Suitland Car Accident Lawyer

Car crashes are scary experiences that happen to countless Americans across the country every day. Victims of these crashes are often very badly injured and require emergency medical care. Worse still, the financial cost of treatment can easily reach astronomical amounts, and many victims will be dealing with the effects of the accident in some form or another for the rest of their lives.

Our office can help you if you get injured during a car crash around Suitland. We can collect evidence, talk to opposing lawyers and other adverse parties, and fight hard for you to get the financial compensation you deserve after a car accident while you focus on recovering from your injuries.

To get a free analysis of your case, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s car accident attorneys by dialing (410) 694-7291.

What Causes Car Accidents in Suitland?

Whatever the cause of a given car accident, it is often some form of negligence. In law, “negligence” means that someone was careless and, consequently, someone else got hurt. You can only get compensation from parties who were negligent and caused your injuries, so it is worth knowing what negligent acts may lead to a car accident taking place.

Other drivers may do negligent things that cause an accident. Speeding, driving under the influence, ignoring traffic signals like traffic signs, and other traffic law violations are considered negligent conduct that could lead to injury. Additionally, if a driver does something that is unreasonable but not necessarily against the law, they can still be found to be negligent.

Motorcycle designers and manufacturers can also be negligent and cause car accidents if their products are defective. Something is defective, legally speaking when it will hurt someone when used in a normal, intended way. For example, a sedan with brakes that do not work or an SUV with hairline cracks in the frame would be considered a defective product. If a designer designs a car with known flaws or a manufacturer lets a faulty product leave the factory floor, that is a form of negligence, and you can sue them in court if they caused your injuries.

Yet more car accidents are the result of poor road conditions. Potholes and other road hazards can cause motorists to lose control of their vehicles and crash. When that happens, you sue the entity responsible for maintaining that stretch of road.

What Damages Can I Get in Suitland Car Accident Claims?

The goal of a car accident lawsuit is to be awarded financial compensation from the court in the form of damages. This is how the legal system tries to “turn back the clock” on the events that befell the plaintiff as much as they can – generally by means of financial compensation.

First, you can get damages for things like medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. These items will have some sort of paper trail, like invoices, receipts, or other physical evidence of their worth. These kinds of damages are generally the most straightforward to demonstrate in court.

Second, you can seek damages for less immediately tangible things. You can seek damages for the pain and mental anguish you experienced because of the injuries you got in the crash, even though there is nothing like a receipt denoting their worth. Because the value of these kinds of things is not obvious, you will have to show their worth with the assistance of our car accident attorneys.

Finally, you can get a different type of damages called “punitive damages,” which are meant to punish defendants who have done particularly egregious things. Courts can be hesitant to award punitive damages, so you should plan from the start to get these damages in your claim.

Calculating Damages in Suitland Car Accident Lawsuits

In addition to explaining what you are seeking damages for, you also have to calculate those damages. While lawyers are not required to follow a certain method for calculating damages, there are two methods that are commonly employed for determining the worth of damages in personal injury cases like car accident lawsuits. These methods are called the multiplier method and the “per diem” method. Which method you use will be determined by the facts and circumstances of your situation, so there is no “correct” choice for a generic claim.

Multiplier Method

The multiplier method simply takes your “economic damages –“ medical bills, property damage, and so on – and multiplies them by a certain factor in order to determine your “non-economic” damages – things like physical pain, mental anguish, and emotional distress. For example, suppose you are seeking $100,000 in economic damages. Using the multiplier method, our attorneys determine that it makes sense to multiply those damages by 5. You then are seeking $500,000 in non-economic damages to come to a total of $600,000 in compensatory damages.

The multiplier method is usually employed when the plaintiff is expected to not make a full recovery from their injuries and will have to deal with them in some way for the rest of their lives.

Per Diem Method

The “per diem” or “daily” method takes a different approach. This method has our attorneys come up with a “daily pain amount” for each day you experience the effects of your injuries. You then add up each day you deal with the effects of your injuries, both now and in the future, to arrive at the total amount. The “per diem” method is used when the plaintiff is expected to make a full recovery from the injuries. If this method were used when the plaintiff was not expected to recover, the defendant would owe the plaintiff an infinite amount in financial compensation, which no court would realistically award.

Chat with Our Suitland Car Accident Attorneys About Your Case Today

Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s team of car accident attorneys can be reached at (410) 694-7291 and provide free case reviews.