Recover from a Motorcycle Accident

You enjoy the speed and the wind on your face when you take road trips. You never meant for it to happen, but by the time you realized something was wrong, it was already too late. You’ve been in a motorcycle accident. And you have no idea what happens next. Here are some tips as you recover from a motorcycle accident.

This is an all too common situation that bikers all over the world find themselves in every day. Especially amongst new riders, the first time a motorcycle accident occurs, it can leave you feeling disoriented, anxious, and more than a little afraid of what the future holds. It’s natural to feel all of these emotions and many more besides. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of how scared you’ll probably be in the next few days.

Plan Ahead

With that being said, if you do ever have an accident, there are some things that you can’t delay in dealing with. No matter how bad your pain, you’re going to have to make some tough decisions about where you’re going to go from here. Your best bet is to have thought about these issues long before you ever even have an accident. You need to have a plan in place so that you’re ready when the time comes.

Things to Consider to Recover from a Motorcycle Accident

Continue reading to learn about four critical things that you have to think about during your recovery, and use this guide to help formulate your emergency plan.

1. The State of Your Health

First and foremost, you’re going to have to address your prognosis for recovery. Your health is the most important thing right now, so start there. Ask your doctor plenty of questions about your outlook for a full recovery, and any residual effects you might experience.

In particular, you should make sure to address the following topics:

Any Neurological Damage

If you’ve suffered a traumatic brain or head injury of any kind, there could be a severe risk of residual side-effects. According to information provided by the Mayo Clinic, depending on the severity of your injury, you might experience:

• Problems with speech
• Difficulty in sleeping soundly
• Sudden and severe mood swings
• Blurred vision
• Severe confusion

Any Loss of Motor Functions

Depending on the nature of your accident, you may experience a loss of motor functions. This includes the ability to feel or move certain parts of your body. While this could be the result of broken bones or nerve damage that will heal over time, you may have permanently lost some of your basic motor functions.

This will be a very difficult thing to discuss and deal with if you have either of these conditions. However, you need to know as early as possible. You don’t want to delay planning for how you’ll need to adjust your lifestyle.

2. How You’ll Support Yourself

If you have regular employment, you’re going to need to consider how you’re going to continue paying your expenses while you recover. It might only be a few days until you can go home, or your recovery could take months. In either case, you need to decide how you’re going to get money in the meantime.

If your recovery won’t take long, you can probably use either your vacation or sick days to cover your lost work hours. If it takes longer, things can get more complicated. You may need to seek either short- or long-term disability insurance if they are provided through your employer’s plan. Even then, you’ll only receive anywhere from 40 to 60% of your regular wages, so you may need a way to supplement your income. Consider thinking back to if you’ve ever taken out a disability insurance scheme or income support scheme with an insurer before, services like Curo offer income protection and disability insurance. If it’s not something you already had, it might be worth considering it for the long term, especially if you were lucky enough to get out of your accident relatively unscathed but don’t want to take the risk next time (if there is another time) with your sick days, etc.

3. Whether You’ll Repair or Total Your Bike

Depending on the condition it’s in now, you’re going to have to decide whether or not you want to repair your motorcycle or have it totaled. Much of your decision will be based on your claim adjuster’s report, but you have the final say, especially if you aren’t paying out a loan on the bike.

The primary factors that will influence this decision include:

• The condition of the bike
• How much coverage is on your insurance policy
• Whether you own the bike or it’s still under a loan
• How much money you’ll be offered to total vs. how much motorcycle repairs will cost

4. Any Legal or Financial Ramifications

Depending on the circumstances of the accident and who was at fault, you may have to deal with some legal or financial fallout following your accident.

If You Were at Fault

If you were at fault during the accident, you may need to brace yourself for some negative consequences coming your way. This can include such things as an increase in your insurance premium, having your license revoked, facing a lawsuit, or potentially facing criminal charges.

If You Were the Victim

If you were the victim of a motorcycle accident, then you’ll need to decide whether or not you want to pursue legal action of your own. Before you make this decision, you need to talk with your doctor and determine just what the future holds for you. If you’re expected to make a full recovery and return to work without any residual effects, it may not be worth it.

However, if it’s likely that you’ll suffer from your injuries for a long time to come, and especially if they cause you to lose your job, you deserve to be compensated. Your entire lifestyle is potentially gone because of someone else’s mistake. They need to answer for that and help you recover from a motorcycle accident.