Motorcycle accident: the detailed guide to the declaration of claims to your insurance

A tyre that slips on a wet plate, a car that dislocates without warning, a hidden root in the middle of a corner... No one wants a motorcycle accident, but everyone has to prepare for it. When that happens, past the shock and the adrenaline, the same questions always come up: “What am I doing now? How do I notify my insurance? What exactly should I tell them?”

Whether you are a daily biker or a trail or enduro driver returning from a muddy outing, the claim procedure is a crucial step that can quickly become hell if you do not control it. Insurance contracts, with their guarantee lines and exclusions, sometimes look like coded language. Faced with this jargon, understanding what you are covered for is a prerequisite. Platforms of companiesMotorcycle Insurance make it possible to compare the essential guarantees clearly before committing, so as not to have unpleasant surprises on D-Day.

Because a disaster is not just crumpled sheet metal. Your physical protection, equipment and rights are at stake. Let's see how to handle the situation with the utmost precision.

Before the declaration: know your insurance cover

What you will declare and how you will do it depends directly on the guarantees you have taken out. Knowing their role is fundamental.

• Civil Liability (CR): This is the only mandatory guarantee but it does not cover NEVER your own damage. Its role is to compensate for the damage you cause to a third party, whether hardware (its vehicle) or bodily (his wounds).
• The driver’s personal guarantee: Your life insurance. This is the most important guarantee for you. It covers your own injuries in an accident. whether you are responsible or alone, on the road or on an authorized path. It covers medical expenses, incapacity for work, and can pay a lump sum in case of invalidity. Check your compensation ceilings and the intervention threshold.
• The ‘All Accidents’ Damage Guarantee: The insurance of your motorcycle, even off-road. It covers repairs to your machine following a fall alone or a responsible accident. Crucial point for endurists and traillists: a fall alone in a road (open to traffic) is an “accident” in the sense of insurance. This guarantee may therefore cover repairs to your motorcycle (carter, radiator, handlebars, etc.), subject to the conditions of your contract (check the exclusion clauses linked to the competition or the ‘circuit’). It is almost always accompanied by franchise whose amount remains at your expense.
• The biker’s equipment guarantee: The great forgotten, yet essential. Often as an option, this guarantee is vital for bikers where falls are more frequent. It allows the reimbursement of your equipment damaged during the accident: helmet (to be replaced systematically after a shock), airbag vest, jacket, gloves, boots, etc. Reimbursement ceilings vary, but given the price of full equipment, this guarantee is often very cost-effective.

How to file a claim with your insurer?

Once the situation is secured at the scene of the accident, the race against the administrative clock begins.

1. The deadline: a strict and legal deadline

The law (Article L113-2 of the Insurance Code) is formal. You must declare your claim within:

• 5 working days for a material or bodily accident.

Pro advice: Never wait for the last day. Report the accident within 48 hours, even if you do not yet have all the elements (once the file is opened with your insurer you will be able to complete it as you go).

2. Format: how to leave an irrefutable trace?

• Online: Ideal. The process is guided, you can attach your photos and documents directly. Take screenshots and keep the confirmation email.
• By telephone: Useful for a first alert. Require an email confirming the registration of your declaration.
• By registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt: The safest method legally.

3. Content: provide a complete and factual file

Your statement must be surgical. Prepare the following:

• Your insured information: Have your green card at your fingertips. It contains your name, address, Insurance contract number and the number of your insurer.
• Information on the accident:
  • Precise date and time.
  • Exact location: “On D117, at the level of RP 24”. In town: “Intersection rue X and boulevard Y”. For a fall on the way: “On the rural road No 3 known as “de la Forêt”, municipality of Z, in GPS point 43.XXXXXX, -1.XXXXXX”. Precision is your best ally.
• A detailed and neutral account of the circumstances:
  • Be factual, do not interpret. For example, for an enduro or trail bike rider: Don’t say “The root surprised me”, but “The front wheel of the bike hit a root crossing the path, causing a loss of control and the bike falling on its right flank”.
  • Never accept responsibility. You describe facts (no interpretation) , the insurer will determine the responsibilities.
• Report your personal injury (even minor):
  • This is an essential reflex. Wrist or back pain that seems trivial may get worse. See a doctor or emergency room after the fall, even in the absence of obvious injury.
  • Have a initial medical certificate which accurately describes all your lesions. It is the centrepiece to prove the link between the accident and your injuries.
  • In your statement, explicitly mention that you have been injured. Specify the nature of the injuries (e.g. “Cervical pain, contusion in the left knee, wound in the right hand”).
  • Send this medical certificate to your insurer without delay. It will open a ‘body’ file separate from your ‘hardware’ file, which will be managed over the long term according to the evolution of your state of health. Keep all supporting documents: orders, work stoppages, etc.
• Apparent damage (be exhaustive): Make an accurate list of everything that is damaged.
  • For motorcycles: “Right twisted guide, brake lever broken, clutch crankcase scratched, right fairing flank broken, right flashing pulled out”.
  • For equipment (crucial enduro/trail): List everything, even if it sounds superficial. Example: “Bell Helmet (model xx) hitting the ground (to be replaced), Alpinestars trousers (model xx) torn in the right knee, right glove holed in the palm, Sidi boot with a broken clamping loop, Full Protective Vest Leatt (model xx) with impacts on the right shoulder”.
• Supporting documents:
  • Focus on the amicable finding: the key document. This document is the cornerstone of your file as soon as another vehicle is involved. It is used to describe the facts and determine responsibilities. Take your time to fill it.
    • Fill it in on the spot. Never sign it in white or under pressure.
    • The ‘Circumstances’ section (the checkboxes) is the most important. Check only the boxes that correspond exactly to your situation. If in doubt, do not tick anything and describe everything in the "Comments" box.
    • The sketch must be simple but precise: position of vehicles, direction of traffic, signalling (stops, lights, lines on the ground).
    • In case of disagreement with the other driver, do not sign the common part. Everyone sends their version to their insurer, but specify your disagreement in the “Observations”.
    • In the event of a hit-and-run offence: Raise the license plate if possible, look for witnesses and immediately notify the police or gendarmerie to file a complaint. Then fill in the statement alone, indicating this information.
    • Think about the application “e-finding auto”, which has the same legal value and speeds up the procedure.
  • Pictures: An overall picture of the scene (path, root, puddle of oil, etc.), close-up damage to the motorcycle and to each damaged piece of equipment.
  • Purchase invoices for your equipment: If you have them, join them. They will facilitate and speed up the reimbursement by the equipment guarantee.

Once the report is sent, you will receive a claim file number. Keep it. This is the beginning of the expert assessment and compensation process. Having a clear and suitable contract is the best way to go through this test serenely, because beyond the price, it is the quality of the guarantees that makes the difference.
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Manage a claim method request. By being rigorous, you put all the chances on your side for a fair and fast compensation, and to refocus as soon as possible on the pleasure of driving.