Is it safe to settle with the other driver at the scene of a Virginia motorcycle accident?

Answer:

No. This is actually a very foolish idea. Maybe you got up after being hit and you’re feeling a little rattled, but you don’t think anything’s broken… and you’ve always been a “fast healer,” so you’re happy to just accept a couple hundred in cash from the other driver in exchange for not making a claim against either insurance policy. Seems like a fair trade, right?

But what if you wake up the next morning and you are not able to get out of bed because of the pain in your back? And what if you go to a doctor who tells you that he suspects you have a herniated disc? And what if your health insurance just ran out?

Can you now start to imagine while you ought to at least wait a couple of weeks after the crash to see whether any injuries manifest themselves before deciding to settle the injury claim after a motorcycle accident?

Insurance companies know this trick. That’s why they’ll sometimes send out an adjuster to your house within a few days of the crash to try to hustle you into a lowball settlement. They know that by sending a skilled negotiator out to your house, they can sometimes pressure you into accepting a quick and easy settlement. If you do happen to fall for this trick, Virginia law allows you to rescind your injury settlement, but you must act very quickly.