What to do Immediately after you’ve been involved in a Car Crash

Stop and Get to Safety

The first thing you should always do if you are involved in a car crash of any type is to stop and get to safety. Never leave the scene of a crash without exchanging information with the other driver involved. Doing so is a crime and you could go to jail. Pull out of the travel lanes, if you can move your vehicle safely. If you are in a situation where you don’t feel safe, then lock your doors and call 911. If it is dark, make sure that you put on your flashers and use flares if they are available

Call the Police

In Maryland, drivers are required to remain at the scene of a crash if someone has been injured. If you flee the scene, you could go to jail or prison and face substantial fines.
If there is damage to a vehicle or property, but no injury, you are not required to call the police, but you are required to stop and remain at the scene until information has been exchanged.

Call an Ambulance if Needed

A driver whose involved in an accident has a duty to render assistance to a person injured in an accident and if the person requests medical treatment, or it is apparent that treatment is needed to arrange for the person to be transported for appropriate medical treatment.

Exchange Information

Drivers are required to exchange information with each other following a crash when there is property damage or someone is injured. The drivers of each vehicle involved must give their names, addresses, vehicle registration numbers, and if requested show their license to the other drivers involved. You should always get this information and will cellphone cameras it is easy to keep a record. The information must be given to anyone who is injured and the driver of any vehicle that is damaged in the crash.

Drivers are also requested to display their license to the other drivers involved. Again, you should get this information and take a picture of the license. This will be very helpful if later the at-fault drivers denies they were operating the vehicle at the time of the accident. You should also get the phone number of each driver and each witness to the crash.

If a police officer is not present and the other driver is not in a condition to be able to exchange information with you, then you should call the police or immediately report the crash to the nearest police station.

Help to Make Sure there is an Accurate Record of What Happened

If there are injuries, the police will prepare a police report of the crash. You want to make sure that you provide accurate information to the police about what happened and who was involved. Any persons who witnessed the accident – whether bystanders, passengers, or other drivers should give their information to the police so that they can be listed on the police report.

If you don’t know something, or are uncertain, tell the police officer. Never guess about what happened. If the officer asks you if you are injured, and you are not certain, tell the officer that you are not certain rather than denying injury. It’s not unusual for someone to feel okay immediately after being involved in a crash and then have significant pain a short time later.

Take Pictures

You want to take photographs of the important things, but don’t interfere with the police or risk danger to yourself or others in doing so. Take pictures of the cars involved, any property damage and the intersection or roadway in which the crash took place. It is not unusual for the resolution of a crash to be months or even years after the actual crash occurs. Sometimes intersections and roadways change between when a crash occurs and when a case goes to court. You’ll want an accurate record of what happened at the time.

Get Needed Medical Attention

Following the accident, go get checked out by your doctor or local clinic. Even if you feel okay, it is still a good idea to have the fact that you were in a crash documented. It is not unusual to feel okay right after a crash and then have pain and discomfort a day or two later. If you lost consciousness or were dizzy at any point during or after the crash it is extremely important that you do not skip this step. You could have a concussion or other head injury which should not go untreated. Even in accidents with a minor impact, you could have a spinal cord injury which should be looked at as soon as possible.

Contact Your Insurance Company

When you get home, give your insurance company a call and let them know that you’ve been in an accident. Depending on the circumstances, you may be contractually obligated to contact your insurance company within a certain amount of time. Regardless of whether this is the case, it is a good idea to do so. Your insurance company can help you with some immediate needs, such as opening a property damage claim, helping you to get a rental car and starting a claim for personal injury protection (PIP). PIP is part of most Maryland automobile insurance policies and pays for medical care and lost wages. It is designed so that you have some money to take care of immediate needs following a crash.

Keep Organized

You should keep a file or folder with all of the information from the crash. Include the police report, any information you exchanged with other people, photographs of the scene, vehicles and identification documents. Don’t just keep photos on your phone. These can be accidentally lost or deleted. Have them printed out and put them in a folder for safekeeping. When you report your claim to your insurance company, or the other party’s insurance company, you’ll be assigned an adjuster and given a claim number. This information should be kept in your file.

Go See an Attorney Before you Talk to Anyone

You’re likely to get a call from an insurance company a day or two after the crash. Don’t talk to any insurance companies, other than your own, without speaking to an attorney first. If your own insurance company requests a recorded statement, you are usually obligated to provide that. You should consult with an attorney before doing so. You are never required to give a recorded statement to an insurance company that is not your own and generally you should refrain from doing so.