Anne Arundel County Personal Injury Lawyer
If you suffered from an injury as a result of someone else’s negligent behavior, you could receive compensation for it if you file a personal injury lawsuit. A personal injury lawsuit will enable you to receive compensation for medical bills, lost earning capacity, lost wages, damaged property, pain and suffering, and more. it is challenging to go through it alone, though, which is why you should hire an experienced personal injury attorney to help you throughout the process.
The Anne Arundel County personal injury attorneys from Rice, Murtha & Psoras are prepared to assist clients with nearly any personal injury lawsuit, from car accidents to slip and falls to product liability. You can schedule a free consultation to discuss your case today if you call (410) 694-7291.
Types of Personal Injury Lawsuits Our Anne Arundel County Lawyers Handle
The personal injury attorneys that work at Rice, Murtha & Psoras can assist people in Anne Arundel County with any of the following types of personal injury lawsuits.
Slip and Falls
If you are injured during a slip and fall in a restaurant, bar, casino, hotel, mall, retail space, or other public space, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit in Anne Arundel County against the owner of the property. Since property owners must maintain safe premises, the injury you endured may have happened because of their negligent behavior.
Failing to clear icy or snowy sidewalks, fix broken handrails and lighting on stairwells, remove obstructions and torn carpet in hallways, repair defunct escalators and elevators, and maintain playground and swimming facilities are forms of negligence that can result in slip and fall accidents, causing severe injuries.
Premises Liability Accidents
One of the most common areas of injuries that our lawyers handle involves injuries that people receive on another person’s property. These kinds of accidents are considered “premises liability” injuries. the most common of these accidents are slip and fall accidents, but there are other types of accidents and injuries that you can sue a property owner for as well.
Often, back injuries, broken bones, and head injuries from premises liability accidents can leave victims with expensive medical costs and pain and suffering. These kinds of accidents also include things like drowning, electrocution, burns, structural collapses, and other serious injuries.
Product Liability
Injuries caused by defective products may be the fault of the product manufacturer, designer, packager, or marketer. If you were injured by a product, you could file a personal injury lawsuit as long as you were using the product in the right way.
Fault for your injury may be placed on the designer or manufacturer for creating a product that has the potential to injure users, or it may be placed on the company that was responsible for packaging or marketing it if false claims were made about the product.
Auto Accidents
You can file a personal injury lawsuit in Anne Arundel County if you were injured in an auto accident that happened because of the negligence of another driver. Any type of serious injury makes you eligible for a personal injury lawsuit, though broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, organ damage, and burns are the most common.
You can file a personal injury lawsuit regardless of the type of car accident you were in—victims of T-bones, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, sideswipes, and hit and runs are eligible for compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. the type of vehicle doesn’t matter, either; you can file a lawsuit against the party that was responsible regardless of whether they were operating a van, truck, motorcycle, bus, or bicycle.
Medical Malpractice
Sometimes, receiving medical treatment doesn’t go as planned. If a doctor, nurse, or medical professional administers care in a way that harms you, or that doesn’t meet accepted standards of safety and professionalism, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against them. Receiving unnecessary or incorrect medical treatment, being prescribed the wrong medication or medication in the wrong dosages, and not getting a diagnosis or a follow-up procedure are acceptable grounds for personal injury claims.
Workplace Accidents
Injuries in the workplace can often be catastrophic. If you were injured and cannot return to work, you might be stuck with expensive hospital bills and other expenses at home that makes it difficult to move forward with your life. In many cases, workers’ comp. might be available to pay for your injuries and damages, but a lawsuit might provide higher compensation.
Talk to one of our Anne Arundel County personal injury lawyers for help understanding whether workers’ comp. or a personal injury lawsuit is right for you, and which will help you recover maximum damages.
Compensation for Personal Injury Lawsuit Victims in Anne Arundel County, MD
If you are injured in an accident, you deserve compensation. If someone else was responsible for the injuries you experienced, there is no reason that you should be left on the hook to pay for the damages you now face. A lawsuit often allows you to get these damages paid by the responsible parties.
The damages you can claim in a personal injury lawsuit in Anne Arundel County, MD are often quite varied, and it is important to review your case with an experienced Anne Arundel County personal injury lawyer to help ensure that you do not miss any areas of compensation you could be entitled to. the following are some of the major areas of damages that personal injury victims can be compensated for in personal injury lawsuits in Anne Arundel County.
Medical Expenses
Prescription medications, medical equipment, surgeries, visits with physicians and specialists, physical therapy, ambulance rides are medical costs that can be recovered through a personal injury lawsuit. Many of these damages could be expensive, potentially leaving victims with years of medical debt if they do not have the negligent parties pay for their medical bills for them.
Lost Wages and Diminished Earning Capacity
A serious injury can keep you from being able to go to work for a long period of time, or possibly forever. If you were injured in a way that kept you from being able to go to work to earn an income, you can recover the wages you have lost in a personal injury lawsuit. If your injury was severe enough to keep you from being able to work far into the future, you can receive compensation for the wages that you will not be able to earn in the future.
Pain and Suffering
It is possible for victims of personal injury accidents to recover compensation for the non-economic damages they suffer following their injuries. Pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, and loss of consortium are types of noneconomic damages.
How to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Anne Arundel County, MD
If you were injured in an accident like the accidents listed above, you could be entitled to file a lawsuit. the first step in your injury case will be filing it in court. In order to do that, you will need to know who you are suing, and you will need to be able to explain what happened that makes them at fault for the injuries.
Your initial filing with the court, known as a complaint, will lay out the facts of your case as you see them. This details who injured you, what they did wrong, what legal duty they breached, how their actions caused your injuries, and what damages you faced because of the accident.
In many cases, drafting the complaint in a clear and concise way can mean the difference between having your case thrown out and proceeding to trial where you can have your claim heard.
It is important to file your case quickly after an injury because there are laws that might block you from filing your case if you wait too long. it is also important to have an attorney review your case and draft the complaint for you. Once you file your complaint, it can only be amended under certain circumstances and with the court’s permission, so it is important to have an experienced Anne Arundel County personal injury lawyer working on your case.
After filing, you must also “serve” the defendant with the proper paperwork to notify them that the case has been filed against them. Maryland has specific rules about who can serve a complaint and when and how the complaint must be served. it is important to make sure that you work with a lawyer so that your case is not thrown out for mistakes with service.
What is the Statute of Limitations on Personal Injury Lawsuits in Anne Arundel County?
Victims of injuries should be aware of Maryland’s statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits. the statute of limitations lasts three years, starting on the date of the injury. Exceptions can be made, however, in cases with extreme circumstances. the deadline to file your case is often a bit different in medical malpractice cases, too. In any case, it is important to review your case as soon as you can with the help of an experienced Anne Arundel personal injury lawyer to avoid issues with the statute of limitations.
When your attorney works with you on your case from the outset, they can help you gather information and evidence to use in your case. We can also help prevent witnesses from forgetting what happened by getting early depositions and statements from them. Gathering evidence early can also help preserve it, as many records, security camera videos, and other pieces of evidence that could be important to your case could be destroyed or deleted before you get to see it if you do not send letters requesting that the evidence be preserved.
What to Expect from a Personal Injury Case in Anne Arundel County, MD
Once your case has been filed and the defendant has been served, your case might proceed slowly at the beginning. If the court is busy, you may need to wait to have your case heard by a judge, which could mean a bit of a delay. Eventually, your case will get to a stage called “discovery,” where you and the defendant will exchange evidence. This is when you can subpoena evidence you need from the defendant, such as photos, video, or accident reports.
At all points throughout the case, the judge and the defendant will likely try to ask you to settle your case instead of going to trial. This could be beneficial and save both sides (and the court) the time and expense of trial, but you should never settle without discussing with an attorney first. Settling may mean missing out on the damages you deserve.
If your case proceeds to trial without settling, the trial stage will often be surprisingly short. Most trials do not last more than a couple of days, during which your lawyer will handle most aspects of the case. You will likely testify in your own case, meaning you will go on the stand and discuss what happened to you, who caused your injuries, and what damages you suffered.
At the end of the case, the jury will deliberate and decide how much you deserve in compensation, based on the information and arguments your lawyer provided. Even after your case has already reached trial, the defendant may still make settlement offers. Keep in touch with your lawyer throughout the process to see if settlement negotiations have improved the offer.
Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Anne Arundel County, MD Accident Victims
If you have been injured in Anne Arundel County due to another person’s actions, call the Anne Arundel personal injury lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras. Personal injury claims are complicated, but our Baltimore personal injury lawyers have the experience to explain your options and best strategies to win you the compensation you deserve. Call (410) 694-7291 to schedule a free consultation today.