Pedestrian Accidents Involving Runners in Maryland

When a runner has been involved in an accident it is most important to check the individual’s condition while on the scene. The police and the emergency medical services are very important and should be called immediately if the individual injured is able to call for themselves. If they are not, then the other parties involved in the accident, by law, have the responsibility to call for help and come to the aid of an injured party.

Once an ambulance is called, the runner or pedestrian, if able, should try to obtain pictures of the vehicle, pictures of the intersection, and the information of the driver. The individual should also take the contact information and identification of any witnesses at the scene to ensure that they can be contacted if necessary.

After these steps have been taken, then a Maryland pedestrian accident attorney should be called to assist in putting together the information necessary for a claim and aiding the injured party in receiving financial compensation for the medical costs associated with receiving treatment.

Role of the Police

The Maryland police should be called to the scene of the accident. When they arrive on the scene, they will often document people’s identification and their identifying information. Sometimes, depending upon the nature of the injury, the police do not have to file a police report, but will instead facilitate the exchange of information through a fairly informal form that requires the parties to exchange information.

If the incident is more serious and parties go directly to the hospital from the scene or require medical attention at the scene, then the police will write a police report where they will document the identity and identifying information of the individuals involved in the collision, note the identification of any witnesses and their contact information, take photographs in some instances, and provide a description of the accident as the parties have described it to the officer taking the statements.

Again, if the police are not doing a formal report, then it is all the more important to get the identifying information of the other parties involved in the accident and its witnesses.  Many times, if it is word against word, and the parties are not in agreement as to the description of the accident, then there is going to be a problem proving how the collision occurred and that the other party was at fault.

Importance of Seeking Medical Attention

Once leaving the scene it is vital to seek medical treatment. This may be done by emergency personnel taking the injured runner immediately to the hospital or by seeking medical treatment within a short period of time to document any injuries that may have been sustained. Always follow up on the recommendations of the medical care providers to be sure that any symptoms and problems are documented early on in the process. Usually, injuries sustained by a pedestrian in an accident do not get better with time on their own. Many times, the injuries are worse or at least feel worse a day, two, or three later.

For this reason, it is very important to document the symptoms and injuries, because later on down the line—whatever the treatment and whatever the outcome—it is important for the insurance company that the symptoms and injuries be documented from a causation standpoint. If it is not documented and then there is a long delay going to the doctors, the insurance company will raise the issue of why the injured party took so long to seek medical attention.

Because of the delay, the Maryland insurance company may try to attribute problems to some cause other than the car accident. Therefore a delay in documenting injuries after an accident is not advisable and can become a problem with the insurance company, their adjusters, and lawyers who will try to use the delay as a defense.