Tips For Documenting Your Safety Apparel After A Motorcycle Accident

When you've been injured while riding your motorcycle and decided to retain a motorcycle accident attorney and fight for a settlement from the other driver, you have to be prepared for the other driver's attorney to fight back. One way that the attorney will attempt to absolve his or her client from responsibility is to suggest that you were doing something that contributed to the accident. If the police report indicates otherwise, the attorney may then choose to focus on the safety gear that you may or may not have been wearing — arguing that your lack of safety gear was a contributing factor in your injury. You can prepare for this approach by documenting your safety apparel in this manner.

Photograph Yourself

Unless you're physically unable to do so because of serious injuries, photograph yourself immediately after the motorcycle accident. While you'll want to remove some of your gear to photograph the extent of the injuries, your first photos should depict you wearing your safety gear. If it's difficult to photograph yourself, ask a witness or even an emergency responder to take the photo. A photo that clearly shows you wearing all of the recommended safety apparel will make it harder for the other driver's attorney to suggest that you weren't properly clad.

List Everything You Had On

You should also list every piece of protective apparel that you were wearing at the time of the accident. Your attorney will encourage you to do this once you meet with him or her, but doing it as soon as you can will lessen the chance of overlooking something. One approach is to scan your body from top to bottom — your list will thus begin with your approved helmet and end with your leather boots, with multiple other safety items listed in between.

Keep Your Gear

It may be tempting to throw out a piece of the safety gear that you were wearing at the time of the accident, especially if it's damaged and you won't be wearing it again. Make sure to avoid doing so, however, as these pieces can be valuable examples of evidence in your motorcycle accident case. For example, if the other driver's attorney argues that you weren't wearing a certain piece of gear, your attorney can physically display it in court — including the dents, scratches, rips, and perhaps even your blood that may still be evident on the item.

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