Case building requires proof and victims should take pictures of the accident scene, and damage to vehicles.
Maryland – After a car accident results in property loss, physical injury, and emotional harms to victims, often leading to devastating fiscal impacts, victims may need to take legal action to recover amounts above insurance policy limits. Court awards may include compensatory and punitive damages. Car accident victims may wonder “Where can I find attorneys near me?” to assist with guidance and necessary litigation to recoup losses resulting from accident.
Motor vehicle accident loss trending upward
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projected that approximately 42,915 individuals suffered fatal injury in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2021, reflecting a 10% increase from 2020 and the highest number of traffic deaths since 2005. This means that close to 43,000 U.S. families have suffered harmful losses that may need to be addressed through fiscal compensation by means of insurance settlements and litigation against at fault parties. Experienced car accident lawyers at Murnane & O’Neill will evaluate each case and build a focused case to recover compensation for the harmful losses suffered.
Case building
Case building requires proof and victims should take pictures of the accident scene, and damage to vehicles. A medical provider should also see victims and provide a medical evaluation report for the insurance company after an accident. A police accident report will also be valuable to strengthening a case, in addition to the accident victim keeping a journal reflecting their interpretation of the accident events, and impacts to their health, emotional well-being and finances caused by the accident. Glen Burnie accident attorneys assist victims to file insurance claims and provide guidance on state thresholds, time limitations to file legal action, and information from insurance carriers that they communicate with on behalf of the accident victims. To prove negligence in court, elements required include:
- Duty – other driver owed a duty of care,
- Breach of duty – other driver failed to meet duty of care,
- Cause in fact – harms would not have occurred if other driver did not breach duty,
Maryland insurance
Maryland is a “fault” state with a mandatory insurance requirement, and the negligent driver’s insurance will typically be responsible for paying repairs, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering for the injured party or parties of an accident.
Damages
A car accident attorney will review the damage valuation determinations for auto insurance claims requiring the payment of:
- Compensatory damages for economic losses including lost wages, medical bills, medical care, and treatment, plus household expenses and non-economic losses that include pain and suffering, loss of consortium, or companionship.
- Punitive damages when a car accident lawyer can prove that a defendant deliberately, with reckless disregard, acted in a manner to cause harm to another person, punitive damages may be awarded based on the specifics of a case. The standard in Maryland is gross negligence, or actual malice and is extremely difficult to prove without the assistance of skillful accident attorneys building a compelling case in favor of victims.
Hire an Attorney
A Glen Burnie accident attorney at Murnane & O’Neill is experienced with auto accident claims and can be instrumental when a negligent driver is found to be responsible in a Maryland motor vehicle accident. A negligent driver’s insurance will typically be responsible for paying repairs, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering for the injured party, or parties of an accident.
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