Maryland Personal Injury Blog

DON’T WAIT LONG AFTER MARYLAND CAR COLLISION TO CALL POLICE

By Steve Heisler on February 13, 2008

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 identify 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 occurred 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.

Posted in Auto Accidents, Auto Insurance, Injuries |