Maryland car accident lawyers that try their cases often deal with situations involving seatbelts. Of course the law provides that you have to wear one, but the failure to wear one is not relevant in they typical car accident case. As Attorney Eric T. Kirk will tell you.
Maryland law provides that failure to wear a seatbelt is not contributory negligence, and that evidence of lack of use is not admissible in any civil trial.
Of course, that does not stop inquisitive lawyers working for the insurance company from asking if a plaintiff had his or her belt on during trial. It’s certainly a common question during depositions- and is arguably discoverable. The standard for whether or not something is discoverable is whether it is relevant, or likely to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence at trial. So, if the fact of seatbelt usage is irrelevant, and inadmissible, to be discoverable, there would have to be some other matter to which the answer to the question of seatbelt usage might lead. It is difficult to conceive of what that might be. In a larger sense, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], 51% of all people killed in automobile accidents do not have their seatbelts on.
I offer a free case analysis, evaluation and strategy planning meeting to my clients. Contact me today to schedule a session. 410 591 2835.
- Baltimore Personal Injury Trial Lawyer Eric T. Kirk
- Baltimore Car Accident Legal Analysis/Case Studies
- Baltimore Neighborhoods I Serve
Eric( Baltimore Personal Injury Trial Lawyer ) A Baltimore car accident and personal injury litigator who has taken hundreds of cases to trial in Maryland, New York and Florida, recovering millions over a 30-year mission to obtain denied compensation for his clients.
ARLINGTON ARCADIA ARMISTEAD GARDENS ASHBURTON BALTIMORE HIGHLANDS BARRE CIRCLE BAYVIEW BEECHFIELD BELAIR-EDISON BELAIR-PARKSIDE BEREA BIDDLE STREET BOLTON HILL BOYD-BOOTH BREWERS HILL BRIDGEVIEW / GREENLAWN BROADWAY EAST BROENING MANOR BROOKLYN BUTCHERS HILL CALLAWAY-GARRISON CANTON CANTON INDUSTRIAL AREA CARE CARROLL-SOUTH HILTON CARROLLTON RIDGE CEDMONT CEDONIA CENTRAL FOREST PARK CENTRAL PARK HEIGHTS CHARLES VILLAGE CHERRY HILL CHESWOLDE COLDSPRING COLDSTREAM HOMESTEAD MONTEBELLO CONCERNED CITIZENS OF FOREST PARK COPPIN HEIGHTS / ASH-CO-EAST CROSS COUNTRY CROSS KEYS CURTIS BAY CYLBURN DARLEY PARK DICKEYVILLE DOLFIELD DORCHESTER DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN WEST DRUID HEIGHTS DUNBAR-BROADWAY EAST ARLINGTON EAST BALTIMORE MIDWAY EASTERNWOOD EASTWOOD EAGER PARK EDGEWOOD EDMONDSON VILLAGE EASTERWOOD EVERGREEN EVERGREEN LAWN EVESHAM PARK FAIRMONT FALLSTAFF FEDERAL HILL FELLS POINT FOREST PARK FOREST PARK GOLF COURSE FOUR BY FOUR FRANKFORD FRANKLIN SQUARE FRANKLINTOWN FRANKLINTOWN ROAD GAY STREET GLEN GLENHAM-BELHAR GLEN OAKS GREENMOUNT WEST GREENSPRING GREEKTOWN GROVE PARK GRACELAND PARK GOVANS GUILFORD GWYNNS FALLS HAMILTON HILLS HAMPDEN HANLON-LONGWOOD HARBOR EAST HARLEM PARK HARWOOD HERITAGE CROSSING HIGHLANDTOWN HILLEN HOLLINS MARKET HOES HEIGHTS HOMELAND HOWARD PARK HUNTING RIDGE IDLEWOOD INNER HARBOR IRVINGTON JONES FALLS AREA JONESTOWN KENILWORTH PARK KERNEWOOD KESWICK KRESSON LAKE EVESHAM LAKE WALKER LAKELAND LANGSTON HUGHES LAURAVILLE LEVINDALE LIBERTY SQUARE LITTLE ITALY LOCUST POINT LOCH RAVEN LOWER EDMONDSON VILLAGE MADISON PARK MADISON-EASTEND MAYFIELD MEDFIELD MEDFORD MID-GOVANS MID-TOWN BELVEDERE MILTON-MONTFORD MONDAWMIN MONTBELLO MORGAN PARK MORAVIA-WALTHER MORRELL PARK MOSHER MOUNT HOLLY MOUNT VERNON MOUNT WASHINGTON MOUNT WINANS NEW NORTHWOOD NEW SOUTHWEST / MOUNT CLARE NORTH HARFORD ROAD NORTH ROLAND PARK / POPLAR HILL NORTHWEST COMMUNITY ACTION OAKENSHAWE OAKLEE OLD GOUCHER OLIVER ORIGINAL NORTHWOOD ORANGEVILLE ORCHARD RIDGE OTTERBEIN OVERLEA PARK CIRCLE PARKLANE PARKSIDE PARKVIEW / WOODBROOK PARKWAY (BURLEITH-LEIGHTON) PATTERSON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD PATTERSON PLACE PEN LUCY PENROSE / FAYETTE STREET OUTREACH PERRING LOCH PIMLICO GOOD NEIGHBORS POPPLETON PORT COVINGTON / BALTIMORE PENINSULA PUERTO RICO PURNELL RADNOR-WINSTON RAMBLEWOOD REMINGTON RESERVOIR HILL RIDGELY’S DELIGHT RIVERSIDE ROGNEL HEIGHTS ROLAND PARK ROSEMONT ROSEBANK SAINT AGNES SAINT HELENA SAINT JOSEPHS SAINT PAUL SABINA-MATTFELDT SANDTOWN-WINCHESTER SHARP-LEADENHALL SHIPLEY HILL SOUTH BALTIMORE SOUTH CLIFTON PARK SOUTHEAST SETON HILL TEN HILLS TAYLOR HEIGHTS THE ORCHARDS TREMONT TUSCANY-CANTERBURY UPLANDS UPTON VILLAGES OF HOMELAND VIOLETVILLE WAVERLY WAKE
