Car Accident Claims in District of Columbia

A driver who knows or has reason to believe their vehicle was in a collision must stop immediately. If someone is injured, the driver must call (or have someone call) 911 or an ambulance if needed, stay until police arrive, and give identifying information to police and the injured person. If another person's property is damaged or a domestic animal is hurt and the owner is not present, the driver must give identifying information and the location to police or 911. If property or an animal left by the collision poses a risk to others, the driver must call 911 and describe the risk.

The D.C. Code subchapter that once required drivers to file accident reports (D.C. Code §§ 50-1301.10 to 50-1301.15) has been repealed. No current driver-filed crash report requirement to the DC DMV was found in the D.C. Code.

A driver who knows or has reason to believe they were in a collision must stop and meet the duties above: for injuries, call for emergency help if necessary, stay until police arrive, and identify themselves; for damage to another's property or injury to a domestic animal, give identifying information to the owner (or to police/911 if the owner is absent). Being intoxicated, distracted, or not at fault is not a defense. Leaving an injury collision: up to 180 days in jail and/or a fine (up to 1 year for a repeat offense). Leaving a property or animal collision: up to 30 days and/or a fine (up to 90 days for a repeat offense). Fines are set by D.C. Code § 22-3571.01.

Drivers must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage and $10,000 in property damage liability coverage (25/50/10), plus uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000/$50,000 for injury and $5,000 for property damage ($200 deductible). D.C. is an optional no-fault jurisdiction: insurers must offer personal injury protection (PIP), with medical benefits of at least $50,000, paid regardless of fault. A person who elects PIP benefits (within 60 days of the accident) may sue the at-fault driver only for serious injuries (such as substantial permanent scarring or impairment, or inability to perform daily activities for more than 180 days) or when medical expenses or work loss exceed the PIP benefits. Survivors may still sue for a death.

Under the Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act, a pedestrian or "vulnerable user" (such as a cyclist or scooter, skateboard or motorcycle rider) hit by a motor vehicle or another vulnerable user is not barred from recovering because of his or her own negligence, unless that negligence was a proximate cause of the injury and greater than the combined negligence of all defendants.

D.C. has no separate deadline that names personal injury; negligence-based injury claims fall under the general 3-year period for actions not otherwise specifically covered. Claims for assault, battery, libel, slander, false arrest or false imprisonment have 1 year.

A lawsuit for damage to real or personal property, or to recover personal property or damages for holding it unlawfully, must be filed within 3 years after the right to sue accrues.