Elkridge, MD Personal Injury Lawyer
Not every instance of an accident or injury is random or just bad luck. Accidents and injuries are often preventable, and someone’s negligence likely caused your accident. They should be held responsible for their reckless behavior.
Personal injury cases may include a vast array of injuries and accidents. Our team has experience with car crashes, faulty products, unsafe premises, workplace accidents, and more. Damages may also vary greatly, and they should reflect your extensive financial losses in addition to more subjective personal experiences. We need evidence for your case to be successful. Evidence might be nearly anything as long as it is relevant, tends to show liability, and meets rigorous evidentiary standards. Some plaintiffs try to handle their claims alone but risk struggling through complex legal procedures and being bulldozed by the defendant’s legal team. Hire a skilled and experienced lawyer to help you instead.
For a free case review with our personal injury attorneys, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.
Common Instances of Personal Injuries in Elkridge, MD
Personal injury law is one of the broadest areas of the legal field. It encompasses an extremely wide variety of accidents and injuries. If you know you have been hurt but are unsure what kind of claim, if any, you have, talk to our personal injury lawyers to find out. Below are some, but not necessarily all, of the accident cases our office has experience with.
Auto Accidents
Some of the most frequently occurring claims in personal injury cases are car accidents. Most people are on the road almost daily, so it is no wonder that many people file claims for car accident injuries. The other driver, several drivers, or even a driver’s employer might be held liable for the accident. Factors like distractions on the road, alcohol, and speed are commonly found to cause car accidents. Talk to an attorney as soon as you can after a collision.
Premises Liability
You have probably heard about people slipping and falling and then suing for their injuries. While these kinds of cases are often derided for supposedly being unnecessary or petty, slip and fall accidents can actually be quite painful and severe. Premises liability claims are a kind of personal injury case where plaintiffs are injured because property owners (the defendants) failed to keep the premises safe. These cases are not only limited to slip and fall accidents. You might be cut by a broken window, shocked by faulty wiring, or otherwise hurt because the premises were unsafe.
Amusement Park Accidents
People go to amusement parks for a thrill. Riding fast rollercoasters only feels wild and dangerous, but they are supposed to be safe and thoroughly maintained. Unfortunately, many amusement parks fail to keep up with maintenance, and park guests get hurt. You might be hurt while riding a roller coaster or when the coaster fails or breaks down. Other amusement park rides might also be unsafe, and you should immediately talk to a lawyer if you are injured.
Defective Goods or Products
Damages or defective goods cause injuries every year. In many cases, injuries are severe, and injured victims can sue the manufacturer of the defective item as well as anyone else in the chain of sale. If the product was damaged when it left the manufacturer or was poorly designed to be unsafe, you might have a strong case.
Work Injuries
While we go to work every day to earn a living, not all workplaces are as safe as they should be. People who work with power tools or machinery might easily be hurt if the tools or machines are not properly cared for and maintained. Even office workers might get hurt in a slip and fall accident. Employers are in charge of making sure the workplace is safe. If it is not, they might be liable for damages.
How to Claim Damages in an Elkridge, MD Personal Injury Case
When assessing damages, plaintiffs often focus on only one or two areas where they experienced injuries or lost money. This is why having an experienced personal injury attorney is so important. An attorney can help you identify additional damages you might have never thought of, thus maximizing your potential compensation.
Economic losses are a huge factor in calculations for damages. Perhaps your greatest economic losses come from high medical bills and costly property damage. For example, if you were hurt in a car crash, you would have medical costs to contend with on top of repairing or replacing your car. To make matters worse, you might need to take time off from your job while you recover. You might lose significant income depending on how long you are out of work. All these costs and possibly more should be accounted for.
Non-economic damages are a bit trickier to assess because they tend to be unconnected to money or expenses. For example, you may claim damages for your physical pain, emotional distress, psychological trauma, humiliation, and more. Since these damages are based on personal experiences, they are highly subjective. We need strong evidence showing how much you have suffered because of the accident to convince the jury to award significant damages.
Collecting Evidence to Use in Your Elkridge, MD Personal Injury Case
Evidence is a funny thing. Sometimes, it is readily available and ripe for the picking. Other times, evidence is extremely hard to come by, and building a strong case might be difficult. An experienced attorney should know where and how to find evidence that can help you prove your claims. It is good to get started quickly, as evidence has a nasty habit of disappearing if it is not found fast enough.
A good place to begin is the place where you got hurt. For example, if you were injured after falling down someone’s unsafe and poorly maintained stairs, you should take a picture of the staircase that shows how hazardous it is. Another example is a car accident. We might take photos from the accident scene to present as evidence in the courtroom.
Witnesses are vital in many injury cases. The more people who can testify and back up your claims in court, the stronger your case will be. Finding witnesses is sometimes difficult. People might move away or be reluctant to get involved. We need as much time as possible to find and interview witnesses, so call an attorney as soon as possible.
Contact Our Elkridge, MD Personal Injury Attorneys for Assistance
For a free case review with our personal injury attorneys, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.