White Marsh Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
Getting hit by a car is not something anyone ever expects to happen to them. When cars hit pedestrians, the pedestrian is often badly hurt, and treating those injuries can quickly become very expensive and create a significant financial burden.
All of that can seem rather unfair – and it is – but there are options available to you if you get hurt in a pedestrian accident. You can take your case to an attorney and fight for justice and financial damages to hold accountable those who injured you.
Give the pedestrian accident lawyers from Rice, Murtha & Psoras a call at (410) 694-7291 and get a free case analysis.
What Should I Do After a White Marsh Pedestrian Accident?
Getting hit by a car while you are just going about your business is going to be a shocking and scary experience. Many people will not know what to do, and that confusion may last well beyond the accident itself. Ultimately, no matter what happens after your accident, you should bring your situation to our pedestrian accident lawyers as soon as you can – regardless of whether that means days, weeks, months, or even a year or more.
What to Do Right after a Pedestrian Accident
Right after a car hits you, the most important thing you can possibly do is make sure you are safe. Let first responders examine you and follow all of their instructions. If they want you to go to the hospital right away, then do that and do not worry about anything else. However, if you are cleared to stick around after the accident, there are some useful things you can do to help improve a potential future lawsuit.
You should try to get as many details as you can about the accident right after it happened. Take photos and record videos of the crash and surrounding area, and talk to any witnesses and record their statements. Additionally, get the name, license plate number, and insurance information of any drivers involved in the crash. Finally, be sure to talk with any police who respond to the accident, as the information they get now will go into a police report that can be used by our lawyers later.
What to Do in the Days Following a Pedestrian Accident
After your pedestrian accident, what you are able to do is going to depend on your situation. For example, if you are seriously injured and confined to a hospital bed, you may not be able to do very much. The important thing is that you are doing something to further your situation, whether that is recovering, getting physical therapy, or working towards retaining legal counsel. For example, if you were in a pedestrian accident where you did not need to go to the hospital right after, it is probably still a good idea to get checked out by a medical professional in the days following your accident, as some injuries may take a bit to reveal themselves or may have been blocked out by adrenaline. Moreover, intentionally failing to get the medical care that you need may be used by opposing counsel to try and hurt your case.
What to Do in the Weeks or Months Following a Pedestrian Accident
You should contact an attorney as soon as you are able if you were hurt in a pedestrian accident. Once you retain counsel, they can help you with various things, like analyzing your claim, gathering evidence, and more. However, the most important reason to get in touch with a lawyer quickly is because certain laws limit how long you have to sue for injuries. In Maryland, this “statute of limitations” for personal injury claims is three years under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101. After that time is up, courts cannot hear your case, and you will not be able to recover any damages.
What to Do Over a Year After Your Pedestrian Accident
If more than a year has passed since your accident, you need to take action very quickly because of the aforementioned statutory period. However, do not feel that all is lost. Our lawyers will make sure that your claim gets in on time, but you do need to get things moving quickly if more than a year has gone by.
Financial Compensation You Can Seek in White Marsh Pedestrian Accident Lawsuits
The goal of any personal injury lawsuit is to get financial compensation in the form of damages. “Damages” are what courts compel defendants to pay plaintiffs who prove their case. The idea is to get the plaintiff back to “square one” and undo the accident as much as the court can.
In your claim, you may want to divide your damages into categories so that the court better understands what you are seeking. Damages are commonly divided into economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are based on things with actual monetary value, such as medical bills, property damage, and lost wages. Economic damages tend to be the easiest to prove, as there is an established paper trail showing their value that you can use as evidence.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages differ from economic damages in that they are not always as immediately obvious. Things that fall under this category include emotional distress, mental anguish, and physical pain brought on by the accident. Since there are no receipts for things like “pain,” you will need to demonstrate the value of these things to the court through evidence, testimony, and legal argument.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are different from economic or non-economic damages. Courts award them when defendants act in particularly egregious ways that go beyond mere negligence. In addition, you must request these damages when you file your claim. Discuss with our attorneys whether seeking punitive damages is right for you, as it does not make sense to go after them in every case, and plaintiffs can still get all the compensation they need and more without seeking punitive damages.
Talk About Your Claim with Our White Marsh Pedestrian Accident Lawyers
Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s pedestrian accident lawyers are here to help when you call our office by dialing (410) 694-7291.