It is always a tragedy when someone dies in a motorcycle accident. Often, these tragedies occur because a car was involved too, and the driver acted irresponsibly in some way. For example, the driver might have been texting behind the wheel or driving intoxicated.
However, driver negligence can be more difficult to prove in fatal accidents. In cases where the motorcyclist survives and can, at some point, discuss the accident, investigators may learn more about the cause(s) of the crash. Otherwise, motorists could claim with more credibility that the rider was at fault. However, while not being able to get the motorcyclist's side of the story is a major issue, it is one that does not stop skilled personnel from learning the true facts.
Reconstructing the scene
Hopefully, the family brings attorneys on board as early as possible. This may enable them to measure the crash site and to take photographs. No matter when lawyers are hired, though, they should take the time to interview critical people involved and to go through all applicable documents. Coordination with investigators and accident reconstruction specialists is also important because reconstruction uses data to examine areas such as perception and reaction time, braking and steering, sliding, the impact and motion after the impact. The work takes place in reverse chronological order and requires an in-depth knowledge of rider control and motorcycles.
With a scene reconstruction, attorneys can show how car drivers contributed to a crash and get fair compensation for the families of motorcyclists.
Witnesses
Sometimes, there are witnesses to a crash or to driver behavior before it, and these witnesses can be invaluable in helping prove a case. For example, someone might have seen the driver paying attention to his or her phone and not to the road. Along these lines, a witness might identify a hit-and-run driver and report that he or she took in a large amount of alcohol at a party before getting behind the wheel.