When you have sustained an injury because of someone else’s negligence, you may have questions about the future. These injuries may impact you physically, emotionally, and financially and make you feel overwhelmed with changes. The insurance company may even be trying to contact you to discuss a possible settlement.
A Timonium personal injury lawyer can help protect your rights and fight for the compensation you deserve. If you have been injured, a knowledgeable personal injury attorney at Price Benowitz could protect your rights and work with you throughout your case.
Types of Injuries
Injuries from an accident can vary from minor to catastrophic. Minor injuries, such as bruises and sprains, can cause discomfort and pain but may not rise to the level of injury required to file a claim. Catastrophic injuries, such as broken bones or traumatic brain injuries, have long-term or permanent effects and will change the person’s life moving forward. The injury may be physical or emotional or may even impair cognitive abilities.
Common Types of Personal Injury Cases
Timonium personal injury lawyers help injured people in a variety of ways.
Motor vehicle accidents, such as crashes involving cars, bicycles, buses, trucks, or motorcycles, can result in personal injury claims.
A person may also have a claim when they are injured in a workplace accident. Workplace accident lawsuits may result from unsafe working conditions, insufficient training, faulty equipment, or inadequate safety protocols.
Personal injury lawyers could assist a person who was injured by a medical mistake. Medical mistakes may occur when a healthcare professional fails to uphold the standard of care and causes harm. Examples of medical malpractice could include misdiagnoses, birth injuries, or surgical errors.
No matter how an injury occurred, an experienced lawyer could evaluate each unique case and answer questions about the claims process.
Potential Compensation
Injury in an accident can lead to missed work, medical bills, and other expenses. The injured party may be entitled to compensation if they were injured due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness. The amount of compensation depends on what occurred and how severe the injuries sustained were.
If someone was injured because of an accident or someone else’s negligence or recklessness, the injured party should be compensated for their damages. The injured person may seek compensation for lost wages, medical bills, and property damage. The injured party may also want to seek compensation for pain and suffering. It can be overwhelming to understand the personal injury process while also trying to recover after being injured. A Timonium personal injury lawyer could assist in a case and help a client explore their available compensation options.
How to Hold Someone Else at Fault for a Personal Injury
At the core of almost every personal injury lawsuit is a legal concept called “negligence.” This principle is what allows someone to bear financial fault for the consequences of their accident even if they had no intention of knowingly causing anyone any harm.
In short, negligence has four components, all of which must be present in order for a personal injury claim to be valid. First, the “defendant” named in their claim must have owed the injured “plaintiff” a responsibility to act safely and reasonably based on the circumstances—in legal terms, a “duty of care.” Next, the defendant must have done something so reckless or careless that it constitutes a “breach” of this duty, like breaking a traffic law, failing to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition, or not meeting a standard of care associated with their profession.
Third, the defendant’s reckless or careless actions must have been the direct and primary cause of an accident—a car crash, a slip or trip and fall, or any other situation that put someone else at risk of harm. Finally, the plaintiff must have suffered compensable losses as a direct result of the accident, at least one of which must have been a physical injury necessitating professional medical care. A Timonium personal injury attorney could explain and discuss these elements in more detail during a private consultation.
The Potential Impact of Contributory Negligence
Importantly, being able to prove that someone else was to blame for an accident is only half the equation for a successful personal injury lawsuit in Timonium. The other half is the plaintiff proving that they themselves were not at fault for their own injuries in any way, because Maryland state court precedent will forbid them from getting any compensation at all if they are.
More specifically, the “pure contributory negligence” standard that state civil courts adhere to prevents civil recovery by anyone who is even a little bit to blame for their own personal injury. Accordingly, getting help from a skilled personal injury lawyer in Timonium could be essential to securing a good case outcome, given how consequential accusations of contributory fault can be.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Timonium Today
Sustaining an injury, no matter how severe, can be life changing. Let us help you focus on your recovery while a dedicated Timonium personal injury lawyer pursues your claim. Price Benowitz has a team of 40 experienced and knowledgeable attorneys ready to fight for you. Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation.