How We Perform a Accident Investigation

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How We Perform a Accident Investigation

Every motorcycle accident is unique, but one problem is common: too many people quickly blame the motorcyclist after an accident. If you’re a motorcyclist who has been in an accident, you could be left holding the blame unfairly if you don’t act quickly and decisively.

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Detail Oriented Motorcycle Accident Lawyers in North & South Carolina

Attorney Jason E. Taylor investigates motorcycle accidents from the vantage of a lifelong motorcyclist and an aggressive litigator. He and his legal team know how to gather the evidence that shows what happened in an accident and demonstrates the full extent of the victim’s losses. From there, he can negotiate or go to court from a position of strength to obtain the compensation the injured deserve.

If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in North Carolina or South Carolina, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor can advocate for you and your rights.

Contact our motorcycle accident attorneys in Charlotte or Hickory, North Carolina, today to get started. You can reach us by phone at (800) 351-3008.

We go to the Motorcycle Accident Scene

If contacted promptly after a motorcycle accident, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor team can collect useful evidence from the crash scene. Skid marks and crash debris indicate the speed and direction of vehicles at the time of the crash.

We also look at the road or other paths traveled by the motorcyclist and other vehicles involved in the accident.

Poor road conditions, such as broken pavement, an obstructed view, or pooled water, may be identified as contributing factors to an accident. At the crash scene, we take measurements and photographs and create sketches of the site.

Near the accident scene, there may be red-light or security cameras that captured footage of the accident. In our canvass of the area, we look for cameras (you can spot them if you know where they are likely to be) and follow up with owners to review footage.

Crash scene evidence disappears quickly, so it is crucial to start working with a motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible after an accident.

We Look Beyond the Accident Scene

As part of our investigation, we want to see the vehicles involved, including your bike and the other party’s vehicle. Damage to a car or truck may indicate how badly the motorcyclist was hit – such as a windshield smashed by a rider’s body.

Many recent model passenger cars and trucks have a computerized Event Data Recorder (EDR). The EDR records information, including the vehicle’s speed, speed changes, the rate of speed changes, whether the driver applied brakes, wore their seatbelt, or if airbags deployed.

A crashed car’s EDR data can be downloaded to provide information about the driver’s actions before and at the time of a crash. However, it is the car owner’s property and we usually have to obtain a court order for access to the EDR. Obtaining this order is not difficult, but we must do it promptly. A car can be sold or scrapped, or the data can be overwritten in a drivable vehicle.

A crashed car may also contain other evidence, such as a receipt indicating the recent purchase of alcohol or takeout food or even empties from the driver’s drinking and eating while driving.

We Question the People Involved in the Accident

As part of our investigation, we want to see the vehicles involved, including your bike and the other party’s vehicle. Damage to a car or truck may indicate how badly the motorcyclist was hit – such as a windshield smashed by a rider’s body.
Many recent model passenger cars and trucks have a computerized Event Data Recorder (EDR). The EDR records information, including the vehicle’s speed, speed changes, the rate of speed changes, whether the driver applied brakes, wore their seatbelt, or if airbags deployed.

A crashed car’s EDR data can be downloaded to provide information about the driver’s actions before and at the time of a crash. However, it is the car owner’s property, and we usually have to obtain a court order for access to the EDR. Obtaining this order is not difficult, but we must do it promptly. A car can be sold or scrapped, or the data can be overwritten in a drivable vehicle.

A crashed car may also contain other evidence, such as a receipt indicating the recent purchase of alcohol or takeout food or even empties from the driver’s drinking and eating while driving.

We obtain statements from the other driver and any passengers and bystanders who witnessed the accident as part of our investigation. Once again, this is best done soon after an accident, before memories fade or become confused. We obtain the police report filed in your accident and follow up with the law enforcement officer if necessary, following the court case if police brought charrges against the driver.

Beyond interviewing the other driver, we investigate their prior activities, which may be related to the crash. For example, cell phone data, which also requires a court order to obtain, may indicate a distracted driver at the time of the crash or, through geographic data, a fatigued driver who had traveled a long distance over a lengthy period.

In complex accidents, another person we bring into the case is an accident reconstruction specialist. This forensic engineering expert can use the evidence gathered and their own investigative work to develop a thorough technical understanding of your accident. Their multi-media report and, if necessary, courtroom presentation can provide critical information about how an accident occurred.

In some cases, the evidence we collect leads us to identify additional people who may be held liable. A common “third party” claim is against a store or bar employee or a party host who sold or served alcohol to a drunk driver. In other cases, the employer of a driver traveling for business may be liable for their employee’s crash.

We Analyze Records of Injuries and Losses

The client is part of our investigation. We conduct a full review and analysis of our client’s injuries, including prognosis for recovery and related medical expenses. We also calculate other losses, such as property damage to the motorcycle and riding gear, lost income from being out of work, and future losses if the injuries cause ongoing disabilities.
We compute the financial damage clients have suffered and their pain and suffering to determine the total compensation to seek in a personal injury lawsuit. With a lawsuit filed, we can negotiate formally with the other drivers’ and any third parties’ insurers for a settlement.

A settlement, if we can obtain one that is appropriate and agreeable to the client, removes the uncertainty of the outcome and gets money into the victim’s hands more quickly. If we cannot reach a settlement, we have a solid case that we are more than ready to take into court.

Let Jason E. Taylor Investigate Your North Carolina Motorcycle Accident

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, motorcycle accident investigation, documents the crash, all other parties’ involvement, your injuries, their costs, and the pain and suffering you have endured. Our work helps clients obtain the maximum compensation available for their losses.

Jason Taylor is an experienced motorcyclist and personal injury lawyer in North and South Carolina. He understands and appreciates what injury victims have been through in a severe motorcycle accident and will face in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Contact our office in Hickory or Charlotte for a free discussion of how we can assist you in your recovery from a motorcycle crash. We can best serve you if you act quickly. Please call (800) 351-3008 today.

Contact our Personal Injury Attorneys

Contact us today to speak with one of our Charlotte, Hickory, Greenville, Rock Hill, or Columbia attorneys.

120 3rd St NE
Hickory, NC 28601

Phone: (828) 327-9004
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

130 Church St NE
Concord, NC 28025

Phone: (704) 787-9419
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

301 S McDowell St #1016
Charlotte, NC 28204

Phone: (704) 676-1093
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

1348 Ebenezer Rd #103
Rock Hill, SC 29732

Phone: (803) 980-5300
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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