Edgewood, MD Personal Injury Lawyer

A personal injury lawsuit is one of the most widely known types of legal action. We often hear about them on television and in movies, but a real personal injury case is extremely serious and often very painful.

If someone’s negligence or intentional actions caused you physical injuries, you might have a personal injury case. Car accidents, slip and falls, and workplace accidents are common reasons behind personal injury lawsuits. The defendant is the person or people who caused your injuries. Most cases are based on negligence where the defendant owed the plaintiff some legal duty of care. Damages include medical bills for treatment and other damages like property damage or pain and suffering. Evidence is crucial to your case, and your evidence will depend on the type of case you have and how your injuries happened. A skilled attorney can review your case and help you take your next step.

You deserve financial compensation after being injured because of someone else’s poor behavior. Our Edgewood, MD personal injury lawyers can help you get your damages covered. Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for a free case review.

How to Tell if You Have a Personal Injury Case in Edgewood, MD

In many cases, injured victims do not realize they have a personal injury case until they speak with an attorney. People sometimes find the topic of legal action and lawsuits uncomfortable, but you should not have to suffer because of someone else’s actions.

If you experienced physical injuries to your body, you might have a personal injury case on your hands. There is sometimes confusion about what constitutes a personal injury. While you can also claim damages for things like property damage in a personal injury lawsuit, property damage is not considered a personal injury. For example, a car accident victim can sue for personal injuries sustained in the crash and the damage to their vehicle.

Our Edgewood, MD personal injury attorneys can discuss your situation with you and determine what kind of case you have. Personal injuries are sometimes very severe, and your damages may be very expensive.

The Defendant in a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Edgewood, MD

Knowing who the defendant is in your case is an extremely important part of your case. It might sound a bit silly to say that someone does not know who the defendant is, but this is more common than most people realize. There are numerous circumstances in which the defendant’s identity is unknown or unclear. For example, in a hit and run car accident, you would not know the defendant’s identity until the police track them down.

In negligence cases, a defendant is a person who owed you a duty of care of safety, and their actions violated this duty, thus causing your injuries. In a car accident, all drivers owe a legal duty to drive in a reasonably safe manner under the circumstances. Someone who drives recklessly and causes an accident can be sued in a personal injury lawsuit.

Other times, the defendant is not directly involved in the accident but is still responsible. In slip and fall cases, the defendant is often the person who owns the property where the fall happened. A property owner can be sued even if they were not present when the plaintiff fell.

Our Edgewood, MD personal injury attorneys can help you identify the defendant in your case and begin legal proceedings. If your defendant is unknown, we can work to find them or contact law enforcement about a possible criminal investigation.

Damages and Injuries in an Edgewood, MD Personal Injury Lawsuit

Your damages encompass your injuries and losses connected to your accident. Generally, there are two categories of damages: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those that come at a direct financial cost. Non-economic damages are losses that do not necessarily cost you any money but should still be financially compensated.

Medical damages include hospital bills, prescription medications, surgeries, therapies, and other treatments required for your physical injuries. Medical bills are often very expensive. Even people with health insurance have difficulty paying for multiple medical bills.

Property damage is technically not a personal injury but may be claimed in a personal injury lawsuit. Any loss of property may be claimed. After a car accident, you can claim the loss of your vehicle as part of your damages. If you lost valuable personal property in the accident or incident, you might claim that personal property too. Our Edgewood, MD personal injury attorneys can help you tally up your costs and expenses.

Many plaintiffs are so severely injured that they cannot return to work. You can claim your lost income as part of your economic damages. If you cannot return to work indefinitely, or perhaps you can never return to work, you can claim lost future earnings.

Pain and suffering are non-economic damages that are more challenging to calculate. They usually did not cost the plaintiff any money, but courts believe they deserve compensation. Both physical and mental pain and suffering can be claimed. Our team can help you calculate these damages by examining their impact on your daily life—the greater the impact, the greater the damages.

Evidence for Your Personal Injury Lawsuit in Edgewood, MD

The evidence necessary in your case will depend on the various factors surrounding your injuries. A good place to begin gathering evidence is the location where your injuries occurred. Photos and videos from the scene or immediately after may be helpful. Our Edgewood, MD personal injury attorney can help you figure out if nearby security cameras might have caught your accident on camera. We can also rely on witnesses who saw your accident or incident for testimony.

There is no “standard evidence” in personal injury cases. Each case is unique, and your circumstances will shape the evidence in your case. This is why it is crucial to speak with an attorney as soon as possible. Our team has the skills and experience to identify important evidence in your case.

Call Our Edgewood, MD Personal Injury Lawyers for Help

If you experienced an accident or incident that left you injured, our Edgewood, MD personal injury lawyers can help you get compensation for your damages and expenses. For a free case evaluation, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.