What to do after a motorcycle accident.

At the scene

1. If you can move safely, get out of the active travel lane.
2. Call 911. Request EMS even if you feel okay — adrenaline masks serious injuries for hours.
3. Photograph the scene: both vehicles, final rest positions, debris field, skid or yaw marks, traffic-control devices, lighting.
4. Get names and contact info for witnesses — adjusters discount your statements; they accept witnesses.
5. Do not admit fault, do not apologize. "I'm sorry" becomes an admission in adjuster notes.

Within 24 hours

1. Get full medical evaluation, even if EMS cleared you. Common moto injuries (rotator cuff tears, wrist scaphoid fractures, mild TBI) present 24–72 hours later.
2. Photograph all injuries — road rash, bruising, abrasions — from multiple angles.
3. Photograph gear before storing: helmet (impact zones), jacket abrasion patterns, glove and boot damage.
4. Preserve the motorcycle. Do not authorize the insurer to total or salvage until your expert has inspected.
5. Write a detailed account while memory is fresh.

Within 7 days

1. Send a written preservation-of-evidence letter to the at-fault driver and their insurer. Demand preservation of the other vehicle's ECM/EDR data and any dashcam.
2. Request the police report.
3. Request 911 audio under your state's public records act.
4. Identify all available coverage: at-fault liability, your own UM/UIM, any umbrella, MedPay.
5. Notify your own insurer of a potential UM/UIM claim, even before you know the at-fault driver's coverage.

What not to do

• Do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault insurer.
• Do not authorize disposal of the bike or gear.
• Do not post about the crash, your riding history, or anything physical on social media.
• Do not accept a quick property-damage settlement that releases bodily-injury claims as well.