Glenmont, MD Car Accident Lawyer

Car crashes can be very dangerous. Victims of car accidents can suffer burns, broken bones, disfigurement, and a multitude of other grisly injuries that require intensive, emergency medical care. Moreover, such injuries often take a long time to recover from and can be extremely costly to treat and live with. Many individuals injured in motor vehicle accidents will have “life-altering” injuries that will affect them for as long as they live.

Fortunately, you do not have to proceed alone. Our lawyers know how to handle motor vehicle accident cases effectively. Let us put our expertise to use to help you with your needs. We have the care and compassion to tailor our services to your needs and the drive and fervor to fight hard for you in court for the justice and financial compensation that you need.

To have our team of car accident lawyers review your claim for free, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras by dialing (410) 694-7291.

The Statute of Limitations in Glenmont, MD Car Accident Lawsuits

You do not have all the time in the world to file your claim. There is a law called the statute of limitations that puts a time limit on how long plaintiffs have to file lawsuits after they are injured. For car accident cases in Maryland, that time limit is three years per Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101. Once that three-year period ends, courts will not take your case, and you will not be able to be awarded any damages, even if the party that injured you is obviously liable.

Three years may seem like a long time, but when one takes into account the work needed to prepare for a lawsuit as well as the time commitment required to recover from injuries, those three years can run out quickly. Speak to our car accident lawyers quickly after an accident so that we can file your claim in a timely fashion.

Damages in Glenmont, MD Car Accident Lawsuits

The goal of any personal injury lawsuit – including car accident lawsuits – is to get damages from the defendant. Damages are how courts try to “turn back the clock” on events to before the plaintiff got injured. Depending on the nature of the plaintiff’s injuries, this may not be literally possible. Accordingly, financial compensation is often used as a proxy.

In personal injury cases, damages can be broken down into economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages refer to things that have a tangible, quickly ascertainable monetary value. Often, the flagship item of this category is medical expenses. Things like the cost of emergency medical procedures, hospital stays, pain management medication, and long-term treatment fall under the umbrella of economic damages.

Additionally, lost wages and the opportunity to earn an income are a part of economic damages. If you had to take time away from your job to recover from your injuries, you could get damages depending on the pay you missed during that time. Alternatively, if you need to take a less lucrative job because your injuries prevent you from continuing to work at your previous job, you can receive financial compensation based on the difference in income between the two jobs. Finally, if your injuries are such that you are no longer able to work at all, your economic damages can reflect the projected future income for what would have been the rest of your career.

Finally, you can get economic damages for any property damage the accident caused. If you were in your own motor vehicle and it was totaled or had to undergo repairs, that could factor into what you ask for in your claim.

Non-Economic Damages

When compared to economic damages, non-economic damages will not have paperwork or other records spelling out their value. This category includes things like physical pain, mental anguish, and lost enjoyment of life. Physical pain is fairly self-explanatory. You can get damages based on the pain you experience because of injuries sustained in a car accident. Mental anguish refers to the mental and emotional toll of the accident. For example, if you have recurring nightmares of getting hit by a car, you may be able to get compensation for that. Lost enjoyment of life refers to difficulty or inability to do certain tasks in your daily life. For example, if you have trouble dressing yourself in the morning because of your injuries, that can factor into your financial compensation. However, lost enjoyment of life includes more than just doing the necessities. If, say, you were an avid marathon runner prior to your accident, but you can no longer do that activity you enjoyed on account of your injuries, you can get damages for that.

Since there is no evidence stating the value of things that fall under non-economic damages, you and our lawyers will have to determine the value of these things and convince the court of that value.

Punitive Damages

Economic and non-economic damages can be lumped together as what are called “compensatory damages.” These damages are based on your condition and situation and, as the name would suggest, compensate you for what happened to you. Punitive damages are different. They are based on the defendant’s conduct and are designed to punish them for bad, especially wrongdoings. You have to prove more than that the defendant was merely negligent to get these damages, so you should have a plan with the help of our car accident lawyers if you are going to seek punitive damages.

Speak with A Glenmont, MD Car Accident Lawyer About Your Claim Today

Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s car accident lawyers can give you a free case review when you dial (410) 694-7291.