Westphalia, MD Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal injuries can be caused in a number of ways in Westphalia. As such, “personal injury” law is a broad field.

If another person’s negligence resulted in your damages, our lawyers can help you get the compensation you deserve by filing a lawsuit against them. In some cases, your injuries might have been intentionally caused. Fortunately, you can also file a lawsuit in civil court when someone intends to harm rather than doing so carelessly. They do not even need to be charged with a crime. If someone acts unreasonably and injures you, whether negligently or intentionally, you will likely have grounds to recover damages from them in your lawsuit. You should never have to pay out of pocket for other people’s mistakes.

Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for a free assessment of your case with our personal injury lawyers.

Types of Cases Our Personal Injury Lawyers Handle in Westphalia, MD

Personal injuries can be caused for many different reasons. Many of them are caused by other people’s negligence. However, personal injuries can also be intentionally caused. Either way, victims can recover compensation in a lawsuit by working with our skilled personal injury attorneys. Our team has decades of collective experience handling numerous types of personal injury claims. No matter the accident you were injured in or the severity of the harm you suffered, we can help build your case. The following are common types of lawsuits we file in Westphalia:

Car Accidents

Car accidents are a leading cause of personal injury claims in Westphalia. Even minor car accidents can leave you with significant damages that can be a pain to recover on your own. Maryland is an “at-fault” insurance state, meaning that you must pursue compensation from the driver who hit you and their insurance provider. To recover from the insurance company, you will need to prove fault just as you would in a lawsuit.

However, our team will most likely file your lawsuit at the same time we file your insurance claim. Since both processes are adversarial and use the same evidence, it makes sense to file your lawsuit as soon as possible. That way, the statute of limitations will not be an issue preventing you from recovering compensation.

Truck Accidents

Truck accidents are also common but present additional challenges that are usually not found in typical vehicle accident claims. In many cases, lawsuits for truck accidents will name multiple defendants. Under the legal principle of “vicarious liability,” most trucking companies are liable for the negligent acts of their employees as long as they occur while the trucker is performing their job duties. For example, a commercial truck driver hits you while speeding to their next delivery. Thus, you will typically have multiple paths to compensation in these cases.

Truck drivers cause accidents in many ways. One of the most common causes is driver fatigue. Federal and state trucking laws bar drivers from driving a certain amount of hours without taking a break. Unfortunately, many drivers operate longer than these restrictions to finish the job sooner or because the trucking company is understaffed.

If the truck driver is an independent contractor, we will need to determine if they work for a smaller shipping company or for themselves but contract with another company, like Amazon. If the trucker is independent but works for a regional shipping company, we can likely sue both parties. If they only contract with another company to complete their orders, we might only be able to sue the driver for your injuries.

Rideshare Accidents

Rideshare accident claims have also become more common as more people use Uber and Lyft to get around. Recovering compensation is often challenging in these cases because it might not be clear who should pay and how to make a claim. Our team can explain what compensation will be available to you depending on the facts of your case. If you were the passenger in the rideshare vehicle, you would likely have a few insurance options available to you, such as the driver’s and the rideshare company’s liability coverage.

If the accident happened while the driver was picking up a passenger or off duty, you might not be able to recover from the company itself. Rideshare drivers are considered independent contractors, so you might be able to file a lawsuit against the driver or another party involved, even if you cannot sue Uber and Lyft.

Premises Accidents

Many other personal injuries happen on an individual’s or business’s property. When you are injured because a dangerous condition was left uncorrected or the owner or manager failed to upkeep the area, you can file a premises liability claim against them.

This is most common for slip and fall accidents. If you slipped or tripped over a dangerous condition, take photos of it before you leave the area, as the business manager or property owner will likely clean away the evidence quickly.

Defective Product Accidents

Some devastating accidents are caused by dangerous products or when products are manufactured negligently. Some product defects are caused in the design phase, rendering all the products of that design flawed. Other defects happen because they are manufactured incorrectly or with the wrong materials. Our team can help you determine where in the stream of commerce the defect occurred. If the product was inherently dangerous, we can determine if the warning labels or instructions were inadequate.

Medical Malpractice

Many injuries are caused by negligence medical treatment. Medical malpractice claims are some of the most challenging cases, as several parties could be liable. Some malpractice cases will deal with surgical errors, while others are for misdiagnosing a condition. They often require expert testimony from medical professionals to establish how the other healthcare provider was negligent and the damages they caused.

Injuries Caused Intentionally

Some personal injuries are not an accident but are intentionally caused. If someone intentionally causes your injuries, you can file a lawsuit against them in civil court regardless of whether or not they are charged with a crime for the act.

For example, if someone punched you while you were out, you can file a civil claim for battery. Even if they did not touch you but made you apprehensive of being immediately hit, you can still sue for assault.

The other person could also be liable if they intended to hurt someone else but hit you instead. For instance, if you were punched at a club because the defendant meant to punch the person next to you, they still intended to cause harm and should be made to pay for it.

Our Westphalia, MD Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help

For a free case review with our personal injury attorneys, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.