I've crashed .. now what?

[bugjuice]

is it totalled, or just bent?
Check the frame, as they're prone to cracking easy on the 95 bikes. Fixed in 98

[SDU]

Bugger about the crash. At least no one got seriously hurt. It always hurts more after the adrenlin rush wears off. ACC should cover it if you need to get checked out by a Dr.
Feel sorry for the guy all you want but you are going to have to get him to sign a statement as Postie said unless you can afford to replace your own bike. You also need to report the accident to the Police asap, (within 24hrs?) the driver should be doing the same. I think it is law and also will help you with your claim for damage, especially if it goes to court.
good luck
SDU

[Ms Piggy]

Sorry to hear about your off. Glad you're ok though.

[EZAS]

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~michael.porter/bike.bmp

Guttered huh

[heavenly.talker]

Well there is some good news.
We had a guy crash into hubbie 7 weeks ago. It took a lot of following up and the like but we got the money yesterday :-) YAY!

Give your bike to Spectrum (Greg and Brent rock!) and get them to do up a quote. Get them to itemise the damage down to the last bolt.

Write down the full details of the crash straight away.

Ask the guy if he is happy with one quote or would he prefer two. If he asks for two then get another person (maybe Roger or Spencer) to look over the quote and see what they think. Them get them to right one out too.

Present the guy copies of the quote or meet him down at spectrum so both of you can hear the verdict of the damage.

It may be that the damage is worth more than the market value of the bike so you both agree for him to pay that (sometimes it can happen that way).

Ask the guy for a bill in his name that has his address on it and for a view of his licence so you have identification to take to the police if he does a runner. It might pay if the guy is young to ask for the phone numbers of his parents (they are very useful to ensure that junior pays when he is trying to slink away from his responsibility).

Go into the police station with your written statement and file an accident report. You will need one of these if you end up going to small claims court.

Phew...lots to do huh!

After you have presented the quotes to the guy you ask for for a day and time (in the near future) when he is going to give you the money.

How he gets it together is not your problem...he can sell his car, ask family, or even take out a loan for all you care...he is in the wrong and needs to pay!

Don't feel sorry for the sob story about the drunk driver...that has nothing to do with the accident he caused today.

If the day and time for payment passes without you hearing from him, give it one day and then ring him asking what the hold-up is. Don't accept excuses and tell him that you have talked to lawyer. If a new deadline is not met within the week then you will start court proceedings.

If you had witnesses to the accident then ring them and ask for them to write down the account. This will also help with court.

I hope that helps for starters :-)

Best of luck and don't forget to take photos of the damage to the bike. This will help if you need to go to court...hopefully it will not go that far!

P.S. Be firm when dealing with your person. It is vital that you keep calm though and do not get upset when they try to dodge. If you feel it is going badly then ring their parents straight away. Most parents will be horrified that junior is not taking responsibility for their accidents.

Cheers :-) and best wishes.

Keep us up to date with how you are getting on.

[ManDownUnder]

bugger about the incident... but get a police report... it'll add to any eviudence etc if/when you go the driver for $$$

[onearmedbandit]

I hate seeing pics of bikes lying on their sides. Even if I totaled my bike, I'd still stand it up in anyway I could. Not knocking you, just a personal thing. Maybe I personify my bikes too much...........

[onearmedbandit]

Oh yeah, bummer about the crash. No matter hw bad the bike is, it can be eventually be repaired or replaced. Just be glad that you've still got all your limbs, and that you're capable of posting this thread from the comfort of your home or office.

[Teflon]

http://www.justfairings.co.nz/kawasaki.htm - Glen might be able to help you.

I don't have insurance. I've saved well over 20k in having no cover over the years.

[aff-man]

yeh get a police report done so it's on record....

With neither of you having insurance it'll be a hrd uphill slog and unless he is really nice/really rich you might end up spending a bit of cash..

Sorry to hear but from the sounds of it nice recovery

[Harry33]

Hi I just thought I'd add my two cents as I was in a car crash last Friday ( a asshole ran into the back of us, he didn't notice everyone had stopped and he decided to stop on us). I did all the usual, got the licence plate number of his car,got his phone number, address etc. He claimed he didn't have his licence on him (would have been a nice fine) so I took his word for it.
We had a witness as he pushed us into the car in front. Instant witness!

My big Mistake was (according to the police) we didn't ring *555. If the police had been called they could have checked his details,checked his car over to make sure it had a WOF, breath tested etc.


Now I'm not a expert on accidents as this was my first in 17 years of driving so how the hell did I know to do this. Anyway...the end result was none of his details rung true. Both phone numbers he gave me weren't even connected. His home address belonged to someone else who didn't even know him, and just for kicks his licence plate belonged to a stolen car in dunedin.

Both my wife and myself got a nice case of wipelash as a bonus and we will have to pay the excess on our car insurance. My advise is make sure you have insurance, and always ring the cops just incase they aren't who they say they are and hopefully....touch wood, things will go better for you than they did for me.

Last thing if anyone see's a white toyota corolla fxgt with it's front caved in around Auckland l be really interested in having alittle chat with the owner.

[gamgee]

do you people not realise that if you have 3rd party with AMI it can cost a very minimal amount ($23 per year for me) no more than $50 for a bigger bike, and in a case such as this, where the driver has no insurance they will make the payout for the damages to your bike, then AMI persue the guy for cost of repairs, only an idiot would ride without even bare minimum 3rd party insurance, but theres just no telling some people and then they end up in these situations...

[Ghost Lemur]

Bummer about your accident EZAS.

Totally believe your account of it though as it's almost identical to mine. Except instead of a reversing cage it was a uturn. I too had my legs collide with the handlebars (feels like they've been bashed with a metal baseball bat aye) and landed on my feet. Was on the road though not the bonet. Even considered trying to run over and catch my bike from falling, til the pain kicked in and I decided a lay down was probably more in order.

Is you bike insured? Did the cops arrive on scene? If they didn't, as others have mentioned file an accident report. If you are insured let them handle the leg work of getting your money. It not being your fault means you don't have to worry about loosing your no-claims etc. If you want to deal with him privately, and think he wont try shafting you, keep an exstensive paper trail.

Oh btw, get some arnica gel on those legs, the BetterHalf gave me some and the results were fanstastic. Healed way quicker, and improved movement over night.

Got to agree with OAB on they layed down bike too, it's enough to make a grown man cry.

[Macktheknife]

Spectacular save dude! good to see someone with that much life-saving reflex, seriously! Pity about the bike though man, say goodbye to it! Wreckers should give you something for it!
I know its been said before but IMHO always ring the cops if you have ANY kind of accident, always. Most times bikes are in the right but get screwed in the detals, if you have a police report at the time you usually end up better off when it gets to court.
I have had 3 accidents with people with no insurance, I have been lucky and always got the money out of them, usually with a bit of coercion but what the hell. Get your own insurance or get used to losing your bikes.
Glad to see you made it thru without any serious damage, go buy a lotto ticket!