Who Has the Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Maryland?

The term personal injury refers to a broad category of legal cases. Each type of personal injury requires a unique approach for our clients to receive the compensation they deserve. Although the Maryland personal injury attorneys at Morgan & Morgan litigate every type of personal injury claim, our more than three decades of experience have allowed us to handle five of the most common types of personal injury cases.

Auto Accidents

You should not be surprised to learn that auto accidents sit at the top of the list for the most common type of personal injury case. Causes of car crashes include distracted drivers, reckless driving maneuvers, and defective automobiles. To get an insurance claim approved, you have to prove you suffered injuries because of a car accident by submitting convincing evidence that includes photos of the accident scene. If you believe negligence played a role in causing a vehicle collision, we have to demonstrate through physical evidence the other party should assume legal liability for causing you harm.

Harmful Drugs

The number of personal injury cases that involve dangerous drugs has exploded over the past 10 years. All you have to do is watch television to see the large number of drugs the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled. Law firms all over the country that handle personal injury cases advertise their legal services for clients suffering from the negative long-term effects of a dangerous drug. Defects in a medication such as Zantac can produce life-threatening health issues.

Slip and Fall

Another frequently litigated type of personal injury case is called a slip and fall. Although this type of personal injury incident can happen anywhere, slip and fall incidents often occur at bars, restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores. A beverage spills and unless there is prompt action taken by an employee, a customer can walk across the spill and then slip and fall to the ground. Proving negligence can be difficult for a slip and fall case if we do not retrieve the footage taken by security cameras at the time of the personal injury incident.

Product Liability

Defective products can produce injuries that are as dangerous or more dangerous than the negative health issues caused by a dangerous medication. For example, a defective lawn mower can cause life-threatening injuries as well. Proving a manufacturer built and sold a dangerous product requires an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney. Manufacturers have deep pockets, which means they can afford to employ high-powered legal counsel to fight back against a civil lawsuit. A recent example of a product liability case concerns the defective earplug lawsuits filed against 3M by members of the military.

Medical Malpractice

The healthcare facility where you receive treatment for an injury or illness also can be the place where you experience harm. Medical error ranks as the third leading cause of death in the United States. Medical errors happen for many reasons, with lack of training and improper procedures at the top of the list for the reasons that trigger medical malpractice lawsuits. Medical malpractice ranks near the top of the list of the most common types of personal injury claims in Maryland. However, medical malpractice does not generate as many civil lawsuits because the legal process is costly and medical malpractice cases often are highly complex legal processes.

The most important reason you hire a Maryland personal injury attorney is to receive compensation for your financial losses. Whether you receive compensation from an insurance company or take your case to trial for monetary damages, you should understand the three main types of compensation you can receive.

Economic Damages

Also referred to as special compensatory damages, economic damages cover the cost of medical bills, property damage, and lost wages. Medical expenses by far rank as the costliest expense you can expect to pay for a personal injury case. When you file an insurance claim and/or a civil lawsuit, you must submit records of the medical procedures you had to pay for out-of-pocket. This includes the cost of running diagnostic tests, receiving treatments, and completing physical therapy sessions. You also have the right to receive economic damages for the cost of assistive devices and prescription medications.
Property damage represents a significant cost for auto collision cases, but you can experience property damage for any type of personal injury case. For example, if you slip and fall at a grocery store and land hard on your smartphone, you should ask the court to reward you compensation to either repair the phone or allow you to buy a new one.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages, which also go by the name of general compensatory damages, do not come with a price tag. Your Maryland personal injury attorney calculates a value for non-economic damages based on a formula that includes the amount of economic damages you receive. Pain and suffering is the most common type of general compensatory damages awarded for personal injury cases. Pain and suffering covers mental and emotional issues such as anguish, anxiety, and depression. The key to receiving compensation for non-economic damages is not to submit an unreasonable value for pain and suffering.

Punitive

As the name suggests, punitive damages punish a plaintiff for causing a personal injury incident. Referring to our slip and fall example, a grocery store can be held legally liable for not promptly placing a Wet Floor sign over an area that became slick because of a spilled beverage. If your Maryland personal injury attorney can prove intentional negligence, the amount of money awarded for punitive damages should increase substantially.
Although your personal injury lawyer requests an amount for economic and non-economic damages, the amount of money awarded for punitive damages typically is requested by the judge or jury hearing your case.

Statute of limitations represents a procedural statute that defines how long a plaintiff has to file a civil lawsuit for a personal injury case. Each state establishes a statute of limitations, which usually runs between two and four years. Maryland gives plaintiffs three years to file a civil lawsuit for a personal injury case. Despite the considerable amount of time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Maryland, you should act with a sense of urgency to recover your financial losses as quickly as possible.

If you fail to file a personal injury lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations, you can expect the court to dismiss your case as legally invalid.

Finding the best personal injury lawyer in Maryland requires you to learn what factors you should consider before you decide where to turn for legal support. The Maryland personal injury attorney you select must have plenty of experience winning favorable legal judgments for personal injury cases. Any lawyer you meet to discuss your case should provide you with proof of the litigator’s record of success in getting clients the compensation they deserve.

Experience is one of the most important factors when choosing the best Maryland personal injury attorney, but you should consider other factors as well.

Specializes in Personal Injury Law

Some litigators claim to specialize in personal injury law, when in fact they treat the practice like a worker treats a moonlighting job. Not only do you want to work with a lawyer who specializes in personal injury law, but you also should search for legal counsel that specializes in your type of personal injury case. For example, if you suffered injuries caused by a car accident, you should search for a personal injury lawyer who specializes in car accident cases.

At Morgan & Morgan, we devote a large part of our legal practice to personal injury law.

Takes on Your Case From Start to Finish

Meeting with a Maryland personal injury lawyer for a free case evaluation, only to see the attorney vanish for the rest of the legal process, doesn't cut it when you search for one of the best personal injury attorneys. The lawyer you hire must provide legal support from the day you meet for a free case evaluation until a judge or jury awards you monetary damages.

Easy to Reach

Nothing is as frustrating for a client as having to wait days for the return of an email or a phone call message. You can expect to have numerous questions when it comes to your case, which means the litigator you choose to hire must respond to your questions and concerns promptly. You can discover how responsive an attorney is by leaving a couple of emails and/or phone messages before you schedule a free case evaluation. At Morgan & Morgan, we make responsive communication a priority for our clients.

Learn more about how the Maryland personal injury attorneys at Morgan & Morgan can help you receive compensation by scheduling a free case evaluation today.