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Frequently asked questions
Baltimore Personal Injury Accidents FAQs
We created this FAQ section to provide you with answers to more general questions that apply to most Baltimore personal injury cases. However, at Hyatt & Goldbloom, we can answer any questions about your specific case. Please call us at (410) 385-3180 for more specific answers to your important questions. In addition, for inquiries about specific and common accidents, click the relevant link below to learn more about how Hyatt & Goldbloom can help you.
General Personal Injury Questions
If you, or a loved one, were injured in an accident, the attorneys at Hyatt & Goldbloom can help you recover from your pain and suffering. Whenever another person or company is responsible for your injuries, you are entitled to medical treatment and to be financially compensated for the damage to your automobile(if applicable) and for the pain and suffering that you were forced to endure. Unfortunately, dealing with insurance companies and their lawyers, without any support, can be difficult and, quite frankly, miserable. That’s where we come in. At Hyatt & Goldbloom, we view ourselves as your teammates. As a team, we can lead you through the process of recovering from an accident so you are never alone. When you partner with us, you can rest assured that an experienced team of attorneys has your back, so you can focus on feeling better, without any added stress associated with your recovery.
Yes! No matter whether you have hit a pedestrian, a moving car, parked car or someone’s property, always stop if you have struck something with your car. If you do not, no matter how minor the damage seems to you, you may be guilty of leaving the scene of an accident – even if the accident was not your fault. You also may forfeit your ability to give your version of events to the investigating officer.
The first thing to do at the crash site is to determine the extent of driver’s and passenger’s injuries. Next, call the police. If the accident is a fender bender, emergency medical care may not be necessary. Resist the temptation to settle up with the other driver on the spot. You may have suffered injuries which do not develop symptoms until days or even weeks after the accident.
Next, if you are involved in an accident involving any injury at all, no matter how minor, call 911 and ask to receive assistance and the presence of an officer as soon as possible. Doing so will provide proof of the accident and will allow for an immediate investigation of the circumstances of the accident. Sometimes, if no injuries are reported and a vehicle does not necessitate a tow, you may be advised that an officer will not be responding to the scene. When an officer does respond, that officer will advise whether it is required for you to move your vehicle from the location. Please resist moving your vehicle before taking photos of its position and that of the other vehicle.
After everyone is out of danger and any medical and police help have been summoned, obtain the following (which can be easily and accurately collected using a cellular telephone to take photographs):
Drivers’ name of all vehicles involved
Drivers’ license numbers, addresses, and phone numbers
Drivers’ insurance company and policy number
License plate number, year, make, model, and color of all vehicles involved
Registered owners’ names and addresses of all vehicles involved
Full name, address, and phone number of occupants in any of the vehicles
Full name, address and phone numbers of any pedestrians or other parties involved
Full name, address and phone number of any witnesses to the accident
Police officer’s name, department, phone number, and badge number
Actual location and any intersecting road
*** If you are only able to obtain one piece of identifying information, TAKE A PHOTO OF THE OTHER VEHICLE’S LICENSE PLATE.
If possible it is important to take pictures of the scene of the accident, the vehicle(s) involved, and damages caused by the accident. Try to take these photos before any vehicles are removed. Additionally, if you have a visible injury, you should take a picture of those injuries as soon as possible and periodically, as those injuries begin to heal. If safe to do so, take photographs from multiple angles and locations, so as to reconstruct an accurate diagram of the collision site. To learn more about what to do after an accident, download the Hyatt & Goldbloom app today.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) FAQs
PIP, or Personal Injury Protection, is an important part of any insurance policy. In this section, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about PIP. We highly recommend that everyone review their auto insurance policy to make sure you are covered. PIP often saves you money in the long run.
PIP stands for Personal Injury Protection; something that can pay for bills arising out of injuries sustained in a car accident. PIP is considered no-fault, so if you have PIP, you can access this money no matter who caused the accident. Medical bills are eligible to be paid from your PIP policy and 85% of any lost wages due to an accident can be paid by your PIP coverage. Most often, PIP policies provide $2500 in coverage, per person. This $2,500.00 will cover medical bills and/or any lost wages.
PIP covers the policy holder, resident relatives, pedestrians, and people in the car (unless someone waived this same coverage on their own, separate, policy). Even if you are a passenger with no insurance of your own, you are covered by the PIP associated with vehicle in which you were riding. You are covered whether you are at fault for the accident, or not.
When you are the policy holder and you waive or give up PIP, you do so not only for yourself, but also for any resident relatives. Without PIP, you lose medical and/or lost wage money when you are involved in an accident. In turn, this delays how quickly some of your bills can be paid and will lower your settlement, overall. Resident relatives (without their own policy) also lose this coverage. However, your insurance company must pay PIP for qualifying passengers (if they do not have a vehicle or have their own policy and did not waive PIP), and all children under 16 years of age. PIP is not expensive and, in fact, automatically comes with your policy. You have to actively remove it for it to be considered waived. Hyatt & Goldbloom STRONGLY advises you NOT TO WAIVE PIP!
PIP is relatively inexpensive, but can make a big difference for you financially if you are in an accident. When you, a passenger, or resident relatives use PIP, your insurance rates will NOT increase. Most PIP policies provide you with $2500 of coverage, but of course, you can purchase a larger policy. Incrementally, more extensive coverage will cost you very little.
At Hyatt & Goldbloom, we always fight for our clients’ rights.If you are entitled to PIP, we will work hard to ensure the insurance company pays PIP in a timely manner.We try to obtain PIP payments from the insurance company as soon as possible. This often means we can start paying your medical bills, or pay you back for lost wages, before your case is settled.
Property Damage FAQs
You may have your vehicle repaired at any auto shop you choose. However, the auto shop and the insurance company will have to communicate about what repairs are necessary and how much they should cost. As a result, it is sometimes easier to use an auto shop the insurance company recommends. More importantly, most insurance companies have preferred auto-body shops or blue-ribbon repair shops. These are places that the insurance company trusts and recommends. As such, if your car is not repaired correctly by one of these preferred shops, not only is the repair shop responsible for fixing the errors, but the insurance company is also responsible in paying for the repairs until they are done right. If you choose to use your own repair shop, one that is not preferred by the insurance company, you, on your own, will have to deal with the repair shop should your vehicle not be repaired correctly. What should you do if your car was towed to an impound lot after an accident?
You should attempt to get your car out of the impound as soon as possible. Even if you are not at fault for the accident, you may be responsible for fees, which can add up quickly. If you do not know how to retrieve your car, call 311 or visit https://transportation.baltimorecity.gov/towing for more information. In Maryland, the law is very clear…you have the duty to mitigate or lessen your damages. This means that you may not sit back and expect the at-fault insurance company to remove your vehicle from storage. That insurance company has a right to investigate the accident and this can mean waiting for a police report, speaking with witnesses and other procedures that can take days and even weeks. Sometimes, that insurance company will deny responsibility and your case may have to go to court, meaning even longer delays. You cannot leave your car at the storage facility! The at-fault insurance company is only required to pay reasonable towing and storage fees. Normally, this means up to 4 or 5 days of storage.
Most people have collision coverage and their own company will remove the vehicle and pay the towing and storage fees. The problem arises for those without collision coverage, making it their individual responsibility to pay for these charges. Please call us at Hyatt & Goldbloom to discuss the immediate need to remove your car from storage.
GAP insurance prevents you from paying down a loan on a vehicle after its totaled. When your car is totaled, the liability insurance company will pay you the “fair market value” of your vehicle; not necessarily what you still owe on your car. Therefore, if you owe more on your vehicle than it is worth, you need GAP insurance to pay the difference. If you are unsure, try comparing the Kelly Blue Book value of your car to your loan and, you can always call Hyatt & Goldbloom to explain GAP in more detail.
Rental Car FAQs
When your vehicle is unsafe to drive after an accident, you will need to either get it repaired or buy a new one if your vehicle is declared a total loss. However, it often takes too long to wait for the repair of your vehicle, or to receive a total-loss check if your car is not subject to repairs. In this situation, you may need a rental vehicle. If the accident is not your fault, you are entitled to receive a rental vehicle from the other driver’s insurance company. However, actually getting your rental vehicle can be difficult. Your lawyers at Hyatt & Goldbloom are here to help.
(Note: if you are at fault, you must go through your own insurance company or pay out of pocket.)
Even if you believe you or a family member were not at fault in the accident, the at-fault-driver’s insurance company might say they are still conducting an investigation. Until the other insurance company “accepts liability” for the accident, they will not pay for your rental vehicle. There are many reasons why liability investigations take time. Most likely, the insurance company still needs a statement from their insured. (For information on how and when insurance companies accept liability, call us)
In this situation, you should check if you have rental coverage from your own insurance company. This is extremely important to have rental coverage on your policy. If the other company accepts liability later on, they will reimburse your out of pocket costs and your insurance company.
In the event that you cannot get a rental from your insurance company, you must pay all costs out of pocket. Again, the other insurance company will reimburse you if they eventually accept liability, or if a judge later orders this as part of the judgment. If you end up paying out of pocket, it is imperative that take an inexpensive rental vehicle because the various insurance companies have certain limits for daily rental expenditure. If you are nervous about paying out of pocket, please feel free to give us a call to discuss the specific circumstances of your accident. We can give you advice on whether or not the other insurance company is likely to accept liability.