When Your Personal Property is Damaged in a Motorcycle Accident
When I help individuals hurt in motorcycle accidents, I always ask the clients what items of personal property were damaged in the motorcycle accident. Right off the bat, the client will list their helmet. What the clients tend to forget are the other items of personal property that have been damaged in the accident and for which the insurance company needs to pay them. Those items can include your leather jacket, shoes or boots, pants, shirt, sunglasses, cell phone, watch, gloves, jewelry and even your underwear.
There are some things you can do ahead of time to help yourself get fairly compensated for any personal property items that are damaged in an accident. Most importantly, keep your receipts. This is especially important if you pay cash for any motorcycle related items (boots, gloves, helmets, etc.), as well as any high-priced items such as watches, jewelry and cell phones. If you buy a helmet with a custom paint job, get a receipt from the artist or dealership that shows how much you paid to have your helmet customized.
Next, if you are involved in an accident and have damaged personal property, do not throw any of the property away. Insurance companies either want to see the damaged item in person or have you send them a photograph of the item. Sometimes, though, items are lost at the scene and never found. For an insurance company to consider paying for these lost items, they generally require a receipt as proof that you purchased it. So again, save those receipts!
There are some items of personal property that can be repaired, for example, a watch or a piece of jewelry. Insurance companies generally require a repair estimate or the actual repair bill.
Do not get short changed. If you were involved in a motorcycle accident and it was the other driver's fault, you need to make sure that you get reimbursed for every item of personal property that was damaged in the accident.
If you have any questions about this article or if you would like to talk with me about a motorcycle accident in which you were involved, please do not hesitate to call me at (800) 942-1191.
-Gary Poole
"On the Side of Those Who Ride"
