Recreational vehicles have grown in popularity in the past several years. Unfortunately, so have recreational vehicle accidents. If you get hurt in Dundalk, MD, while driving an RV or by an RV on the road, we can help.
The Dundalk recreational vehicle accident lawyers at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers know how to handle RV cases. We have over 80 years of combined experience. Our firm consists of three generations of personal injury lawyers.
Our team in Dundalk, Maryland, will help you recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, emotional suffering, and more. Call our office to schedule a meeting with a Dundalk recreational vehicle accident attorney. Our initial consultation is completely free at (410) 837-2144.
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How WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Recreational Vehicle Accident In Dundalk, MD
WGK Personal Injury Lawyers will help you navigate the aftermath of a Dundalk, MD, RV accident. We will dedicate our time to helping you fight for compensation after getting hurt in a recreational vehicle crash. Since 1977, we have won tens of millions of dollars for our clients.
If you hire us to handle your case, our Dundalk personal injury lawyers will:
- Investigate the crash
- Identify liable parties
- Collect evidence
- Calculate your damages
- Explain the law
- File insurance claims and negotiate with insurance companies
- Consult with experts
- File a personal injury lawsuit
- Represent you in court
- Keep track of important deadlines, filings, and communications
Our goal is to get clients the resources they need after an RV crash. We are prepared to take every step necessary to do that.
Call our office to talk with a Dundalk recreational vehicle accident attorney about your options.
What Is My Recreational Vehicle Accident Case Worth?
Your recreational vehicle accident case could be worth more than you expect. Calculating your case’s value can be confusing. There are many factors that influence how much money you deserve.
Below are some important questions to ask yourself to get an idea of your case value:
- Are your injuries permanent? Or are you expected to fully recover?
- What type of medical treatment have you received? What type of treatment will you need in the future?
- What is the cost of your past medical bills and expected future bills?
- Did the RV crash happen in a particularly traumatic way?
- How much physical pain did you endure, and will you endure going forward?
- Does your injury keep you from working, or have you missed a lot of work?
- Are you able to advance in your career despite your injury?
- What is the cost of repairing damage to your RV or car?
- Did you contribute to causing the accident or worsening your injuries?
- Do injuries keep you from enjoying the same activities as before?
- How have your injuries affected your overall quality of life?
Your case value encompasses the whole picture. This includes how you have been physically and emotionally affected by the crash itself, and the aftermath.
What Kind of Damages Are Available To RV Accident Victims?
RV accident victims can recover economic damages and non-economic damages. This is standard in most personal injury cases.
Economic damages are financial losses incurred because of an accident or injury. Most people think about economic damages first.
After a recreational vehicle crash, economic damages may include:
- Emergency medical bills
- Ongoing medical care
- Transportation to medical appointments
- In-home or residential nursing care
- Lost wages
- Lost future earnings or employment benefits
- Cost of medicine or necessary therapeutic devices (like a wheelchair or prosthetic)
- Property damage to the RV
- Mental health treatment
- Out-of-pocket costs
Plaintiffs in RV crash cases can also recover non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are non-pecuniary losses. The payments recognize that an accident or an injury can cause trauma that may not be visible.
Non-economic damages might include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of overall quality of life
- Loss of companionship
- Mental illness
- Inconvenience
It’s hard to calculate non-economic damages. There are multiple methods commonly used in Dundalk courts. We can help you estimate the value of your intangible losses so that you know what to expect.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Dundalk Recreational Vehicle Accident Lawyer?
Dundalk recreational vehicle accident lawyers don’t charge a set fee. Instead, the fee depends on the outcome of the case. This is called a contingency fee. It means that your attorney doesn’t get paid unless you get paid.
If your lawyer wins the case and you get damages (either through an insurance settlement or trial), the attorney will take a percentage of the damages as their fee. If you don’t get any damages at the end of your case, then you don’t have to pay your lawyer anything.
The exact percentage depends on the type of work that your lawyer performs. Usually, attorneys will take a larger percentage if a case goes to trial because that is more labor-intensive than settling it outside of court.
You will discuss the details of the contingency fee with your attorney during an initial consultation.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for An RV Accident In Maryland?
Unfortunately, Maryland has strict contributory negligence rules. If you are partially responsible for causing an RV accident, you cannot recover any damages. It doesn’t matter if you are only 1% at fault.
Insurance companies will try to blame you for causing the accident because of this rule. If they can successfully shift the blame to you, even the tiniest amount, then they won’t have to pay up.
The best way to protect yourself after an RV accident in Maryland is to get help from a lawyer. They will protect you from getting unfairly blamed.
We’ll Fight To Recover Compensation for All of Your Recreational Vehicle Accident Injuries
We represent clients with injuries ranging from minor to catastrophic. We also help families recover money if their loved one dies in an RV crash.
Some of the most common types of injuries include:
- Head injuries
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Nerve damage
- Burns
- Amputations
- Broken bones
- Loss of hearing or eyesight
- Facial injuries
- Chest injuries
- Internal organ damage or bleeding
You deserve compensation whether you are expected to fully recover or not. Call our office to discuss your injuries today.
What Causes Most RV Accidents In Dundalk, MD?
Most RV accidents happen because of someone’s negligence. Drivers make a poor decision that causes a crash. Unfortunately, recreational vehicles are heavy, and that increases the chances of an accident becoming severe.
Some of the most common causes of RV accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
- Driver inexperience
- Overloaded or imbalance RV
- Unsafe lane changes
- Blind spots
- Aggressive driving
- Vehicle malfunction
- Improper vehicle maintenance
We will help you investigate the RV crash and collect evidence to support your claims. This will help us hold the responsible party liable and get full reimbursement for your losses.
How Do I Prove Negligence After an RV Accident In Maryland?
There are four elements to every negligence claim. You must prove each element by a preponderance of the evidence. That means that it is more likely than not to be true.
Duty of Care
The first element is that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care. Everyone has a duty to act cautiously to avoid hurting others.
We are not expected to be perfect. However, we are expected to act as a reasonable person would in the same situation. That means not taking unnecessary risks that are likely to hurt others.
Breach of Duty
The defendant breaches their duty of care when they act differently than a reasonable person would act in the same situation. The breach may be texting while driving or speeding. Ordinary people know that texting and speeding can increase the chances of causing a crash.
Causation
The plaintiff must prove that the defendant’s breach caused the accident and their injuries. It must be both the direct and proximate cause. The proximate cause can be a bit confusing, but it means that the defendant’s behavior was the underlying cause of the crash.
For example, if an RV driver hits a car while texting, and the car swerves and hits you while walking on the sidewalk, technically, the car caused your injuries. However, the RV driver is the direct and proximate cause of your injuries because if they hadn’t hit the car while texting, the car wouldn’t have swerved and you wouldn’t have been hit.
Damages
A plaintiff must also prove the value of their economic and non-economic damages. This can be through pay stubs, invoices, credit card statements, and other records. It may also include witness testimony from mental health professionals, family, and doctors.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Recreational Vehicle Accident in Maryland?
You typically have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit after a recreational vehicle accident in Maryland. You can be barred from recovering compensation if you don’t bring your case before the statute of limitations expires.
Contact Our Dundalk Recreational Vehicle Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
There’s no reason that you have to handle your recreational vehicle accident on your own in Dundalk, MD. WGK Personal Injury Lawyers will help you every step of the way. With our help, you will have the best chance of recovering every dollar that you deserve.
Call a Dundalk recreational vehicle accident lawyer in our office to talk about your case today.
