As witnesses leave, motorcycles get towed and debris disappears. When you’re injured, recording the scene may be impossible before someone moves your motorcycle or clears debris from its lane. Evidence about the causes of Texas motorcycle wrecks can come from photographs and damaged gear, as well as records of your medical treatment.
TxDOT recorded 585 motorcyclist deaths in Texas in 2024; among those killed, 37% weren’t wearing helmets. This is general information rather than legal advice. Even while your motorcycle is being loaded onto a tow truck, you can begin preserving evidence.
Preserve evidence tied to causes of Texas motorcycle wrecks
Wait until emergency care and immediate safety needs are handled before taking these steps. For photographs, don’t enter traffic or put off treatment.
1. Photograph the full scene before focusing on damage
Start with wide views. For close-ups, move in after medium-distance shots. Lane markings and final vehicle positions belong in the frame, with signals and anything blocking sight. Potholes, construction equipment, fluid trails and loose gravel need photographs. Next, capture skid and gouge marks. Document lighting and weather; if it’s safe and lawful, photograph every side of each involved vehicle.
Connect debris to its lane with overlapping views, showing how far it lies from the motorcycle or intersection. A slow video lets you record street names while narrating your direction of travel.
Among the possible causes of Texas motorcycle wrecks are a left turn across your path, an unsafe lane change, an opened vehicle door, or a road hazard; recording the wider scene can help distinguish them.
TxDOT, in its May 2024 release, reported a 7% rise in motorcyclist deaths in 2023 compared with 2022, alongside a 21% increase in fatal intersection crashes. Each approach to the intersection should be recorded.
2. Record witnesses and responding agencies
Collect each witness’s name, phone number, and email address. In their own words, note briefly what they saw and where they stood. When practical, separate the witnesses. Avoid arguments about fault and any coaching of their memories.
Record the officer’s name, badge number, and incident number after identifying the investigating agency. Also identify the fire department and ambulance provider before you leave.
3. Protect the motorcycle, helmet, and riding gear
Keep your motorcycle and gear uncleaned and unrepaired, and don’t authorize anyone to dispose of either. Store your gloves and boots alongside the helmet and jacket. Set aside luggage and detached parts. None of these items should be sold or dismantled. Before moving each item, photograph it; take more photographs once it reaches storage. Preserve torn fabric and impact marks as found. Any helmet damage, paint transfer, or broken fasteners should remain untouched.
Send the tow yard or repair facility a written request to preserve the property without altering or disposing of it. With the tow receipt, file the facility’s name and address. Every handoff needs recording, along with where it’s stored.
4. Preserve digital and vehicle-based information
Helmet-camera or action-camera files and phone photographs: save those originals before anything else. For that trip, keep the relevant navigation history along with related text messages. Depending on the system, data stored by a vehicle or emergency-call records may also exist.
Alongside separate backups, preserve files in their native format. Editing originals is off-limits (including cropping or filtering); don’t compress or overwrite. Promptly ask residents or nearby businesses to preserve possible footage because routine retention practices can erase recordings. Keep a copy of that written request.
5. Request reports and document medical care
Request the crash report apart from the medical records. Look for an available report through the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System. From the responding agency, retain records and the incident number.
Keep records from the ambulance and emergency department, with imaging and discharge instructions. Retain every prescription and referral. Alongside insurance explanations and travel receipts, file therapy notes and bills. In your dated symptom log, describe disrupted sleep and trouble moving, plus missed work and the help you need for everyday tasks. As symptoms happen, record them honestly. Never backdate any entry.
6. Build a dated evidence index
Use one master index. For each item, enter its original source and collection date. Add its storage location and file name, as well as the name of the person holding it. Every original needs to stay in its native format. Name copies descriptively, for example 2024-05-04_Main-and-First_helmet-camera.mp4.
When the rider cannot collect the evidence
Give one trusted person a narrow preservation job
Give the job to one trusted person if you’re hospitalized or can’t move; they can locate the motorcycle and photograph accessible property while keeping receipts and discharge papers. Have your helper ask nearby camera owners to save footage and contact the witnesses.
Footage or private records aren’t guaranteed just because your helper asks for them. For everything collected, the helper should record when they got it and the provider’s name. Your helper mustn’t trespass or enter any controlled scene. Tell your helper not to confront drivers or interfere with police or medical personnel.
Document road conditions that may change quickly
Spills or debris can change after a crash, so go back to document them only when it’s safe and lawful. Photograph construction zones too, along with missing signs. Record that same approach again at a similar time of day, after photographing temporary markings or problems with signals. Don’t discard photographs showing visible construction or public-works details.
On each later photograph, put the date you actually took it. What changed after the crash needs writing down; a later image mustn’t be labeled as a photograph taken at impact.
Motorcycle crash questions that need careful answers
Is there a single leading cause of motorcycle crashes?
Across datasets, the leading cause isn’t the same. Failure to yield is on TxDOT’s list, as are left turns across riders’ paths. In NHTSA’s 2023 Traffic Safety Facts, fatal-crash factors include speeding and alcohol impairment. A universal ranking for your collision can’t be built by combining separate categories.
How can a family locate a Texas crash report?
Use your incident number in TxDOT’s official crash-report system after first contacting the investigating agency. You can’t count on getting the report immediately. Finding nothing in the search doesn’t rule out a crash.
Do 70% of motorcycle crashes occur at intersections?
For a particular place and period, the crashes counted and population studied determine the percentage occurring at intersections. You can’t use TxDOT’s May 2024 release to establish that 70% of all motorcycle crashes occur at intersections, since it reports year-to-year changes in fatal intersection crashes.
Preserve the original story of the crash
Keep each item unchanged and recognizable, with its date letting you trace it back to the source. Who’s at fault can wait while you protect what’s left. The record isn’t worth risking your treatment or safety. With clear labels and written handoff records to follow, someone else can trace an item back to its source to see what it shows about the crash.
Final Texas motorcycle crash records checklist
Mark anything still awaiting a response while you check each group against your index.
| Record group | What to confirm | Where it is stored |
|---|---|---|
| Scene | Original photos; video; locations; road conditions; capture dates | Original device plus a separate backup |
| People and agencies | Witness details; officer information; incident number; emergency providers | Master evidence index |
| Physical property | Motorcycle; helmet; clothing; detached parts; tow receipt; storage instructions | Recorded facility or secured location |
| Medical and financial | Records; bills; prescriptions; referrals; work records; dated symptom notes | Chronological paper and digital folders |
| Official and digital | Crash report; camera files; navigation data; communications; preservation requests | Native files with unedited copies |
Sources
- TxDOT: 2024 motor vehicle crash facts.
- TxDOT: May 2024 motorcycle safety release and Crash Report Online Purchase System.
- NHTSA: 2023 Traffic Safety Facts, Motorcycles.
- Texas Department of Public Safety: Texas Motorcycle Operator’s Manual.