Landover Personal Injury Lawyer
Accidents happen every day all across Maryland, many of which could have been avoided if everyone involved had acted the way they were supposed to. If you recently got hurt because of someone else’s reckless or careless behavior, you are unfortunately all too aware of this, as well as of the immense physical, financial, and personal harm that a single irresponsible act can cause.
Fortunately, help is available from a seasoned Landover personal injury lawyer who has helped in similar situations to yours seek fair financial recovery for their damages. Once retained, your dedicated attorney could immediately begin collecting evidence of fault, working to construct a comprehensive demand for compensation, and tirelessly defend your best interests from start to finish of your case.
How Negligence Works in Landover Personal Injury Cases
To hold someone else financially liable for their damages, a person injured in an accident in Landover typically needs to prove legal negligence by that other party. “Negligence” is a distinct legal concept that has a four-part definition, and a plaintiff who cannot prove that all four of those elements apply to their accident generally cannot recover any compensation.
In a nutshell, a successful personal injury lawsuit based on negligence must prove that a defendant:
- Owed the injured plaintiff a responsibility—called a “duty of care”—to act in a certain reasonable and safe way under the circumstances
- Violated their “duty” by engaging in some kind of reckless, careless, or intentionally malicious conduct
- Directly caused an accident through their irresponsible act or failure to act
- Consequently caused the plaintiff to sustain at least one physical injury that required professional medical care
In addition, plaintiffs in Maryland must also be able to prove that they themselves bore absolutely no responsibility for causing or exacerbating their own injuries. If they cannot, the “pure contributory negligence” system that state civil courts follow may prohibit them from recovering financially at all, even if another party bears a majority of the fault for their injuries. Assistance from a Landover personal injury attorney can be crucial to proving and disproving fault in these respective contexts.
Available Damages in a Successful Claim
Assuming no issues with contributory fault, a successful plaintiff in a Landover personal injury claim may demand restitution for both economic and non-economic repercussions of their injury. In other words, they can hold a negligent defendant accountable not just for objective financial losses like property repair costs and medical expenses, but also subjective forms of harm like physical pain from an injury and lost opportunities to engage in hobbies or enjoy time with family.
However, even a plaintiff with a comprehensive case against a negligent defendant may be unable to recover anything if they wait too long to get their case started. According to Maryland Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings §5-101, a three-year filing deadline applies to most personal injury claims, with only limited exceptions under very specific circumstances. For this and many other reasons, retaining a personal injury lawyer in Landover sooner as opposed to later is often a wise course of action.
Consider Working with a Landover Personal Injury Attorney
Personal injury litigation can be complicated under any circumstances, but it is often especially challenging to achieve a positive outcome to this kind of case in Maryland. If you fail to seek help from an experienced legal representative, your chances of recovering the compensation you need may be extraordinarily slim.
Do not wait to start pursuing the restitution you deserve for the harm someone else forced you to sustain. Contact a Landover personal injury lawyer today to discuss your legal options.
