if you ever do wind up in a boating accident, make sure you know the right steps for processing a personal injury claim. To speak with a Texas attorney well-skilled in handling boating claims, reach out to McLaurin Law today.

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