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After a car crash in Maryland, establishing fault for the accident is critical. Maryland law uses the contributory negligence standard, so if an injured person is found to be even partially at fault for their injuries, they generally cannot recover. Every detail matters – and one of the most detailed pieces of evidence after an accident is the police accident report, called the State of Maryland Motor Vehicle Accident Report.
Insurance companies use this report to determine fault, and if the investigating officer is called to testify, that testimony will likely be based on the report. It’s thus critical that you understand what your report says and how to set the record straight if it’s inaccurate.
State of Maryland Motor Vehicle Accident Report
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/maryland_0.pdf
Page 1
The first section gives an overview of the accident, including when and where it happened as well as how severe it was (fatality, injury, or property damage only). This section also notes the investigating officer and agency.
Click here to download a printable PDF of How to Read Your Maryland Accident Report.
The officer draws a diagram and writes a brief narrative of what happened. The diagram must include the roads, the vehicles involved, and how each vehicle moved during the crash. Read through the narrative carefully, as it may contain information not found elsewhere.
The next section describes the vehicles involved, known as Unit 01 and Unit 02. In a single-vehicle crash, Unit 02 is left blank; in a crash involving more than two vehicles, additional pages will be used. Each unit section lists the vehicle’s driver, owner, identification number, and insurance information.
The Units section notes how fast each vehicle was going as well as the posted speed limit. It also makes note of contributing circumstances and any citations given to the drivers of the vehicle. This information is key to establish fault.
Any passengers involved in the accident, whether injured or not, are listed at the bottom. The report also documents any emergency medical treatment but note that not every injury requires emergency medical attention.
