Filing A Personal Injury Claim In Prince George’s County

In this article, you will discover:

• Five critical pieces of evidence to gather at an accident scene.
• Why you shouldn’t apologize to the other driver.
• Why you should avoid making a recorded statement for the insurance companies.

What Steps Do I Need To Take To File A Personal Injury Claim If I Am Injured In A Car Accident In Prince George’s County?

The first step you want to take if you’ve been injured in an accident in Prince George’s County is to call 911. If you’re injured badly enough, get in an ambulance, and go to the hospital. Don’t be scared about the ambulance bill. If it’s not your fault, the other guy’s insurance will pay for it. It helps you to get to the hospital quickly, and it helps your case present as seriously as it is.

If you can, you want to document the accident, including:

• a photo of the other driver’s license;
• their insurance information;
• the license plate of the other vehicle;
• the position of the cars; and
• liability, especially if it’s not your fault.

Assuming the accident is not your fault, you want to document all you can. Take many pictures; enough to make somebody feel like they were at the scene when they look at your pictures. Email these photos to me as soon as you can. This way, if your phone gets lost or damaged, we can still access the pictures elsewhere.

If there are witnesses, get their name, number, and email address. Do this even before you take pictures of the scene—you never know when you’ll need to contact them later. If they walk away before you get their information, that could be your case walking away with them.

Liability disputes can arise, where the other driver says, No, you had the red light, not me. If you have independent eyewitnesses, apart from your passengers, that’s invaluable if there is a dispute about liability. That independent witness is usually the tiebreaker.

Never apologize. You did nothing wrong. Don’t say I’m sorry or admit any fault in any way. If the other driver does this, take note—it could be useful down the road.

After calling 911 and the police arrive, tell them what happened. Show them the pictures of what happened so they can gauge how severe the accident was.

You don’t want to call the insurance companies—even your own. If you do, they might have you make a recorded statement. A recorded statement is up for anybody to get, including the other insurance company. If the other company gets a hold of that statement, and there’s anything in there that makes it look like you’re partly at fault, they’re going to use that against you. I never have my clients call an insurance company for any reason.

For more information on Auto Accidents in Maryland, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (443) 990-1529 today.