Chillum, MD Personal Injury Lawyer

Accidents happen. That is a fact of life. Unfortunately, sometimes accidents cause serious injuries, and the unlucky victims are left with hefty medical bills, lifelong impairments, or both. Depending on the extent of your injuries, insurance companies might not be willing to cover the full cost, and the parties that caused your injuries will likely not want to be held responsible.

We’re here to help. Our attorneys can help you get the damages you are owed after an accident. We can prepare your case and deal with the court system so that you have the best legal representation possible. Pursuing a personal injury claim can be daunting, but we will be with you every step of the way.

Talk to a personal injury lawyer at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 to discuss your case for free.

Common Accidents That Could Lead to a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Chillum, MD

A variety of factors can cause accidents and injuries. No two injury lawsuits will be the same, so your case will be prepared based on the unique circumstances surrounding it.

Motor Vehicle Accident

Motor vehicle accidents very often result in injuries to one or multiple people involved. A car accident lawsuit is one of the most common personal injury lawsuits.

Drivers have a legal duty to use reasonable care around other drivers. If drivers are careless on the road, they can be held liable for injuries they caused in a car accident. Similarly, if a driver ignores the rules of the road by speeding, drunk driving, or tailgating, they could be found negligent in a court of law.

If a driver hit you while they were working, you might be able to sue their employer. Employers can be responsible for their employee’s negligence so long as the employee was doing a work-related activity. Our personal injury lawyers can help you determine whether the driver’s employer could share liability in a truck accident, bus accident, taxi accident, or other similar commercial vehicle accident.

Slip and Fall

A slip and fall might seem like a minor problem, but the reality is that falling down can cause severe or even permanent injuries. A wet floor without a warning sign, a dark stairwell, or a poorly maintained sidewalk can all cause someone to lose their footing and fall over.

While older people are more at risk, especially for broken bones, serious injuries can happen to anyone who slips and falls. A hard blow to the head can cause traumatic brain injuries. If the fall damages the spinal column, nerve damage up to and including partial or full paralysis can occur.

Property owners are responsible for keeping their premises safe for people on it. The owner might be liable for your injuries if you slipped and fell on poorly maintained premises.

Medical Malpractice

Even doctors make mistakes sometimes. Unfortunately, when those mistakes happen to patients, they can be left with permanent damage that would not have occurred had the doctor done their job properly. A botched surgery could leave you permanently disfigured or with a reduced range of motion. A misdiagnosed condition could result in suffering ailments that could have been treated.

In a medical malpractice claim, the relevant standard of care is of critical importance. The question asked is whether a reasonable doctor would have made the same mistake the doctor did here. What will often result is a “battle of experts” where both sides have medical professionals provide their professional opinion on what an ordinary, responsible doctor with the right training would have done in the same case.

Construction Accident

If you work in the construction industry, you likely know all too well that there are hazards everywhere. Working at a great height above the ground, exposed electrical wiring, and heavy machinery all pose a danger to a construction worker’s physical being. While it is true that you should make sure to wear as much protective equipment as you can, accidents can happen even to construction workers who take all the personal safety precautions they should.

Construction companies are supposed to take steps to make sure their work sites are as safe as possible. For example, safety nets are generally required to catch potential falling objects. Only certified people are supposed to operate heavy machinery. Appropriate gear should be issued to make sure workers working high up do not fall to the ground.

Construction companies found to be ignoring safety rules could potentially be liable for your injuries.

The Statute of Limitations in Chillum, MD

You do not have all the time in the world to file a personal injury action. Maryland law puts a time limit on when actions can be filed, called the statute of limitations. In Maryland, Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101 makes the statutory period for personal injury lawsuits three years. If you do not file within that time, a court will not hear your case.

Some events can pause or delay the three-year statutory period. If you are a minor when an accident happens to you, the timer will not start until the day before you are 18 years old.

In medical malpractice cases, the statutory timer can also be put on hold if you find out you are injured later on. Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art, § 5-109(a) makes it so you can bring a claim within three years of discovering the injury or five years of the medical procedure that caused it, whichever circumstance happens earlier. For example, if an injury from poor medical treatment does not reveal itself for two years, the timer starts from when you discover the injury, not from when the improper medical treatment took place.

Call Our Chillum, MD Personal Injury Lawyers Today

Call our personal injury lawyers at Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for a free case review.