“Single-Vehicle Accidents”: Fault, Insurance, and Other Potential Claims
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The general concept
A “single-vehicle accident” describes how a crash happened: one vehicle was involved in the collision or left the roadway. It does not, by itself, establish who was at fault or whether anyone has a claim. A driver may have lost control through inattention, speed, or another error, but a road hazard, a vehicle or tire failure, a dangerous work zone, falling debris, an animal, or an evasive response to another vehicle may also have contributed. The investigation should identify each plausible cause and distinguish a driver’s mistake from a defect, unsafe road condition, or another person’s conduct.
How Maryland applies it
A person injured in a one-vehicle crash may have a claim against the driver, an employer or vehicle owner where agency or another basis for responsibility is proven, a manufacturer or repairer if a defect or negligent repair caused the crash, or a public entity or contractor responsible for a road condition. Each claim requires proof of duty, breach, causation, and damages; naming a possible cause is not enough. Maryland’s contributory-negligence rule can bar recovery when the injured person’s own negligence contributed to the crash, subject to limited doctrines such as last clear chance when its elements are supported. A passenger may have a claim even though no other vehicle was involved, but coverage depends on the policies and facts. Potential sources can include the driver’s or owner’s liability coverage, personal injury protection, medical-payments coverage, collision coverage, or uninsured-motorist coverage if an unidentified vehicle caused the crash. The useful evidence may disappear quickly: preserve the vehicle and tires before repair or salvage, request event-data information, gather maintenance and repair records, photograph the roadway and vehicle, identify witnesses and nearby cameras, and document any construction or road-maintenance activity. Claims involving a public road may have separate notice requirements and immunity issues.
Related Maryland Cases and Authorities
Md. Code, Insurance §§ 19-505 and 19-509; Md. Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings § 5-101; Nizer v. Phelps, 252 Md. 185, 249 A.2d 112 (1969); Liscombe v. Potomac Edison Co., 303 Md. 619, 495 A.2d 838 (1985).