Cloverly, MD Personal Injury Lawyer
Unfortunately, accidents resulting in serious injuries caused by another party’s negligence happen quite often. Victims of these accidents may end up with life-altering injuries, enormous medical expenses, mental and emotional anguish, or all of the above. For that reason, many victims of negligence-based injuries look to take their case to court and get compensation.
That is where we come in. We have lots of experience representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases, and we are here to help you out. Our lawyers will work tirelessly to get you the compensation you need after an injury.
To talk about your case for free, contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 so you can speak with our personal injury attorneys.
What Happens in a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Cloverly, MD?
Most people know and understand that lawsuits are a tough and lengthy process. What may not be as readily apparent, however, is just how little of the legal process involves a jury trial. As a matter of fact, a jury trial for a case is only the final punctuation of a long preparatory period where most of the legal “action” takes place. Our personal injury lawyers will walk you through everything important that happens in a personal injury claim from start to finish.
Initial Consultation and Filing Your Case
The first step in any personal injury case is to retain legal counsel and get your case filed with the appropriate court. When you meet with our attorneys, we can learn more about your case and start devising a plan of action to effectively advocate for you in the Maryland legal system. Of course, things may change as more evidence is gathered throughout the course of the legal process, but strategizing about your personal injury lawsuit happens from the get-go.
Another important thing that happens early is filing your case. Our lawyers will make sure that you file with the right people at the appropriate court of law. We will also file your case in a timely manner to comply with statutes of limitations, which are essentially time limits on how long an injured person has to file a lawsuit. In Maryland, that time limit is three years from the time you get injured per Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101. Three years may seem like a long time, but when taking into account things like recovery and dealing with your injuries, it is no time at all, so reach out to an attorney as soon as you can.
Gathering Evidence
A great deal of time in any case is spent collecting evidence and then making sense of it. In a lawsuit, any thing that has any tendency to prove a fact more or less likely to be true can be used as evidence. This includes medical records to prove your injuries, eyewitness accounts to establish how the accident happened, and analysis of the circumstances that led to your injuries in order to prove a defendant’s liability.
To get this evidence, our lawyers will reach out to a variety of sources, including opposing counsel. Indeed, lawyers from opposite sides of a personal injury lawsuit will exchange information through something called “discovery.” This is a formalized process whereby the court makes sure that both sides are working off of more or less the same set of facts.
Negotiations Before Trial
Throughout the legal process, our lawyers will also work with opposing counsel to try and improve the outcome of your case. Lawyers from opposite sides of a case talk to each other often before trial. There are conferences before a judge that are scheduled at different points, and opposing attorneys may even meet outside of that space. The whole point is to advocate on your behalf all of the way through the legal process and not just at trial.
Such negotiations may even result in a settlement offer. A “settlement” is when both sides of a lawsuit agree to terms and “drop” the case. Generally, in a settlement, the plaintiff is paid an amount agreed to by both sides. There also may be some stipulations about conduct by one party or another, such as keeping certain details private.
The primary advantage of a settlement is that the outcome is guaranteed. No matter how much preparation is put into a case, a trial is always a coin toss because the final decision is up to the jury. Settlements, on the other hand, are more of a sure thing.
Some people will equate settling a case with losing, but that is not true. Many plaintiffs get exactly what they need out of a settlement, so that is a “win” for them. If you have received a settlement offer, you should go over it with our lawyers before coming to your final decision.
Trial
If a settlement is not reached in your case, then it goes to trial. At trial, most of the details about how things will play out have likely already been established between the parties. Lawyers for both sides of the case will probably have a pretty good idea of what the other side is going to argue. There will not be many surprises for the lawyers involved. The real goal is to present the evidence and arguments to the jury so that they can come to a final conclusion about the case. After hearing the arguments and considering the evidence presented, the jury comes back with a verdict where the defendant is found liable or not liable, and also with the amount of damages you will be awarded.
Call a Cloverly, MD Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Rice, Murtha & Psoras has personal injury lawyers ready to help you out when you call us at (410) 694-7291.