Also go to a dealer - the one branded for the bike - and pay to get an actual repair estimate done. You were whole before this, you don't need to accept a repair from Bubba's Corn Dogs, Waffle Fries, and Bike Repair.

Many of these situations don't take into account issues that a single-track vehicle can have from a seemingly simple contact and tip over. Examples: if your fork gets bent, even a few thousandths out of spec, you may never see it. But you may start crapping fork seals on that side every 6 months. If you fell on the right side, a small unnoticed difference in your throttle tube may cause it to stick open.

Bike people are often more perceptive of their vehicle's needs, but have it checked out at an actual dealer rather than just accepting whatever solution they offer.

Glad to read that you're okay. There's only three of us bike riders in the whole world, those that have been down, those that are going down, and those that quit too soon.

NC farm bureau insurance

My dealer is only about 8 miles away from where I live.
They're closed Sun/Mon.
I'm planning on calling them tomorrow and asking when it's a good time to bring it in for a full blown inspection/estimate.

Is the local DA likely to charge for a felony hit and run?

I have absolutely no idea

Neighbor has Geico and had two motorcycle claims with them, both times they handled it all and subrogated against one, the other had zero insurance and they took care of 100% both BI and PD.

You should contact one of the motorcycle attorney's and hire them, and be cautious of speaking to the other firm as was indicated everything is recorded especially if you end up needing to file BI claims back against the insurance of the person who caused it.

Also many states have requirements for getting checked out, FL has a time limit for BI claims/lawsuits.

Find out who the best is in your area at handling these claims so you get the most benefit paid to cover any injury and damages are fully compensated to you.

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
I spoke with my insurance company today.
They were very straightforward with "You need to go begin talks with his insurance company. Then if there's issues you can involve us."

So I'm trying to determine if I should lawyer up before I even contact his insurance.
Or do I just take this all at face value and say "hi gimme money".

First of all, DO NOT give a recorded statement to his insurance company. They will use it against you. Second, ins. companies are experts on paying as little as possible. I work as a chiropractor, and deal with PI cases every week.

Most persons involved MV accidents develop additional symptoms months, or even years, after the incident. Ins. companies love to settle quickly, before these show up. Generally a pedestrian who was knocked down in a cross walk, and has little or no known injuries, receives $10k for the accident. I would guess that if your symptoms are minor, a fair settlement would be $25 plus the bike repairs. The insurance will start by offering you $4k.

Look up concussion symptoms, often you will develop many of these, and I recommend keeping track of these on a daily or weekly bases.

creslin,

I hope you recover fully and quickly.

I can't say much about the claim but I do recommend getting yourself a camera of some sort for riding. GoPro with its many different mounts would be nice. Protect yourself with video in case people try to deny and/or make counter claims. They're not that expensive and video speaks much louder than he said/she said.

Yeah a camera system for the bike has been on my to-get list.
Just haven't gotten around to it yet

If you Lawyer up it's going to cost you big time unless you have some personal injuries . If all you're going after is damages to the bike , the hourly rate is going to kill you . If I'm wrong somebody explain it to me .

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
Yeah a camera system for the bike has been on my to-get list.
Just haven't gotten around to it yet

Plenty of them out there, at BikeWeek there was no shortage of options the big one is the pole mounted camera that records everything from an above angle.

For now, find a competent accident attorney that specializes in motorcycles so they understand the things that are needed to be addressed with a claim of this type.

It was mentioned to get the bike to a dealer, that's good, or a very good motorcycle shop in the area with good reputation for working on these type of repairs.

Many times frames get bent in accidents, that can total a bike very quickly and you need someone that can get you the best value for replacement.

C1Steve is spot on regarding post accident medical.

As others just mentioned, having a camera for future use is very important. A patient was hit from behind while stopped behind a flagman on a country road.

She settled years later for $140k, all of which went to medical bills and her attorney. If she had a camera with front and rear views she would have settled for $350k. It took about 5 years before he concussion symptoms were mostly resolved. Could not work, super sensitive to bright lights, etc, for three years. Even after five years the problems were still there, but they were not as bad.

In her case, she stopped appropriately and waited. But the tree service company neglected to have a sign well before the flagman, it was a curvy country road. The person who hit her was under 18.

After the accident the 17 yo driver's underage passenger got out of the car and ran, but they could not prove he was there despite a witness. Once the tow truck arrived, the tree service company took off and my patient was not sure which one it was. So, expect the unexpected and be prepared with recording cameras.

I'd start out handling it on my own. Take detailed notes of every conversation with insurance, who, where, when, etc. If it turns south and you have to have a lawyer it will help.

Paying for insurance (any kind) is a form of legalized gambling.. You pay the premimuns so hopefully they pay you back to make you whole and they accept your payments hopeing for the least amount of payout... .And that goes for both sides.... As a former motorcycle rider I feel you pain in more ways than one..... It is ok to be the nice guy till when either or both sides try to screw you...... Document / record any and all information from everyone at all times... You will be glad later when their information does not come close to matching yours....Trust me on this.. Medical malpractice involving death of our 16yr old daughter December 1995..Took 9 yrs to get the SOB into a courtroom.. Some of Our records which some were provided by the doctors office at time of death did not match the records at time of trial.. Our copies of his inital records did not match his records because his had been "doctored up and changed" with things added and some info removed..... Outcome was our side prevailed and his side lost the case.......................................... drill sgt.

In the case of a clear and negligent hit and run, I'd lawyer up and sue the crap outta the guy for everything you can, INCLUDING...INCLUDING...your lawyer fees. We are a litigious society now. Use it to your advantage.

It would be one thing if the guy pulled over and offered his apologies at the time of impact, but he committed and serious offense here...leaving the scene of an accident KNOWING he had caused bodily and property harm.

Yeah...JMHO, but I'd lawyer up and sue the ever-loving fecal matter outta the guy.

GLAD to hear you made it out OK with only minor injuries and that you're on the mend!!! [thumbs up!!]

This is my experience. I was in a hit and run on my bicycle back in the 80s. In short, I just wanted to be made whole. The runner was caught and her insurance got involved. They used my naïveté to try to screw me. I had to lawyer up because her insurance was fighting tooth and nail. Though I didn’t want to, we went after everything we could because that’s the war they brought. It was the only way we could frighten them into covering my damages and my legal costs. My advice is to stop talking and meet with an accident lawyer asap. Your sudden silence will tell the insurance companies what you’ve decided.

Sent you an email. I will be happy to share my current experience.

Hit and Run, get a lawyer. As a motorcyclist that driver, well I would be pursuing legal action. You could have been much worse off or dead, and they need to learn the hard way.

Did you miss any work due to your injuries ? Has the insurance company made any kind of offer to settle the claim ?

I have a very short fuse when it comes to Hit and Run. If I were in your position I would get the most aggressive personal injury lawyer in the area and my instructions would be to bankrupt that person to the point where I can keep his fillings on my desk just for the peace of mind they bring me.