If you were hurt in an accident you did not cause, your first priority should be getting the medical care you need to avoid or mitigate long-term harm. Once your condition is stable, though, you should consider speaking with legal counsel about your options for filing suit. You may be able to hold another negligent party financially accountable for the damages they caused.
If you suffered any injury that required professional medical attention due to someone else’s negligence, a Laurel personal injury lawyer could help you take appropriate legal action. Through a successful lawsuit or settlement demand, your dedicated attorney could help you seek fair restitution for both economic and non-economic losses.
How Legal Counsel Could Help Prove Negligence
The principle of legal negligence—which almost all personal injury claims are based around—has four key elements, all of which must be proven through a “preponderance of the evidence.” Summarized as succinctly as possible, these elements are as follows:
- A “duty” of reasonable and safe behavior owed by the defendant towards the plaintiff
- A violation of that existing duty by the defendant
- A specific accident stemming directly from the defendant’s breach of duty
- A causal relationship between that accident and the compensable losses for which the plaintiff seeks restitution
Establishing that all these elements apply to a particular case can be immensely difficult for an individual to manage, especially while also dealing with a serious injury. A Laurel personal injury attorney could provide valuable assistance collecting evidence that proves defendant fault, presenting that evidence in a comprehensive and effective way, and valuing damages so that a plaintiff can seek appropriate compensation through a settlement demand or lawsuit.
In addition, legal counsel plays a particularly important role when it comes to contesting allegations of comparative fault. Unlike most other states, Maryland does not allow a plaintiff who bears any degree of fault for their own injuries to seek any civil recovery whatsoever, so ensuring that a plaintiff is not held responsible for any of their injuries or losses is a core requirement for a successful case.
What Damages Could Be Recoverable?
Perhaps somewhat counterintuitively, “compensable losses” do not necessarily have to have objective financial values in order to be recoverable through civil litigation. For example, a typical personal injury claim might seek recovery not only for specific losses like medical bills and lost work income, but also qualitative based on the plaintiff’s unique circumstances, such as physical pain and suffering.
However, damage caps apply to recovery for non-economic damages, which a personal injury lawyer in Laurel could explain in further detail. The specific maximum value for non-economic recovery changes every year with inflation, and higher caps apply to specific types of cases, such as those based on medical negligence or resulting in wrongful death.
Get in Touch with a Laurel Personal Injury Attorney Today
Filing suit over a personal injury may understandably seem like an exhausting endeavor while you are still dealing with the effects of a severe accident. However, it is often crucial if you want to preserve your future physical and financial wellbeing, not to mention hold the responsible party accountable.
Help may be available throughout every stage of the civil litigation process from a seasoned Laurel personal injury lawyer. Schedule an initial consultation by calling today.
