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Pinder Plotkin’s Baltimore car accident lawyers are experienced at representing injured victims and their families to seek the compensation they deserve after an accident. Many auto accidents in Baltimore result in severe injuries, which could have life-changing consequences for both the victims and their families. Accidents are the third leading cause for deaths in the U.S.
In case you have been injured in a car accident, the premier injury attorneys in Baltimore at Pinder Plotkin can provide you with the legal support and guidance you need while going through the complex, confusing, and often frustrating process of filing an accident claim.
There are a wide variety of conditions that could lead to accidents on the road. However, driver negligence, including distraction, texting, driving under the influence (DUI) of intoxicants, and sleepiness remain among the top common causes of collisions on the road. Some other common causes include:
The SHA crews are currently conducting roadwork in two dozen counties within the State of Maryland, which require traffic lanes to be closed. Potholes are a key problem statewide, and the roadwork that’s associated with repairing highways can be quite hazardous for drivers. Key highways, such as the Capital Beltway (I-495) and U.S. Route 1 are already subject to congestion, and both pose a problem for the residents and commuter alike. Sometimes, collisions happen between cars on the highway and others on the shoulder of the road.
There are certain injuries that are sustained in car accidents that can temporarily or permanently hinder your quality of life. some of the most common auto accident injuries include:
Some of these conditions can easily result in the need for ongoing medical treatment and cause a lack of mobility. Anyone who has to get extended medical care or suffers from a lack of mobility is also likely to be affected by:
A 2020 study conducted by the Maryland Department of Transportation showed there were over 33,000 injuries caused by car accidents in 2018.
While every car accident is unique, a field as well litigated as car accident cases has a large number of factors that can have a significant influence on the likelihood and the number of potential settlements with the party at fault or their insurer.
The actual amount of money you receive in settlement will depend on the circumstances of your case, as determined by the insurance company or the jury. Keep in mind that if your case doesn’t go to court, your settlement amount will be solely based on the negotiations between your auto accident attorney and the insurance company of the defendant. As such, you should take your time to look for an attorney that you can trust and work with during the process.
Some of the aspects that you should consider when determining the value of your settlement include the following:
In Baltimore, juries are typically not given knowledge of whether the defendant has an insurance policy (or not) that can contribute towards the settlement. Another factor that will impact the compensation amount is the venue or location of the scheduled trial. The nature and attitude of the jury will differ in urban areas (like Baltimore City) and the rural areas like Washington and Wicomico.
It can be extremely difficult to predict the value of a settlement in any personal injury case, including those involving an auto accident. Even the most experienced car accident attorneys in Baltimore will only be able to calculate a rough estimate due to many factors that come into play for such cases, especially those that have to be examined by the defendant’s insurance company, the jury, or both.
Keep in mind that the jury uses human logic and reasoning, along with the guidance of a judge to assess these factors, while the insurance companies make use of standardized software with predetermined formulas to do the same. Ultimately, any prediction will be made on a fact-intensive investigation about the circumstances surrounding your case, including how the accident happened, and the damage, injuries, and treatment that resulted thereafter.
If you have been involved in an auto accident in Baltimore, get in touch with a specialized attorney at Pinder Plotkin as soon as possible.
Related: Do’s and Don’ts After Car Accident
When you’re involved in a crash that resulted in injuries, you’ll want to make sure you seek medical attention immediately, and if possible, contact the local law enforcement. However, it’s important to keep in mind that even if you still feel fine after the crash, symptoms of injuries could appear later, and your body or your car could be damaged in ways that aren’t obvious immediately after the crash. In case you develop the symptoms of injury later, you should get medical attention immediately.
While at the scene of the accident, make sure you take photos of the vehicles and jot down some notes. This will help to preserve time-sensitive evidence, which will help you keep an accurate account of the circumstances surrounding the accident. Some of the useful details include:
Representing yourself in court can be extremely stressful, even for the most confident among us, and especially someone who has just experienced the trauma associated with being involved in a car accident. Insurance companies often deploy some questionable strategies in their efforts to protect their profits, including denying or delaying payments, with some attempting to grossly underpay the injured parties.
Hiring a Baltimore car accident lawyer is one of the best ways of taking the guesswork out of the legal process and maximizing your chances of receiving compensation. Getting compensated for your injuries will ideally serve several purposes:
Obtaining skilled and experienced legal representation will also help make sure that:
At Pinder Plotkin, the initial consultation with all clients is free of charge, whether it’s done by phone or in person. At this meeting, we’ll go through details regarding the circumstances leading to and surrounding your car accident. We’ll then provide you with a general assessment of your case, and strategies that we can pursue should you choose to retain our legal services.
We represent clients who’ve been hurt in auto accidents or families whose loved ones lost their lives in auto accidents on a contingency fee basis. This means that we only charge you after we recover compensation on your behalf, where we typically charge 33% of your jury award or insurance settlement. There won’t be any charges if we don’t win.
Whenever you’re dealing with such an issue, your best bet is to retain a dedicated Baltimore car accident lawyer as soon as you can. If you choose to work with us, we’ll handle all the necessary discussions and negotiations with the insurance companies, which will help relieve you of a great deal of stress.
We generally advise our clients against speaking with the insurance companies, as they will most likely make an immediate settlement offer that’s way below the true cost of the damages, so as to keep their profit margins healthy. With us, you can be sure that we’re devoted to making sure that you’re well compensated and you are protected from being victimized in the claims process.
Once they review the demand package, the insurer’s adjuster may choose to accept or deny liability. If they accept liability, an initial settlement offer may be put on the table. This initial offer is in most cases very low, and it doesn’t represent what the case is actually worth. In many cases, the negotiations between the lawyers and the adjuster will go back and forth for a few months before the parties reach a stalemate or settle. At this point, the personal injury lawyer will file a lawsuit in the circuit or district court based on the number of damages being demanded and the value of the case.
Generally speaking, the statute of limitations sets the time period by which your claim must be filed to be considered timely. In Baltimore, you’re given three years to file a suit from the date of the accident. When this period expires, you are forever barred from filing suit on the same.
This means that you will be barred from receiving any compensation if you file a lawsuit, even a day after the statute expires. It’s important that you consult with an experienced car accident lawyer and discuss the statute of limitations that applies to your claims so that you can act promptly to ensure you don’t miss out on potentially receiving compensation.
Filing an auto accident claim with the insurance company means sending a demand package or a special package to the insurance adjuster. You can also have a lawyer submit the demand package to the insurance adjuster on your behalf. However, the specials package shouldn’t be submitted until the client has finished undergoing treatment for the injuries sustained. The package typically comes with a cover letter outlining a demand amount, and ideally delineates the amounts in damages being claimed, such as the medicals, pain and suffering, lost wages, etc.
Medical bills and records lost wage documentation, physical therapy records, along with other relevant documentation is also attached. At Pinder Plotkin, we will work to obtain any missing medical treatment bills or records and submit them in due course to the adjuster, after submitting the initial demand letter.
Generally speaking, in Baltimore, you can sue anyone who was a direct cause of your car accident and led to your injuries. Most car accident cases involve a negligence claim. This requires the plaintiff to prove four elements:
Issues of liability can quickly become complex, and they are very rarely clear-cut. There may be multiple parties involved, for example, and it may be difficult to determine the extent of each party’s fault for the accident. Moreover, a Baltimore personal injury claim will involve not only the parties who may be at fault for your accident but also their insurance companies.
If you are partially liable for the accident, your recovery of damages may be reduced by the extent of your liability. The Contributory Negligence rule is applicable in Baltimore, and it applies to cases where multiple parties — including the plaintiff — may be at fault for an accident. According to that rule, a victim’s settlement can be reduced based on the amount of fault the court says the plaintiff bears in causing the accident and their subsequent injuries or losses.
In other words, in Baltimore, if the victim bears even 1% of the blame for the accident, then he or she can altogether be barred from getting compensation from the party that shoulders the most responsibility for the accident. As you might imagine, this is a difficult rule to fight. Our team of legal experts will analyze the facts of your case to determine if you shoulder any blame and whether that might affect your claim in any way.
The short answer is that the case is now in the court system. A copy of the lawsuit will be sent to the adjuster, and the adjuster will then refer the case to the house counsel, or to a private law firm or attorney, who will then file an answer on the defendant’s behalf. The case will then be taken through the oral and written discovery process, and it eventually settles or is otherwise proceeded to trial. Most auto accident cases settle before they ever go to trial. Even with a trial date set, a case can settle at any time, sometimes even on the day of the trial.
Pinder Plotkin’s Baltimore car accident lawyers are experienced at representing injured victims and their families to seek the compensation they deserve after an accident. Our legal team will pursue your claim tirelessly by diligently investigating the underlying circumstances of the crash.
We assess every detail when determining the cause of the crash and identifying the liable parties. We’ll work to gather the necessary evidence to prove liability and fault so that you can receive the compensation you rightfully deserve and move on with your life.
Don’t try to go up against the large insurance companies on your own. Let Pinder Plotkin take up the fight for you. In case your insurance company is unwilling to negotiate a fair settlement, we’re more than ready to file a lawsuit and hold the party at fault liable for all the losses and injuries you sustained as a result of their negligence
Contact us at (410) 525-5337 to schedule a free consultation with a Baltimore car accident lawyer.