Getting into an accident in Maryland is one of the most stressful things that can happen in your life. Physical injuries and emotional trauma can be incredibly painful and prevent you from living your life. They can also keep you out of work and put you in a difficult financial situation – just as the medical bills and injury-related expenses begin to add up.
Fortunately, you may have the opportunity to recover compensation if someone else is responsible for your injuries. Make the most of this opportunity by turning to the experienced Maryland personal injury lawyers at WGK Personal Injury Lawyers for help.
Since 1977, WGK Personal Injury Lawyers has been a dedicated advocate for injury victims and grieving families throughout the state of Maryland. For three generations, our award-winning Maryland trial attorneys have helped clients tell their stories, stand up to powerful insurance companies, and win tens of millions of dollars in meaningful compensation in the process.
Benefit from a top-rated legal team with 80 years of combined legal experience. Call our law office in Baltimore, Maryland at (410) 837-2144 to discover why you’ll want WGK Personal Injury Lawyers fighting for you after your accident. Your first consultation is free, so contact us today.
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Do I Need a Lawyer To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
You’re never required to hire a personal injury lawyer after an accident in Maryland. However, it is the best thing you can do to protect yourself, increase the odds of winning your personal injury lawsuit, and maximize your financial recovery.
Insurance companies admit that plaintiffs who hire attorneys tend to win their cases more often than those who don’t. They also acknowledge that payouts are worth up to 3.5 times as much when a personal injury attorney is involved.
Remember, insurance companies (and other powerful adversaries you might face, including hospitals, banks, or defense attorneys) have considerable resources at their disposal. They’ll have extensive experience handling claims like yours. They’ll be ready to attack your claim from every angle, working to find a reason to deny your claim or limit how much money you’ll receive.
If you don’t level the playing field by putting an experienced litigator in your corner, you risk leaving well-deserved compensation on the table. As a result, you take on the burden of your accident rather than the person who’s responsible.
How Much Does a Maryland Personal Injury Attorney Cost?
At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand that the costs associated with an unexpected accident or injury can be devastating. We don’t want you to try to take on the insurance company by yourself because you think you can’t afford to ask for help.
We work on contingency – meaning there is no out-of-pocket cost to hire our Maryland personal injury law firm. We front the expenses of litigation and assume the risks. You only pay if we win your personal injury case.
Like most personal injury attorneys in Maryland, our fees come directly out of your financial award. It’s a pre-agreed-upon percentage of your damages, typically between 33 and 40 percent. The specific cost will vary from case to case, and can depend on the type of case you have, its degree of difficulty, and factors specific to your attorney.
Always discuss attorneys’ fees during a free consultation. Take that opportunity to learn about the firm, understand how they’d handle your case, and discuss their fee structure. At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re always transparent about our fees and are more than happy to address any questions you have.
What’s the Process For Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Maryland?
Here’s a brief overview of what to expect when you file a personal injury lawsuit after an unexpected accident in Maryland:
- File a complaint: The complaint is the document that initiates the lawsuit process. It explains the legal basis for the claim, names the defendant, details what happened, and outlines the damages you’ve sustained. The legal process begins when your lawyer files the complaint with the court. Under Maryland law, you’ll typically have just three years to file your complaint. Once the statute of limitations expires, you forfeit the right to seek compensation.
- Serve copies of the complaint: Your attorney will serve – or send – copies of the complaint to involved parties, including the defendant. This gives the defendant notice that they’re being sued.
- Discovery: Once the complaint is filed and served, the case will be official. From there, the discovery stage will begin. During discovery, both sides have the opportunity to gather evidence and learn about the case. Your attorney might send out interrogatories, depose witnesses, request documents from the defendant, and consult experts during this stage.
- Negotiations: Just because you’ve filed a lawsuit doesn’t mean that it’s going to trial. You have the ability to settle at any point in time. Your attorney will negotiate with the defendant, working hard to secure a settlement offer that accurately represents what your personal injury case is worth. If you receive an offer, you reserve the right to accept, counter, or reject it in full. Your attorney will help you evaluate the offer and determine the best course of action. If you agree to a settlement, the personal injury lawsuit is over, and you waive the right to pursue additional damages in the future.
- Trial: If you can’t reach a settlement, the lawsuit moves forward to trial. Here, your attorney will argue the facts and evidence of your case in front of a judge and jury, working to convince them that the defendant is legally responsible for your injuries and that, in turn, you should be compensated.
Settlement negotiations can happen up until the moment a jury returns with a verdict. Once a jury decides on the facts of the case, its decision is final. Either party has the opportunity to appeal a jury’s decision, but appeals must be based on issues of law.
The process of filing a lawsuit can be stressful and complicated. And, even though most cases don’t get to the courtroom, it’s critical to have an experienced Maryland trial attorney represent you. You’ll want to show the defendant that you’re not afraid and won’t be swayed by unreasonably low settlement offers.
What Is Maryland’s Contributory Negligence Rule?
Maryland is one of four states to adopt a contributory negligence rule. Essentially, sharing any fault for an accident will be an automatic bar to recovering compensation from another party.
Defendants and insurance companies will undoubtedly try to point fingers and shift blame in a personal injury case. If they’re successful, they can sidestep responsibility for your injuries after an accident entirely.
It’s important to anticipate these tactics and work to disprove them. Our Maryland personal injury attorneys will be ready to defend you at every turn. We’ll demand proof, work to discredit unreliable witness testimony, and seek out evidence that puts the blame squarely on someone else’s shoulders – not yours.
What Is Negligence and How Do I Prove It?
Negligence is the primary cause of action for most personal injury lawsuits in the state of Maryland.
Simply put, negligence means that someone else had a responsibility to act with care but didn’t. As a result, their actions caused another person to get hurt and sustain some type of damages. If someone else’s negligence caused you to get hurt, they can be liable for those damages.
The plaintiff – or injury victim – must prove four elements to win a negligence claim:
- Duty of care: The defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care (e.g., drive carefully)
- Breach of duty: The defendant failed to act reasonably under the circumstances, thereby breaching the duty of care (e.g., texting and driving)
- Causation: The defendant’s actions were the direct and proximate cause of an accident in which the plaintiff was injured (e.g., the defendant ran a red light, causing an accident)
- Damages: The plaintiff suffered identifiable damages (e.g., medical bills, lost wages)
You’ll need facts and evidence to prove your negligence claim.
While the specific evidence that will be helpful will depend on the type of accident you were in, these are typically useful in personal injury cases:
- Photographs of the scene of the accident, physical injuries, and damage to property
- Video footage of the incident
- Clothing worn at the time of the accident
- Eyewitness statements
- Expert testimony
- Police and accident reports
- Medical records
- Maintenance records
Our award-winning Maryland personal injury lawyers have over a century of combined experience navigating challenging negligence actions. When you hire our law firm, you’ll benefit from our insight, resources, and passion for making things right for our clients. Call our law offices in Baltimore, MD to arrange a free consultation today.
What Types of Damages Can I Win in a Maryland Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Under Maryland law, plaintiffs in a personal injury lawsuit can demand compensatory damages. Compensatory damages include economic awards, which offset financial costs, and non-economic awards, which make up for intangible suffering and trauma.
Potential compensation can include money for:
- Medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Therapy
- Lost wages and income
- Property damage
- Funeral expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement
- Embarrassment
- Mental anguish
- Out-of-pocket expenses
In some situations, punitive damages may be appropriate, as well. However, a Maryland jury must find clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted intentionally or with a wrongful motive.
WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Represents Clients in All Types of Personal Injury Cases in Maryland
Our acclaimed trial attorneys in Maryland have 80 years of combined experience handling personal injury cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Uber and Lyft accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Boating accidents
- Dog bites
- Premises liability matters
- Product liability
- Workplace accidents
- Workers’ compensation
- Construction accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Medical malpractice
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death, and more
Do not hesitate to reach out to our law office in Baltimore if you or a loved one has recently been hurt in an accident in Baltimore. We’re always standing by to help – 24/7/365.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers Today
Are you struggling with painful physical injuries and sky-high financial costs because of a recent accident in Maryland? Did you get hurt because of someone else’s negligence or intentionally harmful actions? If so, you may have the right to recover compensation, and WGK Personal Injury Lawyers will be there to help you fight for the results you deserve.
We’re nationally-acclaimed Maryland personal injury lawyers with 80 years of combined experience. Let us stand up and fight for you during this difficult time. Your first consultation is 100 percent free, so call to speak with a member of our team today.
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