What To Do After a Truck Accident In Maryland

Advice from experienced Silver Spring truck accident lawyers

Truck accidents in Maryland on I-495 and other busy roads in the DMV area happen fast. Injury victims need to respond fast as well. Otherwise, they might not fully recover, health-wise and financially as well.

But knowing what to do in such situations can be confusing and overwhelming. Even knowing what your rights or legal options are might not be clear. That’s why our Silver Spring law firm wants to help.

Below, you can find some of our suggestions for what steps to take if you have been involved in a crash caused by a commercial truck driver. We also encourage you to contact us and schedule a free case evaluation with a Maryland truck accident lawyer at Goldberg Finnegan right away.

What Should I Do After My Maryland Truck Accident?

Every commercial truck accident in Maryland is different. But in many cases, you should take the following steps at the site of your Maryland truck accident:

Call 911 – By law in Maryland, you are required to report all serious motor vehicle accidents that result in a serious injury or fatality, according to Maryland Transportation Code, Section 20-107. Depending on where your truck accident took place in Maryland, the 911 dispatcher will send a local police officer or a Maryland State Police trooper to your crash site.
Get medical attention – Your health and well-being need to be your first priority. If you or anyone else appears seriously injured, ask the police dispatcher to send an ambulance. Many truck accident injuries can be serious and life-threatening.
Get officer’s name – When talking to the investigating police officer or state trooper who responded to your truck accident, make sure to get the officer’s name, badge number and phone number. That way, you can contact the officer later if you have any questions or any trouble obtaining a copy of your official Maryland accident report.
Get truck driver’s information – If it’s safe to do so (many truck crashes occur on busy highways), get the truck driver’s personal information, including their name, driver’s license number, address, phone number and insurance information. If the truck driver works for a trucking company, get the company’s name, address, and phone number as well.
Share your information – When you talk to the truck driver, you can give the same personal information to the driver as well – your name, address, phone number, driver’s license number and insurance information.
Don’t discuss accident – While you're talking to the truck driver, you might be tempted to talk about your accident. Don’t do it. Anything you say – even something as simple as “I’m sorry” – could later be used by the truck driver’s insurance company to deny your injury claim. The less you say, the better.
Take pictures – Photographs of your truck accident can be powerful pieces of evidence in support of your injury claim. If you can safely do so, take photos of your crash site before anyone moves their vehicles.
Talk to witnesses – Many times, there are witnesses who saw your truck accident, especially if it occurred on a highway or at a busy intersection. Before these witnesses leave, get their names and phone numbers. That way, accident investigators can interview them and include their witness statements as part of the official accident record.

If you are no longer at the site of your truck accident, you should take the following steps right away:

Report your accident – You are also required by law in Maryland to report your accident to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration within 15 days of the accident. If you’re not sure what to do, our legal team can help.
Call your insurance company – Along with reporting your truck accident to the state, you are required to notify your insurance company that you have been involved in a collision. What you don’t have to do is go into great detail about your accident during your first phone call. Keep your comments brief. You can discuss your accident in more detail later, after you have talked to your lawyer.
Don’t talk to the truck driver’s insurance company or trucking company – Don’t be surprised if the truck driver’s insurance company or the trucking company the driver works for contacts you soon after your collision. Don’t talk to them. Anything you say can be used by them to deny your accident claim.
See a doctor – Even if a medical professional already examined you at the scene of your truck accident, schedule a follow-up appointment with your doctor. Make sure you also take your doctor’s advice. That way, you can hopefully recover faster, and your insurance claim won’t be denied on the grounds that you did not follow your doctor’s instructions.
Review accident report – The police officer who responded to your accident filled out an accident report. Make sure you get a copy of your Maryland accident report and carefully review it to make sure it’s correct. The slightest mistake could jeopardize your accident claim.
Call a lawyer – The sooner you have a Maryland truck accident attorney working with you after your collision, the better.

Take your truck accident seriously. Contact us today

So many complicated legal issues often come up after a collision involving a commercial truck in Maryland. That’s why our legal team at Goldberg Finnegan wants to help. We can answer your questions, explain your options, and get right to work investigating your truck accident.

Take the first step. Contact us and schedule your free case evaluation with a Maryland truck accident lawyer you can count on in a crisis. Our law firm is located in Silver Spring, and we handle truck accident claims and lawsuits throughout Maryland.