An accident is defined as an unforeseen event that typically results in damage or injury. Even though accidents are unpredictable, many are considered preventable. You can’t prevent lightning from striking your home and setting it on fire. However, when negligence causes an accident, it could have been prevented if not for the actions of the negligent person.
In those scenarios, you’ll want to discuss what you should do next with a qualified Chillum personal injury lawyer. GDH Law can help.
You may suffer from a disability or impairment for the rest of your life or have physical therapy for the foreseeable future. Between medical bills and lost work, the financial, emotional, and physical toll of an accident can be devastating.
That’s why we’re here.
Our office can help you recover the compensation owed to you for the damages you’ve suffered, allowing you to focus on healing during this difficult time.
If you want to discuss your case with an injury lawyer in Chillum to understand the rights you have under Maryland law, reach out to our law firm. We’ll schedule a consultation between you and an attorney on our staff with whom you can discuss your case for free.
Common Injury Cases We Handle
A personal injury case is any type of claim where a negligent party is accused of causing harm or damage to the victim. However, that doesn’t mean the at-fault party acted in a malicious manner or intentionally tried to cause harm. If that were the case, potential added criminal charges would be filed. Cases like these are instead strictly civil matters.
Some of the commonly occurring negligent acts that cause harm that our personal injury lawyers handle include:
Auto Accidents
Any collision that involves any type of vehicle, such as a car crash or truck wreck, can result in serious injury. Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that wrecks top of the list of reasons why someone might pursue a personal injury claim.
Every driver owes a duty of care to prevent a crash. That means obeying traffic laws, staying alert and generally being a defensive driver. When a driver is careless, they can be held liable for any injuries or damages they cause.
If a driver causes a wreck while working, their employer may be held liable as well. That is because the company also owes a duty of care to ensure its employees are not causing harm.
Medical Malpractice
Doctors or other healthcare staff must uphold a standard of care when treating patients. If they fail to uphold that duty by misdiagnosing you, providing you with delayed treatment, or performing an incorrect surgical procedure on you, for example, you could have grounds for filing a medical malpractice claim.
Nursing Home Abuse
Many of us make the hard decision to entrust the care of a loved one to a nursing home facility. Unfortunately, due to widespread staffing shortages and issues with training, there is a rising problem across the United States with nursing home abuse. This ill-treatment can take on many forms, from financial fraud to physical abuse to neglect that leads to serious medical problems.
If you or someone you know was mistreated in a long-term care facility, that may also qualify you to take civil legal action. Your Chillum personal injury lawyer can help you pursue a case against the staff or facility in question.
Establishing Negligence in Your Prince George’s County Injury Case
In order for you to prevail in a personal injury case, you and your Chillum personal injury attorney have to establish that negligence occurred. That begins with highlighting how a duty of care existed.
In Maryland, as in other states, a duty of care is a legal obligation to act in a reasonable way to protect others from harm. Think of this as the “good neighbor” policy. The moment you step out of your home or set up a business where you interact with customers, you owe a duty of care to make sure (most) anyone you come in contact with will be reasonably safe.
If that duty of care is breached, it can lead to an accident. That is referred to as causation. In other words, the person who owed you the duty of care didn’t hold up their responsibility, and you were hurt as a result.
That last element of proving negligence is how you were impacted financially, physically, and emotionally. Some factors that your Chillum personal injury lawyer may address in a demand letter when negotiating with insurers or, if necessary, when presenting your case at trial, include answers to the following questions:
- What changed in your life because of the negligence?
- Did you lose money and property?
- Did you suffer an injury that left you in pain?
- Are you still dealing with the aftereffects of that accident?
The responses to these questions can aid your attorney in calculating your damages and also aid them in justifying why they think their request on your behalf is fair when speaking with insurance adjusters or jurors.
What Compensation Should You Expect If You’re Injured in a Preventable Accident?
Every personal injury claim is unique, and there’s generally no way to know how much you may receive in compensation before a settlement is reached. The severity of your injuries, the cost of medical treatment, and the amount of insurance coverage you have may all play into that final figure your injury lawyer calculates. Here at GDH Law, we often secure compensation on behalf of our clients for the following:
- Medical bills for past and ongoing treatment
- Loss of income
- Loss of quality of life
- Specialty medical equipment
- Car repairs or replacement
- Other property damage
Many factors are considered before a settlement is reached, and your Chillum personal injury attorney will fight for the maximum compensation for all costs that you have had or will need to pay or will have to pay in the future because of your accident or injury.
Why It’s Important To Hire a Chillum Personal Injury Lawyer if You’re Hurt
While there’s no law requiring you to have an attorney for your personal injury claim, hiring one is typically your best move for several reasons.
Your lawyer will have an expert understanding of Maryland laws and will ensure that your claim is filed correctly and on time according to Maryland’s statute of limitations. In a medical malpractice claim, for example, Maryland code §5–109 allows the injured individual to create a claim within three years of discovering the injury or within five years of the medical procedure that caused the injury.
If your injury doesn’t present itself for two years, the statute of limitations begins on the day you discover you have an injury, not on the date when your treatment occurred.
However, certain events may delay the start time; for example, if the injured person was a minor when the incident occurred, the standard three-year statute of limitations won’t begin until the day before the victim turns 18.
Additionally, hiring an injury lawyer can be beneficial because they can help with the following:
- Investigating the accident: Your lawyer may visit the scene where your injury incident occurred, interview witnesses, or hire experts to aid them in building an effective narrative to support your case.
- Constructing your case to prove fault: Your injury attorney in Chillum will collect all the evidence, including any police reports that were filed, to build your case and prove liability.
- Negotiating with insurance companies or medical professionals: Your lawyer is a highly skilled negotiator who knows how to get the necessary information from insurance companies and doctors.
- Going to court: Most personal injury cases are settled out of court. However, your attorney will be prepared for this possibility and can present your Chillum injury case to a Prince George’s County judge and jury.
Most importantly, your Chillum injury lawyer will provide you with the guidance you need to make informed decisions about your best course of action.
Justice Is a Phone Call Away
If you’ve been injured due to the actions of another person, you have legal recourse available to you, and GDH Law can help.
We strongly recommend not contacting insurance companies on your own or attempting to reach a settlement without first speaking to a lawyer, as most insurance companies will pay out only a small fraction of what you should receive if they pay you anything at all.
Reach out to our office for a free, no-obligation consultation instead. We’ll review your case and discuss what your best options are for pursuing a legal claim to ensure you receive the compensation owed to you for your injuries. Don’t wait; call us today to connect with a Chillum personal injury lawyer who can help you.
