CAR ACCIDENTS IN MARYLAND AND WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Primer By Personal Injury Attorney Charles Jerome Ware (PART I)

The national law firm of Charles Jerome Ware, P.A., Attorneys and Counsellors, specializes in car accidents in the Maryland and Washington, D.C. geographic area.  We are: "Still here.  Still committed.  Still here to make a difference."

Without a doubt, the vast majority of cases in state and federal courts in the United States involve cars (automobiles).  A huge percentage of these cases involve "car accidents", aka "automobile accidents".

In Maryland, for instance, traffic crashes are the number 1 killer of people between the ages of 4 and 34.  Each year, in Maryland, traffic crashes kill more people than homicides.  In fact, it is reported that the frequency of car accidents in the city of Baltimore, Maryland ranks 2nd worst in the United States.

Only drivers in Washington, D.C. experience car crashes more often than Baltimore, Maryland.

[www.nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Understanding the Law: A Primer, Charles Jerome Ware, iUniverse Publishers (2008); www.mva.maryland.gov/Driver Safety/Stats/Maryland Crash Summary]

Actually, more than 90% of total crashes in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States are preventable accidents caused by "driver error".

[Source: Maryland Highway Safety Office, www.mva.maryland.gov; Maryland Crash Summary].

In 2010, approximately 32,885 people died in "motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States".  Also in the same year, an estimated 2,240,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes.

[see, "Traffic Safety Facts, Research Note," Revised February 2012, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), DOT HS 811 552].

STEPS TO TAKE AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT IN MARYLAND AND WASHINGTON, D.C.:

1. Be deliberate, methodical, and safe.  Stop the car, turn off the engine, and if you can physically and safely do so, exit the car.  Think safety.

2. Call 911.  You will need the police; and you may need an ambulance.

3. Try to get the personal information (name, address, telephone) on any witnesses.

4. Otherwise, try to be quiet.  Avoid what us lawyers call "spontaneous utterances".

5. If you are injured, seek medical attention.

6. Try to listen and remember as many details about the accident as possible.

7. If you have a camera or camera phone, take pictures of the scene and damage.

8. Seek legal counsel before making reports to insurance companies.