What to Do in the First 24 Hours After a Car Accident in Maryland
The minutes and hours right after a car accident can feel like a blur. Your adrenaline is running, you may be in pain, and you are suddenly expected to make decisions that could affect your health and your finances for months to come. What you do, and do not do, in that first day can matter more than most people realize. Do you know what steps actually protect you?
Immediate Steps at the Scene
Maryland law requires drivers involved in an accident that causes bodily injury, death, or property damage to stop, provide certain information, and render reasonable assistance to anyone who is hurt. Once safety is addressed, a few actions at the scene can make a real difference later:
- Call 911 if anyone is injured or if the accident involves significant vehicle damage
- Exchange names, contact information, insurance details, and vehicle registration with the other driver
- Take photos of the vehicles, the road conditions, any visible injuries, and the surrounding area
- Get contact information from any witnesses who saw what happened
- Avoid discussing fault or making statements about who caused the accident
A police report can become an important piece of evidence if a dispute arises later about how the accident happened.
Why Getting Checked Out Matters, Even If You Feel Fine
Adrenaline has a way of masking pain in the immediate aftermath of a crash. Soft tissue injuries, concussions, and other conditions do not always announce themselves right away. Seeking medical evaluation within the first 24 hours accomplishes two things at once. It gets you the care you may need before symptoms worsen, and it creates a medical record connecting your injuries to the accident. Waiting days or weeks to see a doctor can make it easier for an insurance company to argue that your injuries came from something else entirely.
Understanding What You Are Up Against Under Maryland Law
Maryland follows one of the strictest fault rules in the country, known as contributory negligence. Under this rule, if you are found even slightly at fault for the accident, you may be barred from recovering any compensation at all, regardless of how much more at fault the other driver was. This makes the first 24 hours especially important. What you say to the other driver, to police, or to an insurance adjuster in those early hours can end up being used to suggest you share some blame for what happened. Being careful, accurate, and limited in what you say to anyone besides your own attorney or medical provider protects you from that risk.
It is also worth remembering that Maryland gives injury victims three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. That deadline may feel distant in the first 24 hours, but decisions you make now can shape how strong your case is later.
Contact an Attorney First
The first 24 hours after a crash are not the time to navigate an insurance claim alone, especially with a fault rule as unforgiving as Maryland’s. At the Law Office of Vanessa R. Dozier, Esq., our team of Maryland motor vehicle accident attorneys help injury victims protect their rights from the very beginning of a claim. Reach out to us today for a confidential consultation before you speak with an insurance adjuster about your accident.
Source:
mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gtr§ion=20-104&enactments=false