If you have been involved in an accident caused by a negligent party, you may be left paying for medical bills and suffering a wide range of damages. You might also have to take time off work and can no longer do the things you love. This isn't fair, and fortunately, in the state of Maryland, accident victims have the option to pursue compensation and the recovery of their damages in a personal injury case.

Here at Peter Angelos Law, we dedicate most of our professional time to the advocacy of accident victims and medical malpractice cases. Our firm has a long history of success, from small cases to record-breaking settlements.

We offer a free consultation and case evaluation to all accident victims. If you have been injured in Yorktown, this meeting will be with one of our dedicated Yorktown personal injury lawyers. They will evaluate your case, answer your questions and provide some unbiased legal advice.

One of our main goals here at Peter Angelos Law is to make it easier for all victims to have the option of reliable representation. We work on a contingency fee basis to achieve this. Contingency fee basis is commonly known as no-win-no-fee, and this allows victims to obtain legal representation with no up-front fees or costs. This means you can pursue the recovery of your damages and seek compensation for your pain and suffering without fear of losing and being left out of pocket.

Call us today at 410-705-2405.

Different Damages that may be Available in a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Yorktown, MD

One of the most important reasons for raising a personal injury case is to help you recover the damages you have suffered because of the accident. You should not be out of pocket for these damages; to seek them, your personal injury lawyer in Yorktown will have to calculate their worth.

Here are the most commonly claimed for damages:

Medical Expenses

Medical expenses are often the most worrying damage that people suffer. For those with no medical insurance or with a policy that is not strong enough to cover the costs of your treatment, you could be left in a terrible situation.

Fortunately, you are entitled to recover all the medical costs you have already had to pay and may have to pay in the future.

Your attorney may need to work with medical experts to gauge what a life-time of treatment or physical therapy may look like, if it will be necessary. They may then choose to include a sum that will cover your long-term treatments costs.

One way you can help your Yorktown personal injury attorney in this task is to ensure you keep records of all medical expenses and a diary of what treatment you have received on each day.

Lost Wages/Earnings Potential

Another worrying aspect of being injured is the time off work that is necessary to receive treatment and recover. This will usually mean some degree of lost wages for the victim.

You can claim for all future lost earning potential too. That means if you are going to need to take time off in the future, you can work with your attorney to document what that may look like.

In cases involving the worst injuries, the victim may lose their capacity to work. If the victim can never return to work in the same capacity as they did before the accident, your attorney may need to work with experts to gauge what a lifetime of lost earning potential may look like.

Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering damages compensate a victim for their emotional distress and physical pain. Accidents are often traumatic and can have long-lasting effects on the victim's mental well-being, and pain can have an equal effect.

Pain and suffering damages are subjective, and every case will need to be judged on a case-by-case basis. A successful personal injury attorney in Yorktown with successful cases similar to yours under their belt will be better equipped to accurately judge what your pain and suffering are worth. The better they are at this task, the stronger their position of negotiation will be.

Loss of Enjoyment of Life

When a victim suffers from long-term injuries, there is a good chance that they will affect the person's enjoyment of life. If you can no longer play baseball or basketball with your friends on the weekend, you deserve to be compensated for your losses.

Do You Need a Lawyer for a Personal Injury Claim?

If your accident involved severe injuries, it is always a smart decision to pursue your claim with an experienced personal injury lawyer. With them, your chances of seeking the full compensation that may be on offer to you are stronger.

The insurance companies that defend negligent individuals do not want to pay out the full sum that you are entitled to, and they will do anything they can to avoid doing so. For this reason, they employ the strongest possible legal teams, full of capable and aggressive loss adjusters and attorneys. Their sole job is to fight against claims and payouts, which means that without your legal representation, you are at a massive disadvantage.

By seeking representation from a law firm full of experienced attorneys, you level the playing field against the insurance company. Not only that, you can take a step back, focusing on your recovery and mental well-being.

The Maryland Statute of Limitations

Maryland has a set of legislation that dictates the time limit you have to make a claim regarding a personal injury. After this time has elapsed, your case will be thrown out if you try to raise it. This is designed to prevent victims from suing at-fault parties decades down the line.

The sooner you involve an attorney in your case, the better. Even though you have 3 years under the Statute of Limitations, you should never wait this long. Personal injury cases are always time sensitive and this means that evidence is stronger the closer to the incident. This means your attorney will have a better chance of building the strongest possible case on your behalf if you involve them ASAP.

Four Elements of a Personal Injury Case

There are four elements that need to be proven in order for your case to be a valid one. Your attorney will start by investigating and finding evidence to back each point. They will be expected to show this evidence if your case ends up in the courtroom .

The four elements that they will need to prove are:

Duty of Care

The very first element that needs to be proven, is that there was a duty of care owed to the victim at the time of the accident. A duty of care is a legal obligation to act in a reasonable manner that protects and preserves the wellbeing and health and safety of another party.

Here are some examples of why a person may assume a duty of care:

• Road users automatically assume a duty of care to other users of the road
• Property owners automatically assume a duty of care to visitors to their property (This can even include trespassers)
• Medical providers owe a duty of care to their patients
• Manufacturers owe a duty of care to their customers

Breach of the Duty of Care

The second element that your attorney will look to prove is that the duty of care was breached by behavior that was negligent. Negligent behavior is any behavior that is different to how a reasonable individual would act in the same situation.

Negligent behavior can take many forms and does not have to be an act, it can also be an omission of an act.

Examples of this are as follows:

Omission of Act - A shop owner failing to warn customers that there is work being carried out in the shop.

Negligent Act - A driver decides to ignore a roadworks sign that tells them to slow down.

Lack of Due Care and Attention - Lack of fetal monitoring during the pregnancy.

Causation

The third element of the four that your attorney will need to prove is that the behavior that breached the duty of care, directly led to you suffering injuries.

Damages

The last element that you will need to be able to prove is that the injuries you have suffered directly led to you suffering damages.

What Evidence to Collect in a Maryland Personal Injury Case

The best way to build a strong case is for you and your attorney to utilize strong physical evidence. This evidence will be crucial in whether or not you succeed or not.

Here are some strong pieces of evidence that you might want to consider:

Accident Reports

Your attorney will help you obtain any accident reports that were filled by the emergency services. If the police, fire department or paramedics turned up to an accident, they have to fill in an accident report, and this will contain unbiased evidence such as names of those involved and what happened.

Photographs and Videos of the Accident Scene

If your injuries allow you to move around the scene and take photographs and videos, this is extremely strong evidence as it is taken fresh at the scene. If you can pair a video with a voice note statement of what happened, you will have some evidence that is extremely difficult to contest.

Your attorney will also ensure that any CCTV footage or traffic surveillance that may have witnessed the scene is located.

Medical Records

To help your attorney prove the third element, causation, you should keep hold of all medical records relating to the accident. If you were treated at the scene or soon after the accident, medical records stating your injuries and the treatment necessary would massively help your claims of causation.

Medical Bills

To evidence the cost of your medical expenses, your attorney will utilize hard copies of your medical bills so make sure you keep copies of them. If you do not have copies of them, your attorney will help you seek them from your medical providers.

Financial Documents

Claiming for any economic damages will always be a lot easier if you can evidence the losses you have suffered. If you were in a car accident, your car repair bill will be useful, and if you have lost wages, proof of salary will be crucial.

Witness Testimony

If you were lucky enough that there were cooperative witnesses to your accident, make sure you take their details ASAP. Witnesses have a tendency to become unreliable later on down the line. To avoid this, ask them for a statement and record it, take their details, and then your attorney can speak to them later. This way, they only need to confirm their statement.

Expert Opinions

Your personal injury lawyer may need to seek the expert opinion of specialist experts. Examples of this may be medical experts that can help your attorney consider what long-term treatment might look like.

Types of Personal Injury Accidents Our Yorktown Personal Injury Attorneys Regularly Handle

Car Accident Injuries

Car accident claims are the most common personal injury case in the entire country. Millions of people take to the roads every single day, and with their potential to cause serious injury, car accidents are common.

Commercial Truck Accidents

Commercial truck accidents differ from car accident cases in a number of ways.

Multiple parties can be liable for a commercial truck accident. The trucking company should be monitoring their drivers for adequate breaks, and they should ensure the drivers are competent. The driver should follow all of the procedures they have been trained to follow. The mechanics should maintain the trucks to the highest standard. All of these parties may be held liable in a trucking accident.

Because of this, commercial truck companies have strong legal teams, ready to defend all parties from liability.

Medical Malpractice Injuries

You should be able to seek medical attention, confident in the fact that your medical providers are competent and will follow all of the standard medical practices they have been trained to adhere to. They must adhere to strict standards of medical practice to prevent any preventable harm coming to their patients. If a medical provider deviates from these standards, then they can be liable for the damages their patient suffers as a result.

Unfortunately, this is often not the case, and when a medical provider acts negligently, the injuries they cause can be severe.

Common forms of medical malpractice include misdiagnosis, medication errors, anesthesia errors, surgery errors, birth injuries, and failure to provide treatment.

Birth Injury

The United States is one of few developed countries where preventable birth injuries each year are rising.

When a baby suffers a preventable birth injury, they may have impairments and disabilities that they have to deal with for life.

Exposure to Asbestos and Mesothelioma 

Our law firm has been representing clients who have suffered asbestos-related injuries for more than three decades. If you or someone you love has been injured or suffered a wrongful death because of asbestos dust exposure, then you could be entitled to compensation.

Asbestos exposure has been proven to cause Mesothelioma, an aggressive form of lung cancer that can cause permanent damage.

Environmental Litigation

It is common for large corporations to cause serious environmental damage to their surrounding areas. Corporations operating in the United States must follow strict environmental regulations. If they fail to do so and the damage results in an injury or illness, then you may have a claim for compensation.

Product Liability 

Product manufacturers have a legal responsibility to ensure that their products are safe for their intended use and that instructions or warnings are clear and easy to understand.

If a consumer, or someone close to them, is injured by a product, then it is essential they take the proper legal measures. The product should be recalled quickly to prevent further injuries, and any victims could be owed compensation.

Pharmaceutical Liability 

The United States consumes more pharmaceutical drugs than any other country in the world. As a consumer, you have a right to medicines that are safe, tested, and effective.

Unfortunately, we help victims who have been injured by medicine that was meant to help them every year. This is not good enough. If you or someone you love has been injured due to defective medication or suffered side effects that were not advertised, we can help you investigate and fight for compensation.

How Do You Decide Which Yorktown Personal Injury Attorney To Hire

Deciding which attorney you want to represent you is a difficult task, one that should not be taken lightly. This is an important decision, and your choice may have a strong effect on whether or not you are successful or walk away with a settlement that truly represents your suffering.

If you have never had the need to seek representation from an attorney before, you may have no idea where to begin.

If you are currently looking for a personal injury firm to handle your case, here is what to look for:

1. Take Advantage of Free Consultations - Most good personal injury attorneys and law firms will offer victims a free case evaluation and consultation. This means you can arrange meetings with your top choices and use the meeting as a way of gauging whether or not they are the right choice for you.
2. Check Your Personalities Do Not Clash - During the initial consultation, make sure you take the time to judge whether or not you actually like the attorney. You may be working with them for several years to come, and that makes it important that you do not clash in terms of personality.
3. Ask About Their Track Record - Perhaps the most important thing to ask any potential attorney is to see their track record. You want to ensure that your attorney has a number of victories in similar cases to yours as this shows they know what they are doing and also means that they will have the experience to draw upon to fight your case to the best of their ability.
4. Check Independent Review Sites - Another good place to look is AVVO, or similar independent sites. These review sites take a number of factors into account, such as years of service, accolades and awards, peer reviews, and client reviews. This should give you a good overview of your attorney's skills and weaknesses.
5. A Focus on Personal Injury Law - If a law firm tries to do it all, from criminal defense to family law, then they will be stretching their resources and experience over many areas of law. However, a law firm that focuses on personal injury will be working with people like you on a daily basis.
6. Accessibility - Any personal injury attorney known for their victories will have no shortage of clients. This means they will usually have a full caseload. You should ask your patent attorney how busy they are and how they intend to provide your case with the full attention it deserves. Don't expect to be able to get in touch with a busy attorney around the clock, but you should feel like they are making adequate time for you and your case.

Yorktown Personal Injury FAQs