Belcamp Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Pedestrian accidents can be extremely dangerous. When two cars hit each other, there is a decent chance that both parties will be spared serious injury thanks to the many safety features found in modern vehicles. When a car hits a pedestrian, the victim does not have that luxury. They are going to face the full force of a much larger and heavier object impacting them at speed. Accordingly, pedestrians are sadly seriously injured or even killed by motor vehicles every day.

If you or a loved one were hurt in a pedestrian accident, call us. We can investigate your claim and build a legal argument while you focus on recovering from your injuries and getting back to living your life.

Get assistance from our pedestrian accident attorneys today when you call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at the number (410) 694-7291.

Suing the Right Parties in Belcamp Pedestrian Accident Cases

While it may be obvious that you should sue any drivers involved in your pedestrian accident, you may also want to file your claim against other parties. In fact, you probably should include multiple parties in your lawsuit so long as you can demonstrate that they were negligent.

For example, suppose you got hit by a car in a poorly lit parking lot outside a store. You may be able to include the store owner as a defendant in your claim if the lack of visibility contributed to the accident taking place. Alternatively, suppose the driver who hit you recently took their car in for repairs, and the mechanic did a bad job installing the brakes. In that case, you may also be able to sue the repair shop for providing the driver/defendant with a dangerous vehicle.

How Long Do I Have to File a Pedestrian Accident Lawsuit in Belcamp

Unfortunately, you cannot wait forever to file your lawsuit. There are laws in place called statutes of limitations that set time limits for when prospective plaintiffs are able to file their claims. In Maryland, for personal injury lawsuits – including pedestrian accident claims – you have three years from when you get injured to file your case pursuant to Md. Code, Crim. Art., § 3-202. Once those three years are up, you cannot file a claim or collect damages in court.

Statutes of limitations exist for two main reasons. First, they help ensure that cases are brought when the facts are relatively fresh in the minds of all parties involved. Second, they let people eventually move on with their lives without the specter of an impending lawsuit hanging over their heads.

While three years may seem like a long time to file a claim, in reality, it is no time at all. When you take into account the time it takes to recover from your injuries and for our pedestrian accident lawyers to track down information and prepare initial filings, those three years can go by very quickly. Therefore, it is always better to try to file your claim as soon as you can so as not to go past the statutory period.

What Our Lawyers Can Do to Help You After Pedestrian Accidents in Belcamp

Our attorneys can help you in many more ways besides arguing at trial. In fact, most of the work that our lawyers do happens before trial. Some of the tasks we can help you with as your lawsuit is prepared include:

Investigating Your Accident

Gathering evidence and information is the bedrock of any successful legal action. Evidence can come from a lot of different places. In fact, you may be able to provide some evidence yourself if you were able to gather any information after your accident. However, you should not be too worried about supplying your own evidence. It is our job to track that down, not yours.

We can talk to the medical center that treated you for your injuries, retain investigators to recreate the incident and give their opinion on what happened, and contact other parties who may have information, like eyewitnesses who can testify on your behalf in court. We can even get some information from the defense attorney through a process called discovery, where attorneys share information in order to ensure that lawsuits are carried out fairly.

Dealing with Insurance Companies

Maryland uses an “at-fault” system for auto insurance claims. This means that you would compel a negligent driver’s insurance company to cover your injuries since their policyholder caused them. Of course, that insurance company is going to have the best interests of the defendant in mind, not yours. This can make insurance companies tough to deal with. They will often be looking to take what you say and use it against you to hurt your case. Even something as simple as “it was my bad” may be used to try and exculpate their client from liability.

Therefore, it is always better to have our lawyers deal with insurance companies than to try and do it yourself. We can talk to insurance companies in a way that lets them know that their policyholder is in the wrong and they need to pay up. If they do not want to cooperate, we will not hesitate to fight for your rights in court.

Advocating at Trial

Of course, if it does come down to it, our attorneys are more than capable of advocating for you at trial. Based on all the evidence and prep work we have done beforehand, we will bring a strong argument and compelling evidence to your trial to give you the best shot at demonstrating to the jury that the defendant is liable for your injuries.

Get Help from Our Belcamp Pedestrian Accident Attorneys Right Away

Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s pedestrian accident attorneys offer free case reviews when you contact our office at the number (410) 694-7291.