If you were hurt really bad in an accident, you will probably need to go to the hospital to seek treatment. After that, you could find that the medical bills are very expensive and that your injuries keep you from working to support yourself or your family. If you were really seriously injured, it is important to take your case to a Maryland personal injury lawyer to learn more about what you can do to get compensation and coverage for your injuries. This will also help you hold the at-fault parties responsible for your injuries. Baltimore personal injury lawyer Randolph Rice explains.
What to Do after a Serious Accident or Injury in Maryland
When you are walking down the street, driving your car, or operating a new household appliance, the last thing that you expect is to face a serious injury. Slip and fall accidents in Baltimore, Baltimore car crashes, and dangerous product injury cases are some of the most common ways that people are hurt every day in the area, and many of these injuries allow victims to file lawsuits against the responsible parties.
In a personal injury lawsuit, your attorney claims that the at-fault party – the “defendant” – was responsible for your injuries and that they should pay you damages for the harm you suffered. To link an injury to someone’s else’s fault, you usually need to show that they owed you a duty and that they breached that duty, causing your injuries.
In everyday life, the only general duty that we owe each other is the duty to refrain from intentionally injuring one another. That is why you can usually sue for assault and fighting injuries in Baltimore and other crimes committed against you throughout Maryland. However, your relationship to someone else might mean that they owe you additional duties. For instance, property owners owe their guests a duty to keep the property safe and free of hidden dangers that could injure the guest. Similarly, other drivers on the road owe each other the duty to follow traffic laws and to follow reasonable safety standards to avoid accidents, and product manufacturers owe their customers a duty to make sure products are safe to use.
If anyone fails to uphold a legally required duty, and you are injured because of it, you could be entitled to sue them for your injuries under Maryland law.
Holding Parties Accountable in Court for Serious Injuries in Maryland
When you are injured by someone else’s negligence, they might attempt to get you to use an insurance claim to get compensation. Alternatively, they might offer you a quick settlement to pay you for your injury. In either case, the damages they try to give you might be too low for your needs. In any accident case, you should speak to a lawyer to make sure you are not getting taken advantage of.
The damages that insurance companies and settlements pay are often too low to cover your needs. If you were seriously injured, the damages you face could be very high. Extreme injuries could involve long-term hospitalization, surgeries, intensive medical care, rehabilitation, and other expensive procedures. If your injuries kept you out of work, you could be entitled to thousands of dollars of lost wages or even years of your missed salary.
Insurance policies are often limited, and insurance claims might not pay the full value you deserve. Most insurance policies also exclude damages for pain and suffering, meaning that a company’s liability insurance or a driver’s car insurance will not usually pay for your needs in full. If the defendant is the one offering a settlement, they are likely using a low-ball offer to avoid having to pay a lot for your case.
An attorney can help show you what your case is actually worth and help you get the damages you deserve. In many cases, that means taking your case before a judge and jury in court to get the compensation you need. In court, there are additional areas of damages you can claim – such as pain and suffering damages – and the looming threat of trial can help show your case is serious and push the defendant into a better settlement. Your lawyer’s advice can also help keep you from accepting a low offer.
How to Prepare for a Personal Injury Case after a Serious Accident in Maryland
When you are injured in a serious accident, there are some steps you should take as soon as you can to help build up your case and lay the groundwork for your lawyer to step in and fight the case for you.
First, you should seek medical attention. If your injuries go untreated, they could become worse or even kill you. Untreated brain injuries in Baltimore could lead to internal bleeding, swelling, and potential comas or death. Your health and safety should be your primary concern, but getting medical treatment also helps create a record of your injuries that shows when you were injured and how severe the injuries were, which helps build your case.
Next, you should collect any evidence you can. There might be witnesses to the accident who could provide their name and contact info to be called for court. There might also be security footage of the accident. For car crashes, you will also need the make, model, and license plate numbers of the vehicle. Collecting various evidence like this as soon as possible can help you build the case and secure the info you need before it is lost. Then, your attorney can take over from there and continue securing additional evidence and building the case for court.
Call Our Baltimore, Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers for Help with Bad Injuries
If you were injured very badly in an accident, Rice, Murtha & Psoras may be able to help. Our Maryland injury lawyers represent victims in cases against property owners, drivers, manufacturers, and other people and companies responsible for serious accidents. We fight to get our clients the compensation they deserve to help care for themselves and their families. For a free case consultation, call us today at (410) 694-7291.