Dictionary of Legal Terms For Baltimore Personal Injury Cases
DAMAGES Damages are the method by which the law quantifies the harm that results from an act of negligence. Money is a poor substitute for the pain and loss associated with a personal injury, but it is the system of compensation that the law recognizes for those who have sustained physical harm at the hands of others.... Read more »
If The Other Driver Turns Left In Front Of Me, Are They At Fault For Causing The Accident?
The answer to this question depends in most situations on whether or not there is a traffic control device- a stop light or stop sign or signal- present. In the absence of a traffic control signal, the law provides that a vehicle shall not turn left in front of oncoming traffic unless it is safe to... Read more »
How Long Do I Have To Wait To Get My Money After I Settle My Car Accident Case?
The typical Maryland car accident case that results in injury and corresponding personal injury claims for one or more of the occupants of the vehicles is ultimately resolved through settlement. There are really only two ways that an auto accident injury claim can favorably resolve: settlement or trial. A settlement is a negotiated agreement with... Read more »
The Top Five Things That Hurt The Value Of Your Baltimore Personal Injury Case.
Over the course of 20 years as a personal injury and accident lawyer, I’ve encountered some missteps that can significantly affect the value of a Baltimore personal injury claim. In no particular order, The Top Five Things That Hurt The Value Of Your Baltimore Personal Injury Case include: It’s fairly commonplace for someone who sustained... Read more »
After A Maryland Car Accident, How Long Do I Have To Hire A Personal Injury Attorney?
I’m often asked this question, and frequently in connection with other questions surrounding Maryland personal injury cases which arise from automobile accidents. The victims of negligence will ask if there is a time limit within which an injured person must hire an attorney to handle a Maryland car accident claim. Another common question is if... Read more »
How Long After A Baltimore Car Accident Do I Have To Report The Claim To The Insurance Company?
There is no specific time frame governing when one must report a claim to an insurance company in Maryland. We need to draw a distinction here between what is known as a first-party insurance claim and a third-party insurance claim. In the context of a Maryland automobile accident wherein personal injuries are sustained, claims that... Read more »
What Are My Rights and Responsibilities After A Maryland Car Accident
To some extent, your obligations after being involved in a Baltimore car accident are going to depend on the severity of that car crash. Substantive Maryland law imposes certain requirements on individuals who have been involved in an automobile accident involving serious personal injury or property damage. In these instances, you are required to stop,... Read more »
If I Can’t Work After A Car Accident, Can I Recover My Lost Wages?
The title poses an agonizing question for my personal injury clients. In my experience, there are essentially three varieties of disability that an injury victim may experience after a Baltimore car accident or other personal injury causing event. Concepts that one sees frequently in workers’ compensation law may serve to illustrate the first two forms... Read more »
If I Settle My Personal Injury Case Will My Future Medical Care Be Covered By The Other Party’s Insurance?
The quick and easy answer to this question is that any future medical care or treatment related to injuries you sustain in an accident will only be covered if, and only if, a provision regarding this is encompassed within the terms of a settlement agreement- and, frankly, that rarely happens in the personal injury arena.... Read more »
Do I Have to Let The Insurance Company Take my Statement After A Maryland Car Accident?
An insurance company is always going to make an effort to get what an injured person said memorialized in some fashion. Written statements and recorded oral statements are preferred. As Attorney Eric T. Kirk will tell you. Whether or not the insurance company can force you to give a statement depends on the status of the claim.... Read more »
How Do I Calculate a Maryland Personal Injury Settlement?
The easy, short answer is that there is no calculator that can be used to determine a fair, reasonable personal injury settlement, although many of the nation’s largest insurance companies began to utilize settlement software several years ago. The process at work with settlement software involving a claims adjuster inputting preset variables, and the software,... Read more »
If I Slide On Ice Am I Responsible For A Car Accident?
Every winter, our firm handles several cases involving the interplay of ice, road conditions, and motor vehicle accidents or other personal injury-causing events. A common theme in each of these cases is the responsibility of the drivers versus the conditions that may make an accident essentially inevitable, such as the presence of ice and snow. The mere... Read more »
