Laurel Car Accident Lawyer

Even though every vehicle on the road weighs multiple tons and has the potential to cause immense harm if it collides with another vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian, not everyone operates these massive machines with the care and consideration that they should. Unfortunately, these reckless and careless actions behind the wheel sometimes lead to people who were acting responsibly getting hurt—and sustaining significant financial and personal losses—by no fault of their own.

If you recently suffered an injury due to another driver’s misconduct, a skilled personal injury attorney could help you fight to hold that irresponsible party accountable for your ensuing losses. By working with a qualified Laurel car accident lawyer, you could give yourself far better chances to prove negligence by someone else involved in your crash and recover appropriate compensation for all your damages.

Establishing Fault for a Car Wreck in Laurel

The basic legal principle that almost all successful car accident claims are built around is “negligence”—in other words, the concept that someone who causes harm unintentionally should bear responsibility for the consequences of that harm, just if as they       acted with intentional malice. In the context of civil law, negligence has four components that must be present for a personal injury case to move forward.

The first of these elements—a duty of care owed by the defendant to the injured plaintiff—is always present in auto accident claims, as everyone who operates a motor vehicle bears an implicit responsibility to follow traffic laws and act as a reasonable person would at all times. However, proving subsequently that a defendant violated this duty through some careless or reckless action, directly caused an accident as a result, and directly caused the plaintiff’s compensable losses through that accident can often be challenging and require extensive evidence in multiple forms.

Assistance from skilled legal counsel can be absolutely essential to collecting, preserving, and effectively presenting proof that an accident would not have occurred except for the negligence of another party. Through a successful claim, a Laurel car accident attorney could help an injured individual demand restitution for, among other losses:

  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Lost work income
  • Physical pain and suffering
  • Damage to a vehicle and other personal property
  • Lost consortium
  • Lost enjoyment of life

Potential Obstacles to Successful Civil Recovery

In addition to proving fault by at least one other party involved in an accident, car wreck victims who want to seek civil recovery for their injuries must also prove that they bore no fault whatsoever for their own injuries. This is because Maryland civil courts adhere to an exceptionally harsh “pure contributory negligence” system during personal injury litigation, which prohibits any recovery by an injured person who is partially responsible for causing their own damages or making them worse.

It is also worth noting that Maryland Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings §3-2A-09 caps recovery for non-economic losses at $890,000—as of October 1, 2020—in car accidents that do not result in a fatality, and MD Code, C&JP §5-101 limits most prospective plaintiffs to three years after their accidents in which to file suit. Representation from a knowledgeable auto accident lawyer in Laurel could help mitigate the impact that these and other procedural limitations have on financial recovery.

Seek Help from a Laurel Car Accident Attorney

Whether you were involved in a high-speed collision or a fender-bender in a parking lot, the financial, physical, and personal consequences of an auto accident can be significant. Unfortunately, recovering financially for a wreck through a personal injury lawsuit can be a tremendously complex endeavor, especially if you try to do it without professional legal support.

A seasoned Laurel car accident lawyer could be the ally you need to effectively seek the case outcome you deserve. Learn more by calling today.