Upper Marlboro Car Accident Resources

Upper Marlboro is located in Prince George’s County, Maryland, just east of Washington, D.C., and it is the county seat. Prince George’s County includes College Park – home to the University of Maryland – and other population centers such as Bowie, Crofton, and Laurel. Upper Marlboro’s tobacco farmland has given way to housing developments, which have certainly imposed increased traffic to the local roadways. The area’s congested roadways include US Route 50, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (I-195), Crain Highway (Route 301), Pennsylvania Avenue (Route 4), and Largo Road (Route 202).

If you are involved in an automobile, truck or motorcycle accident, certain events that happen immediately after the collision will be important to protecting your rights under Maryland law for fair compensation for your bodily injuries, lost wages, pain and suffering, medical bills, pharmaceutical expenses, property damage, and towing and storage expenses.

For example, make sure to get the contact information of all witnesses – do not expect the responding police to necessarily take down the witness information. Also, try to get photographs of the other involved vehicle(s). Photographs taken by a camera, or a cell phone, showing the resting position of the vehicle(s) immediately after the collision can be very helpful, as well as photos that simply show the damage sustained to the other vehicle(s).

In addition to storing a disposable camera in your glove box, we recommend printing out the following list and placing it in your car:

1. If your vehicle is stopped in the roadway, make sure you and your passengers exit the vehicle and STAND OFF OF THE ROADWAY in a safe area to protect against injury due to a secondary collision. Make sure to turn on your EMERGENCY FLASHERS to warn other drivers of the impasse created by the collision.
2. CALL THE POLICE to investigate the collision, and fully cooperate with the officer once he or she arrives on the scene.
3. DO NOT DISCUSS THE INCIDENT with anyone except the police officer.
4. EXCHANGE INSURANCE INFORMATION with the other driver immediately following the collision.
5. GET THE NAME, ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS OF ALL WITNESSES.
6. TAKE PICTURES of the damage to your vehicle, the other vehicle, and any skid marks left on the roadway.
7. DO NOT GIVE A RECORDED STATEMENT to any insurance company until a sufficient period of time passes for you to ascertain whether you have sustained injury in the automobile collision, and the severity of the injury.
8. IF YOU ARE INJURED, get evaluated by a medical doctor or go to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible.
9. IF YOUR VEHICLE IS TOWED, remove as many valuables as practical.

Local Emergency Rooms

Below is a list of emergency rooms where you may seek treatment for injuries sustained in an Upper Marlboro auto accident:

• Prince George’s Hospital Center
• Washington Adventist Hospital
• Southern Maryland Hospital Center
• Greater Laurel Beltsville Hospital
• Doctor’s Community Hospital

If you have been treated at any of the above hospitals, you can obtain your medical records and bills from the facilities after making the proper request. The links attached to each hospital name will direct you to the medical center web pages that either provide the contact information for the hospital’s medical records department or explain how to make the appropriate request.

Police Reports

If you are involved in an automobile accident in Upper Marlboro, Bowie, or Largo, officers from District II of the Prince George’s Police Department will respond. If the vehicles involved in the collision are too badly damaged to be driven away from the scene, or if a person sustains injuries that require transportation by ambulance to a local emergency room, the responding police officer will complete a State of Maryland Vehicle Accident Report. If the facts do not compel the completion of a Maryland Accident Report, the officer will complete an exchange of information form that simply lists the involved parties, and some basic facts that relate to the event.

Maryland Vehicle Accident Reports completed by Prince George’s County Police Officers may be ordered through an automated telephone system or via the mail. The telephone number for the automated request line is: (301)-985-3660 and the fee for the report is $5.00 payable by cashier’s check or money order. The County will not accept cash or personal checks as payment.

Written requests via the mail, along with the $5.00 fee, should be sent to:

Police Records Center
4923 43rd Avenue
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781

In your request, you must include the name of the individuals involved in the collision, as well as the date, time and location of the accident.

Tow Yards

If, as a result of an automobile accident, a vehicle cannot be safely driven away from the scene, the Police may tow the car to a local tow yard. In order to regain possession of your vehicle, you will need to obtain a vehicle release from either the officer at the scene or from any Prince George’s County Police District. You will need to present photo identification, and the vehicle’s title or registration to obtain the release.