What to do following a crash

So the worst has happened and there you are, lying on the tarmac with your bike way up the road looking like Godzilla has been playing basketball with it. Any car that hit you has either stopped or done a runner, and the reality is setting in. What do you do next?

• First, look after yourself. Get off the road if you can – you could be run over if you don’t. I have hobbled away from a main road smash with an ankle and both wrist bones broken, and I’m glad I did. Do a quick check to see if you (or your pillion) are bleeding or can’t move anything – try not to make things worse if that’s the case.

• Next, as quick as you can, look for help. Phone the ambos/police if your fingers work. If they don’t, make yourself conspicuous and flag down a passerby and get them to call for help as well as shutting down and moving the bike and you to a safe place away from any spilt fuel. This is called securing the scene and is important: my mate destroyed my bike, not by crashing it, but by leaving it on the road after he fell off, so a semi could run over it. Doh.

• Take photos. Even if it was your fault, still take plenty. Skid marks, overhanging trees, mud on the road, poor road signs or road markings and all. If another vehicle is involved get plenty of pics of that, its position and its rego too – and a shot of the driver as well if they look dodgy. Photos of the other driver’s licence are good too; don’t just rely on a phone number and name. If you have a GoPro running, think carefully about using it as evidence. If it shows you were riding like a nob just before you crashed nobody will be on your side no matter how much of a victim you are.

• Admit nothing, but don’t get aggressive either. The important thing is to get the bike and you back on the road quickly, not be nicked for belting somebody who was on the phone to their sick grannie when they ran into you.

• If you can, get an eyewitness statement from anybody who stops on the scene, using your phone’s voice recorder. Don’t bother asking for guilty/not guilty guesses, just ask what they saw and don’t forget contact details. Again a licence photo is best. If the other driver is at fault and saying sorry (despite what their insurance company has told them), get that on record too. If the other vehicle has passengers, try to get a comment from them – curiously, they often help condemn their driver. It’s amazing how many drivers change their story once the immediate excitement of the impact has worn off, and logic and insurance premiums come to front of mind.

• Until somebody official has arrived, stay put. According to the rules, you shouldn’t leave the scene of an accident until the police have been informed (and maybe arrived) or have exchanged all details. Being a tough cookie and riding off on a dodgy bike with fractured bones is asking for trouble on both practical and legal fronts.

• Keep warm and sit down to let any shock wear off. Then have some sips of water. Accidents pump your adrenaline like nobody’s business so make sure you are hydrated (not with tea or coffee), and take time to calm down before you decide what to do next. Delayed shock can, in extreme cases, cause you to black out well after the accident itself. Don’t be John Wayne and get right back on, right away. Taking a lift home is often the best thing even with small bingles.

• And finally, make sure you tell the folks. The last thing you want is the uniformed police banging on the family’s door asking for details of the crash before you have let everybody else know you had one.