What evidence should I keep after a motorcycle crash in Las Vegas?

Last updated October 8, 2026.

Keep everything that shows how the crash happened and how it hurt you: the motorcycle as it sits now, your helmet and riding gear, photos and video, the other driver's details, witness names, the police report number, and every medical record and bill. Do not repair, wash or throw away anything until it has been photographed and your claim is underway.

Motorcycle claims often turn on a short list of physical things. Where the bike was hit, how the helmet took the impact and what a camera recorded can answer the questions an insurer raises about speed, lane position and whether you were wearing protective gear. This page lists what to save for a Las Vegas motorcycle accident claim, who usually holds each item, and what Nevada law says about the reports that get written after a crash.

How do you collect and protect evidence after a Las Vegas motorcycle crash?

Get the other driver's information, the way the law requires it. In a Nevada crash that injures someone or damages a vehicle, each driver must give a name, address and the vehicle's registration number, and show a driver's license on request (NRS 484E.030(1)). If you can, photograph the license, registration, insurance card and license plate instead of copying them by hand.
Call the police agency that covers the location. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) handles the City of Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County. Henderson and North Las Vegas have their own police departments, and LVMPD sends freeway crashes to the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol. If no officer comes to an injury crash or a crash on a highway, the drivers must report it right away to the nearest police office or the Highway Patrol (NRS 484E.030(2)). Write down the event or crash number and the officer's name.
Photograph the scene before it changes. Vehicles get moved, debris gets swept and the light changes within minutes. Capture where the bike and the other vehicle ended up, scrape and gouge marks on the pavement, broken parts, the traffic signal or sign that applied, and the view each driver had.
Collect witness names and phone numbers. Other riders, pedestrians and drivers who stopped often leave before police arrive. A phone number taken at the curb can be the only way to reach them later.
Get medical care the same day and describe every injury. Emergency notes become part of the record of how you were hurt. Mention every place that hurts, even if it seems minor next to a broken bone.
Freeze the motorcycle and your gear. Leave the bike unrepaired, put the helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and pants in a bag, and do not wash anything. Tell every insurer in writing that the bike and gear are evidence.
Save and ask for video within days. Copy any helmet camera or dash camera files to a second place. Note every business or home camera that faces the road where you went down, and ask for the footage quickly, since many systems record over themselves.
Request the crash report, and file the DMV report if police did not investigate. LVMPD reports cost $13.00 and can take up to 10 business days to become available; Highway Patrol reports cost $10 and are usually ready 7 to 14 days after the crash. Our guide to getting a Las Vegas crash report covers each agency. If no officer investigated and someone was hurt or damage looks like $750 or more, a report goes to the DMV within 10 days (NRS 484E.070(2)).

These steps fit inside the larger sequence described in what happens after a motorcycle crash in Las Vegas, from the scene to a settlement or a lawsuit.

What should you keep, and how long does each item last?

Evidence	What it can show	Who usually has it	When to act
Your motorcycle, unrepaired	Point of impact, angle, paint transfer, which side was struck	You, a tow yard or a repair shop	Before any repair, salvage or sale
Helmet and eye protection	That you wore them, where your head struck, how hard	You, or the hospital if it was removed there	Bag it now; do not throw it out even if it looks fine
Jacket, pants, gloves, boots	Abrasion and impact points that match your injuries	You, or the hospital if cut off	Ask the hospital whether it kept cut gear
Helmet camera or dash camera files	Speed, lane position, signals, the other driver's movement	You or the other driver	Copy the original file the same day
Business and home cameras near the scene	The crash itself, or the vehicles just before it	Owners and managers of nearby properties	Ask within days; footage may be recorded over
Police crash report	Officer's diagram, statements, citations, insurance details	LVMPD, Henderson, North Las Vegas or Highway Patrol	Request once available
Witness contacts	An account from someone with no stake in the claim	You, the police report	At the scene, or from the report
Medical records, imaging and bills	What the crash did to you and what it cost	Hospitals, clinics, your health insurer	Keep copies of every visit as you go
Pay stubs and work notes	Time missed and income lost	Your employer	Ask for a letter once you know your time off

The bike and the gear also carry a property claim of their own. How that claim is valued and paid is explained in getting paid for a damaged motorcycle and riding gear.

Which reports can be used as evidence?

Two different reports can follow a Nevada crash, and the law treats them very differently.

Question	Police crash report	Driver's report to the DMV
Who writes it	The investigating officer	Each driver (or the owner if the driver cannot)
When it is required	When an officer investigates a crash with injury, death or apparent damage of $750 or more (NRS 484E.110(5))	Within 10 days for injury, death or apparent damage of $750 or more, unless an officer investigated and listed each party's insurance (NRS 484E.070(2), (3))
Is it confidential?	No; police crash reports are not privileged or confidential (NRS 484E.110(3))	Yes, with limited exceptions (NRS 484E.070(6))
Can it be used at trial?	Its use is decided under the court's evidence rules	No; it may not be used as evidence in a civil or criminal trial arising from the crash (NRS 484E.070(7))

The DMV report still matters even though a jury will not see it. Filing it on time protects your license, and the DMV may tell you or your insurer who the other driver was, and that driver's insurer and policy number, when the identity is unknown or the driver denies being there (NRS 484E.070(6)). The form and its attachments are explained in how the Nevada SR-1 crash report works.

What changes the answer

The other driver left, or was never identified. When a driver flees and is never found, your uninsured motorist coverage treats the vehicle as uninsured only if it made physical contact with you or your bike, and the crash was reported to police within the time the crash statutes require (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)). That makes paint streaks, scuffs and a fast report the most important evidence you have. See what to do after a motorcycle hit-and-run.

The car never touched you. If a driver forced you to lay the bike down without contact, the evidence shifts to witnesses and video that show the other vehicle's movement. Our page on a crash where the car never touched your motorcycle explains why.

Helmet questions. Nevada requires riders and passengers to wear a helmet and glasses, goggles or a face shield on the highway, unless the bike has a qualifying windscreen (NRS 486.231(2), (3)). If you wore a helmet, keeping it proves it. If you did not, the insurer may argue about head injuries, and the rest of your evidence matters more. The details are in how Nevada's helmet law affects an injury claim.

A fight over fault. Nevada lets you recover if your share of fault is not greater than the other side's, with your award reduced by your percentage (NRS 41.141). Evidence of your lane position and speed is how that percentage gets argued. Left-turn crashes are a common example, since the turning driver must yield to oncoming traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard (NRS 484B.253); see when a car turns left in front of a motorcycle.

An accusation of lane splitting. Riding between lanes of traffic is illegal in Nevada (NRS 486.351). Drivers sometimes claim the rider was splitting lanes. A camera file or a witness who saw you in your lane can settle that, as covered in lane splitting and a Nevada motorcycle claim.

The other driver was on a phone. Nevada bans hand-held phone use while driving (NRS 484B.165). Phone records are usually not something you can get on your own; they generally come through formal requests once a case is filed. Your part is to note what you saw and who else saw it.

A commercial truck or van hit you. The company holds driver logs, inspection reports and other files you cannot collect yourself, and federal rules allow some of them to be discarded within months. See what records a trucking company keeps after a crash.

Time. An injury lawsuit generally must be filed within 2 years (NRS 11.190(4)(e)), and a claim for property damage within 3 years (NRS 11.190(3)(c)). Evidence gets harder to find long before those dates arrive.

For example: a lane change on a six-lane road

Imagine a hypothetical rider named Andre heading home on a sport-touring motorcycle along a six-lane road in Las Vegas. An SUV in the lane to his right moves left without signaling, its front bumper catches his rear wheel, and Andre slides across two lanes. He breaks his wrist and collarbone.

At the scene, the SUV driver tells the LVMPD officer that Andre came up fast between cars. Andre's helmet camera was running. That evening his brother copies the file onto a laptop and a cloud account, and the original card goes into an envelope. The footage shows Andre in the center of his own lane at a steady speed when the SUV drifts over.

His brother also photographs the bike at the tow yard: black rubber and scuffing on the right side of the rear wheel and swingarm, matching marks on the SUV's front bumper in the photos Andre took at the scene. Andre's helmet has a deep gouge on its left side, and the left sleeve of his jacket is torn through at the elbow. All of it goes into one bag in his garage. A witness who stopped at the curb gave Andre her number.

Because the officer investigated and the report lists each driver's insurer, policy number and coverage dates, Andre does not need to file his own DMV report (NRS 484E.070(3)). The insurer for the SUV first suggests Andre was partly at fault for splitting lanes. The video, the matching damage and the witness answer that claim. The facts here are invented to show how the pieces fit together; they do not predict how any real claim will go.

Now change two facts: Andre had no camera, and the tow yard repaired the bike before anyone photographed it. The case then rests on his word against the driver's, plus one witness. That is the difference evidence makes.

Common mistakes with motorcycle crash evidence

Fixing or selling the bike too soon. Once the damaged parts are replaced or the bike goes to salvage, the impact marks are gone. Photograph every side, close up and from a distance, and let your insurer and the other driver's insurer know it is available to inspect.
Throwing away a helmet that "looks fine." Its scrapes and dents show where your head struck, and the helmet is part of your property claim. Keep it with the rest of your gear.
Waiting to ask about video. A store camera that caught the crash may only hold footage for a short time. Ask in person, in writing if you can, and note who you spoke with.
Editing or trimming camera files. Keep the original file, untouched, along with the memory card. A trimmed clip invites questions about what was cut.
Posting photos or ride updates online. Insurers may look at social media. A photo of you on a bike weeks later, or a casual comment about the crash, can be used out of context.
Gaps in medical care. Skipped appointments leave holes in the record of your recovery that the other side may point to. Keep each appointment and save each bill.

Our general post on the evidence needed for auto accident claims covers records that apply to any crash, such as wage proof and medical documentation.

What to do this week

Write down your memory of the crash, step by step, while it is fresh, and date it.
Confirm the event or crash number and request the report as soon as it is available.
Photograph the motorcycle, helmet and every piece of gear in daylight, then bag the gear and store it somewhere dry.
Send a short written note to each insurer saying the bike and gear are evidence and should not be destroyed or sold.
Back up every camera file and phone photo to a second location.
Go back to the scene, or send someone, to list every camera that faces the road, and ask for footage.
Start a folder for medical records, bills, receipts, mileage to appointments and work notes.
If no officer investigated, file the DMV report within 10 days of the crash (NRS 484E.070(2)).

Frequently asked questions

Can the insurance company take my motorcycle before I have it inspected?

If the bike is declared a total loss and the insurer pays you, it may take the motorcycle as salvage, unless you and the insurer agree that you keep it. Our page on motorcycle and gear damage claims covers that choice. Before you sign over the title, make sure the bike has been photographed from every angle, and tell the adjuster in writing that you need it held for inspection. Ask for a written answer.

Will my own helmet camera footage hurt my claim?

It can, if it shows you speeding or riding between lanes, and it can be strong support if it shows you riding lawfully. Either way, keep the original file. Deleting or editing footage after a crash creates a bigger problem than anything the video shows.

Can I get a copy of the other driver's DMV report?

Drivers' reports to the DMV are confidential and not open to the public (NRS 484E.070(6)). The DMV may still tell a person involved in the crash, or that person's insurer, the identity, insurer and policy number of another driver when the identity is unknown or the driver denies being present.

Do I need to keep my riding gear if I plan to buy new gear anyway?

Yes. Buy the new gear, but keep the damaged pieces until your claim is resolved. They show where you hit the ground and they support the property part of your claim, which can include the gear's value.

What if the police never came to the scene?

Your own photos, witness contacts and medical records carry more weight when there is no officer's report. You still must report an injury crash or a crash on a highway to police if no officer was present (NRS 484E.030(2)), and you may need to file the DMV report within 10 days (NRS 484E.070(2)).

How long should I keep all of this?

Keep it until your claim or lawsuit is fully resolved, including any appeal. Nevada generally allows 2 years to file an injury lawsuit and 3 years for property damage (NRS 11.190), and a case can run past those dates once it is filed.

Should I give the other driver's insurer my photos and video?

The insurer will likely ask for them. It often helps to get the police report first and keep copies of everything you send, along with a record of the date and the person you sent it to. Many riders have an attorney handle that exchange, but the choice is yours.

If you were hurt on a motorcycle anywhere in the Las Vegas Valley and want to know what to save and what to request, attorney Maysoun Fletcher can review your situation. Call 702-333-6339 for a free consultation. The firm is available 24/7.