Cockeysville, MD Car Accident Lawyer
All it takes is one bad car accident for your life to be completely upended. Dealing with the emotional and financial fallout of a crash can be overwhelming, and you should call an experienced attorney for assistance.
Ideally, you should reach out to an attorney as soon as possible after a crash. You only have 3 years to file a case in court, so time is of the essence. Your attorney can help you evaluate your damages and determine what kind of compensation your claims are worth. Generally, more severe accidents are met with greater damages and compensation. Our legal team can assist you in obtaining monetary compensation through various legal channels. While things like insurance claims and settlements are possible, we can help you sue the other driver to make them pay fair compensation. No case is complete without evidence. Whether we gather evidence directly from the crash scene or use police reports to track down witnesses, we can help you build the strongest case possible.
Our car accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras can be reached at (410) 694-7291 for a free, private assessment of your claim.
When You Should Begin a Car Accident Case in Cockeysville, MD
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting too long to speak to an attorney about a bad car accident. While taking some time to recover from injuries and consider your legal options is reasonable, you should not take too much time. There is a strict deadline on when potential plaintiffs must file their cases. If you wait too long to talk to an attorney, the deadline might pass, and you might be out of luck.
The statute of limitations on personal injury claims can be found under Md. Code Cts. and Jud. Proc. Art. § 5-101. This law imposes a 3-year deadline on your civil claim. The deadline begins to run on the date of the car accident. While 3 years might seem like enough time to prepare your case for court, you might be surprised at how much time is required to get a case ready.
It is not unusual for personal injury claims related to car accidents to take months to prepare before they are filed in court. Your attorney needs to assess the accident to determine who should be held responsible. They must also investigate for important information and evidence to support your claims. Your damages must also be evaluated so your attorney knows what compensation you should receive. All this takes time. As such, beginning a car accident case as soon as possible is best.
What is a Car Accident Claim Worth in Cockeysville, MD
Understanding how much your claims are worth is tricky. While many damages are based on financial losses that can be easily added up, others are more subjective. Your economic losses may include the cost of medical care to treat your injuries, repairing or replacing damaged property, and even lost income if your injuries prevent you from working.
Many economic damages continue to roll in long after a trial is over. For example, you might be returning to the doctor for treatment for the foreseeable future. In that case, our car accident lawyers can estimate future economic losses and add them to your damages.
Car accidents can be very frightening experiences. Many people are deeply affected on a psychological level. For some, a lingering fear of driving might prevent them from getting back behind the wheel, thus interfering with their lives. Many accident survivors live with depression, anxiety, or even PTSD. Your psychological distress deserves compensation just like any other damages.
How Our Cockeysville, MD Attorneys Can Help You Get Fair Compensation for Your Car Accident
While many drivers assume that the only way to get compensation is through an insurance claim, this is simply not true. While many car accident cases start with an insurance claim, more might be required to get you compensation for the full extent of your damages.
Insurance claims, while useful for some, are often limited. The other driver’s policy limits might not be enough to cover all your damages fully, and you might still be left with unpaid expenses. Alternatively, the insurance company might jump on any little details that tend to undermine your claim so they can deny you.
Lawsuits are a great way to get the compensation you need for several reasons. First, the insurance company does not decide whether you get compensated. Insurance companies are not known for being unbiased, and their true loyalties lie with their bottom line. Instead, an impartial court will decide. Second, you may claim greater damages that are not restricted by a policy limit. You may also claim damages typically excluded from insurance, like emotional distress.
Settlements may be a way for plaintiffs to get compensation while avoiding the time and costs of a lawsuit. Settlement agreements may be worked out privately between the parties. Usually, the plaintiffs get an agreed-upon portion of their damages paid for, while the defendant does not have to face an embarrassing lawsuit.
Supporting Your Cockeysville, MD Car Accident Case with the Best Evidence Possible
We need proof of your claims if you are to get compensation. Evidence often comes directly from the scene of the car accident. Unfortunately, evidence tends to disappear fast, and we need to move quickly. If you took pictures of the crash scene or recorded videos, we can use those recordings as evidence.
Considering how easy it is to lose evidence from the crash site, we might want to check the police report from the accident for additional evidence and information the police might have uncovered in their investigation. The report itself is likely inadmissible because it violates the rule against hearsay evidence, but we can use the report as a guide to find more evidence.
The police report might help us track down witnesses. If anyone saw the accident or has first-hand knowledge relevant to the case, we might need them to testify in court. Your attorney can help you find witnesses, interview them, and prepare them to testify.
Get Help for Your Case From Our Cockeysville, MD Car Accident Lawyers
Our car accident lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras can be reached at (410) 694-7291 for a free, private evaluation of your case.