Maryland Injury and Disability Blog

If you’ve followed my advice regarding the necessary steps to take after a Maryland Auto Accident, you probably will need time to catch your breath.

Have you settled down a little bit yet? Great. Now, the fact that you were able to get out of your car and complete the steps I recommended is a good indicator that you likely did not suffer a catastrophic injury ( I have seen instances in the past where an accident victim went undiagnosed with a severe injury such as a neck fracture or internal injuries but that is rare). Nonetheless, you still may be injured.

If you are experiencing ANY type of bodily pain you need to notify the police officer right away. The officer will request that an ambulance be sent to the scene. The officer will also include the fact that you were injured in the police report, provided one is written. If the police fail to show, I advise you to let the other driver know that you are hurt and then to go directly to the nearest emergency room or medical clinic.

Even if the pain is minimal, it is imperative that you get checked out as soon as possible. You do not know how serious the injury is. As I stated earlier, some people walk around after an auto accident with severe injuries and don’t know it. Some injuries can start out with minimal pain but get progressively worse. Don’t play around with your health!

Just as important, you also need to seek medical attention if you are injured so that the injury can be documented. Insurance companies play HARDBALL and will not pay a penny unless you can prove you were injured. The proof you need is contained in the medical records from your hospital or doctor visit.

Rich insurance companies DEMAND that any medical problem you sustain as a result of a Baltimore Auto Accident be documented. If you’ve been injured but don’t get timely medical attention, as far as the greedy insurance companies are concerned, it’s as if it never happened.

Don’t throw away your right to recover for any injuries you’ve suffered in a Maryland Car Collision. Get medical treatment IMMEDIATELY!!!!!

You’ve just been in a Maryland Car Accident in which you are not at fault and you’ve written down the other driver’s tag number, called 911, and exchanged information.

You’re probably now standing next to your car waiting for the police to arrive thinking you’ve got everything under control. YOU ARE NOT DONE!!!!! You now need to act fast and get contact information from any witnesses to the collision.

A witnesses account of the accident is so vital to proving your case especially if the other driver is disputing your version of what happened.

Witnesses don’t know either party involved in a Baltimore Car Accident and thus have no reason to tell anything but the truth. On the contrary,insurance companies, judges, and juries recognize that parties to an accident have reasons to “bend” the truth especially if they’re concerned about their insurance rates being raised if they are found at fault.

Insurance companies, judges, and juries usually base their decisions regarding whose at fault not by what the parties say but rather what the witnesses say!!!

Witnesses are often the “tie-breaker” in disputed accidents that involve lane changes, failure to yield, stop signs, and traffic lights.

So, if the other party is at fault and you neglect to get any witness account of what happened, especially in the above mentioned type cases, your ability to prove you were not responsible is in serious trouble.

Therefore, YOU MUST go over to any witnesses right after the Maryland Car Wreck and ask if they mind remaining on the scene for a couple of minutes so you and the police can get their story of what occurred. Most witnesses will be happy to stay and cooperate. However, remember that people have busy lives and not everyone will be willing to wait. Thus, it is better that you take down the contact information from ALL witnesses as soon as they identify themselves as having seen the accident.

Remember, unless it’s a serious accident, the police don’t arrive right away and sometimes they don’t arrive at all. It is up to you to make sure the information is obtained.

Be sure you get the name, address, and as many phone numbers as possible from all witnesses (home, cell, work). Get an e-mail address and find out where they work. Try to get the name and phone number of a relative or close friend in case you have trouble locating them.

I know that may seem extreme but in my 20 years as a Maryland Personal Injury Lawyer I’ve seen many witnesses disappear. Do yourself a big favor and get as much information as you can.

Getting accurate and detailed information from witnesses at the scene of an accident is crucial and could be the difference in proving your case when the other driver denies fault.

You’ve just been in a Maryland car wreck and if you’ve taken my advice, you’ve immediately written down the other driver’s tag number and have called the police.

I now want you to safely exit your vehicle and approach the other vehicle. DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE UNTIL YOU’VE MOVED YOUR CAR OUT OF HARM’S WAY!! Be sure to move the car onto the shoulder, the grassy area, or the side of the road before exiting. Getting out of a motor vehicle that is sitting in the middle lane of a highway or busy intersection, especially at night, will get you killed!!

When you approach the other vehicle, you want to calmly ask the driver if you can get his or her driver’s license and insurance information. Yes, I know that the police have been called. But what if the police don’t show (not uncommon in Baltimore City) or the other driver speeds off before the police arrive? The at fault driver might be driving uninsured or on a suspended license and may want to “get out of Dodge”. Or the other driver just might be in a hurry and not want to wait around (in non serious Maryland auto collisions the police can take over 30 minutes to show up).

You also want to personally get the defendant’s information because in the craziness of the moment you might forget to take down the tag number. No matter what, it’s always good to be safe

Therefore, make sure you copy the name, address, date of birth, and license number off the driver’s license. Then ask to see the other driver’s insurance card. Get the name of the insurance company and the policy number. Then thank the defendant and go back to your car and wait for the police.

Oh, also write down a description of the at fault driver. If you’re unable to resolve your auto accident claim with the insurance company you someday might have to have the defendant served with court papers. Your process server will thank you.

If, at any time, the defendant gets nasty and refuses to give up information just back off and wait for help to come. Whether the police arrive or not, you’ll be okay because you’ve taken my advice and written down the tag number.

In my last blog entry, I wrote that it is imperative to write down the other driver’s tag number immediately after you’ve been involved in a Maryland Automobile Accident.

The very next thing I want you to do is to call 911. I know you’re saying to yourself, “Duh Steve, everyone knows to call the police after a car accident.” Well, you’d be surprised. Alot of people “freeze up” after a traumatic event such as a car crash and have a hard time just remaining coherent. They forget to notify the authorities. A number of people also don’t call the police because they’re in a hurry, not seriously injured or their motor vehicle is not totaled, or they think they just don’t need the police.

All of the previous reasons may be valid but let me tell you why you MUST call the police.

In my nearly 20 years of practicing Baltimore injury law, I have seen many people end up not being able to get compensated for their injuries and property damage from a responsible party because they simply had bad or no information about the defendant. You can have the most horrific injury in the world but if you can’t indentify the responsible party or their insurance company you will end up with zero.

As I stated in my last blog, there are alot of dishonest people in the world and there’s a good chance the person who just rearended you is one of them.

That’s why you need the police to be at the scene of the accident. Not only do the police direct traffic and call Emergency Medical Services if necessary, they also make sure both parties exchange information. A responsible party is less likely to give you inaccurate information when an officer is standing right next to him.

If the accident is more than a fender-bender, the police write a police report. This is crucial because it will contain the other driver’s AND the vehicle owner’s personal and insurance information. A police report is also valuable because the officer will describe how the accident ocurred and who was at fault.

If the police fail to write a report they will frequently at least secure the personal and insurance information you need and hand to you that information on a document that has police letterhead as well as the officer’s badge number and phone number.

We pay taxes (way too much by the way) and a portion of that goes to the police. Let the men in blue earn their keep. Neglecting to utilize this free service when you’ve been in a Maryland Car Crash doesn’t make sense and could cost you BIG TIME.

The number one thing to do immediately after a Maryland automobile accident is to write down the other driver’s license tag number. I don’t care if you have to pull lipstick out of your pocketbook and write the number on a Styrofoam cup, scribble it in pen on your arm, or ask the paramedic to write it on his notepad while you’re being loaded into the ambulance. The simple fact is that failure to do this one thing could be fatal to any future claim you may want to pursue against the responsible party.

Here’s why. If you’ve been in a Maryland car crash, you are going to need to get your property damage fixed as well as be compensated for any injury you’ve sustained. Provided the other driver is at fault, he or she is responsible to take care of those damages. Unfortunately, not every person you come across is honest. In fact, there’s a ton of people in this world that will look you straight in the face and lie to you. Especially if they think their insurance rates are going to go up because they were at fault for the accident. They may give you false information about their insurance company or their home address and phone number.

Remember…the police do not respond to every single Maryland motor vehicle accident. People are afraid to lie to the police but won’t think twice about lying to you.

Thus, getting the other driver’s tag number insures that if you are given bad information by the defendant you’ll still be able to get the information that you need.

All you simply need to do is run a tag check through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration or the many online companies that provide this service and you’ll be able to get the correct name, address, insurance company, and insurance policy number of the other driver.

The phone number for the Maryland MVA is 1-800-950-1682. Out of state callers should dial 301-729-4550.

Here are several online tag check companies who provide this service for a fee:

I know what you’re thinking. All you need to do at the scene of the accident is write down the other driver’s information off of his driver’s license. That usually works but not all the time. People frequently change their address and fail to notify the MVA. Maryland law requires an individual to notify the MVA within 30 days of an address change but many people just don’t bother.

Even if you get accurate information from the responsible party’s license, you still won’t have the insurance information. Maryland licenses don’t contain that information. So you have to hope that you’re given the proper insurance details by the defendant. As we’ve discussed, it’s like rolling dice.

The consequence of not being able to get accurate personal and insurance information from the person that just smashed up your vehicle? You’ve now got no one to pay for your messed up vehicle and your mangled body.

Don’t make the mistake of leaving the scene of a Maryland auto accident without securing the other driver’s tag number!!!

In my last blog I wrote about the wonderful relationships I have been fortunate to develop having been doing this line of work for nearly 20 years. When you handle life or death matters for people you can’t help but develop a kinship.

What’s even more rewarding is that these relationships last a lifetime. Even if the ex-client doesn’t need any additional legal services I still send birthday cards, holiday cards, and make sure I stay in touch. Heck, I still communicate with friends I represented in the 80’s!!!!! (That’s back when I had a New Wave haircut and listened to Duran Duran…Eeek!!!!)

You can thus understand that it really hits me hard when I learn of the passing of one of these friends. While death is inevitable, you really can never come to grips with it.

I found out that a long time client and friend, Lenny Bolasky, died of a stroke on January 23,2008. Lenny had multiple health problems and had recently had a leg amputated. He was only 49.

Despite having to deal with the vicious pain from all of his different medical problems, Lenny never let it get him down. His closest friend Joyce Latham said he was the same old good natured, lovable Lenny, even up to his last days. She told me that several months ago Lenny was able to get into a handicapped-friendly apartment which bolstered his spirits.

Joyce remembered when she first met Lenny, over 20 years ago, that her car didn’t have a radio. She recalls driving around Baltimore, with Lenny riding shotgun, listening to Lenny sing song after song to entertain her. Or the many times they would go fishing for the day. She knows he’s in a better place now…free from the pain that practically crippled him. She will miss him dearly.

Me. I’m just gonna miss the Lenny that always had a smile on his face and nice things to say whenever we crossed paths. Like Lenny, I love to sing (especially in the car though my wife threatens to get out at a stoplight and walk if I don’t stop). Here’s hoping there’s a non stop jukebox full of all your favorite rock and roll tunes in the better place that you’ve gone, my friend.