Rossville, MD Personal Injury Lawyer

Getting injured can create a lot of problems for people beyond physical injuries. It is not uncommon for people who are victims of accidents to have enormous medical bills as a result of treatment for their injuries.

Luckily, we can help. We are experienced lawyers who have represented many personal injury plaintiffs, and we are now ready to help you out with your case. We will not rest until all legal options have been exhausted in fighting for what you are owed in both justice and financial compensation.

To get a free case review, call Rice, Murtha, and Psoras’s personal injury attorneys at (410) 694-7291.

What to Do After an Accident Rossville, MD

Most personal injury lawsuits stem from dangerous accidents that cause serious injuries. While the vast majority of the legal process in a personal injury lawsuit will happen after you speak to our personal injury lawyers, there are some things you can do right away that can help with your case. That being said, do not feel like you are at a disadvantage if you did not do some or all of these things after your accident. Each plaintiff has different circumstances that may affect what they are able to do after a serious accident.

Get Medical Attention

The most important thing you can do after an accident is to get medical help as soon as possible. If you are able, call emergency services by dialing 911 or instruct someone else to do so.

After first responders arrive, allow them to examine you and follow all of their instructions. If you are so injured that you need emergency transportation to a medical facility, then you do not need to worry about anything else because that is what is going to happen. If, however, you are able to stay at the scene of the accident, there are other things you can do.

Collect Information and Evidence

A very helpful thing plaintiffs can do right after their accident is collect as much information as possible. Take a lot of photos and videos of the accident and surrounding area, and make a note of all pertinent information, including license plate numbers, store names, and other details relevant to your particular circumstances.

You should also interview anybody who saw the accident or was nearby. Record their statement and make a note of their names and other relevant information, as they may be able to testify in court or otherwise bolster your case. Also, be sure to talk to any police officers who may have responded to the scene so that your recollection of events ends up in a police report that can be used later in your case.

One thing you should probably avoid doing, though, is physically picking up anything near the accident. This could be seen as messing with the accident and has the potential to hurt your case.

Call Our Lawyers

As soon as is practicable after the accident, you need to get in touch with legal counsel. Not only will this give our lawyers more time to work on your case, but there is also a time limit on how long you have to file a case called a statute of limitations. For the vast majority of injury lawsuits in Maryland, you have three years from the time you are injured to file your lawsuit under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101. Once time runs out, you will not be able to file a claim or collect damages.

How Personal Injury Claims Work in Rossville, MD

After you have retained legal counsel, a lot is going to happen in between filing your lawsuit and when a jury trial finally takes place. In fact, it is not unusual for there to be at least a year between the filing of a lawsuit and going to trial if the case makes it to trial at all. Below, our personal injury lawyers have prepared a guide to the legal process for personal injury lawsuits in Maryland.

Collecting and Examining Evidence

A great deal of time during the legal process will be spent collecting and working with evidence and details surrounding your case. Our lawyers will go to medical professionals, police stations, and witnesses to get the information we need for your case. Some information will actually come from opposing counsel. This process of information exchange is called “discovery,” where lawyers share information to make sure that there is a fair playing field of facts and that the correct legal decision is made.

Depositions

Another important occurrence before trial is a deposition. Depositions are interviews taken under oath where lawyers get to ask questions of important parties in the case, including you, as well as any witnesses who are going to speak at the trial. Lawyers have a lot of latitude in what they can ask about in depositions, but there are rules that limit the scope of things. If our lawyers believe that you have been asked an unfair or irrelevant question, we can object, and you do not have to answer it.

Settlement Offers

Before your trial, you may also get an offer to settle your claim. Settlements occur when both sides of a case agree to stop pursuing the matter in court and resolve things through their own agreement. Settlements happen for a wide variety of reasons. It could be that one side wants to resolve it quickly, has a certain outcome, or feels that their chances in court are not great. Do not, however, perceive a settlement offer as a sign of weakness. Many defendants with very strong cases will offer to settle for other reasons.

When examining a settlement offer, it is vital to check whether it meets your needs. If the offer does, you may want to accept it. The ultimate decision to go to trial or not, however, is always up to you.

Trial

If a case makes it to trial, all of the information found in discovery and through depositions will be presented before a judge and jury. Your jury will then reach a verdict about your case and determine what if any, damages you are awarded. Most of a trial is a very rehearsed process, so there are few surprises from either side of a case.

Speak to Our Personal Injury Lawyers in Rossville, MD Today

Call our personal injury lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 and get a free case review.