Germantown Car Accident Lawyer
A collision between motor vehicles traveling at any speed has the potential to result in substantial physical injuries that in turn lead to significant financial and personal losses. Unfortunately, both insurance settlements and personal injury litigation following a car wreck can be difficult to achieve a positive resolution from, especially if you proceed through them without representation from experienced legal counsel.
A knowledgeable Germantown car accident lawyer could be a crucial ally at every step on the path towards successful financial recovery. In addition to helping with demonstrating fault by the defendant(s) in your claim, your dedicated personal injury attorney could contest accusations of fault against you and diligently demand fair restitution for all your recoverable losses.
What Constitutes Negligence in Car Crash Claims?
Regardless of what circumstances in particular cause an injury to occur, recovery through an ensuing civil lawsuit generally revolves around whether the injured party can prove “negligence” by the defendant(s) allegedly responsible for their damages. Negligence has four components—duty of care, breach of duty, causation of injuries, and losses stemming directly from those injuries—that must all be present for a car accident claim to move forward.
The moment they start their engines, all drivers assume an implicit legal duty to follow traffic laws and maintain awareness of surrounding drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and possible hazards, meaning that the “duty of care” element of negligence is never in dispute during car wreck litigation. However, proving that a negligent act like speeding, distracted driving, or intentionally aggressive behavior was the direct and primary cause of an accident can require a lot of compelling and comprehensive evidence, as can showing that this accident was the proximate cause of ensuing injuries and losses.
Unfortunately, Maryland’s “pure contributory fault” system makes matters even more complicated, as it prohibits accident victims found even one percent to blame for causing or worsening their own injuries from recovering any compensation for accident-related damages. Guidance from a Germantown personal injury attorney is often essential not only to proving defendant fault, but also to disproving plaintiff fault in this kind of claim.
Maximizing Recovery for Compensable Losses
Assuming contributory negligence does not sidetrack recovery efforts, a person injured in a car crash caused by another person’s misconduct could demand financial restitution for every past and future repercussion that incident has for them. Recoverable losses may be economic or non-economic in nature, meaning they may have objective financial values or be subjectively valuated based on a plaintiff’s unique needs and experiences.
An auto accident lawyer in Germantown could help pursue compensation for damages like:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost work income and/or earning capacity
- Damage to personal property, including vehicle repair/replacement costs
- Lost enjoyment of personal opportunities
- Physical pain
- Emotional and psychological trauma
It is often important to start the litigation process sooner rather than later, though, as Maryland Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings §5-101 allows most personal injury plaintiffs three years at most after discovering their injuries in which to file suit.
Talk to a Germantown Car Accident Attorney
Injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident can have life-altering implications, especially if they stem from a high-speed collision. Fortunately, if you can trace your losses from such an incident directly back to someone else’s irresponsible actions, you could have grounds to hold them liable for every form of harm you experienced because of their negligence.
Working with a Germantown car accident lawyer could make a world of difference when it comes to boosting your chances of case success. Learn more by calling today.
