Auto accidents that occur in Waldorf, Calvert County, or other parts of Southern Maryland entitle the injured victims of the accident to seek compensation. Most Maryland car accidents are settled through insurance claims, although some cases end up being filed as personal injury lawsuits in the Maryland State Courts. Injured victims can recover compensation for a wide range of damage categories, including medical and hospital costs/fees, lost wages and earnings, damage to vehicles, pain and suffering, and more.

Eyewitness testimony is the most direct and common evidence that is used to determine how the accident occurred. However, the type of accident and where damage is visible on the relevant vehicles is also valid evidence of how the accident happened. Such evidence usually supports eyewitness testimony, but in some cases, such evidence can be used to challenge eyewitness testimony. Where there is conflicting testimony, such evidence can also be used by insurance claim representatives, judges, or juries to evaluate which testimony is more credible and believable.

Using evidence of the type of crash and the location of visible vehicle damage is a complex legal art form. This is one reason to hire experienced Maryland auto accident lawyers like those at the Law Office of Robert Castro. If you have been injured, call us at (301) 870-120, or use our contact page. We have offices in Waldorf, Maryland, and represent all types of clients in Calvert County.

Types of Crashes

Generally speaking, we can discern several categories or types of car crashes. These would include the following:

• Head-on crashes
• Rear-end crashes
• Multi-car accidents, where visible vehicle damage has multiple sources
• Crashes where the front of one vehicle impacts the side of another vehicle
• Sideswipe crashes
• Single-car crashes
• Roll-overs

For each type of crash, the physical evidence of visible vehicle damage corresponds to the type of crash. For example, with a head-on crash, visible vehicle damage should be visible to the front of each vehicle.

As noted, sometimes the visible vehicle damage is at odds with the type of crash (at least according to one party or another). Let’s say that a person appears to have been involved in a single-car accident where the police find the car smashed head-on into a tree at the side of the road. The driver, however, says he was pushed off the road by an oncoming car. It turns out that there is significant denting and scraping along the driver’s side of his vehicle that could not have been caused by hitting the tree. In that case, the visible vehicle damage tends to show that the accident was NOT a single-car accident but rather a two-car accident. This could be important since insurance companies do not generally cover single-car accidents.

Need Help With Your Personal Injury Claim?

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Personal Injury lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601.