In Maryland, if you’re injured because another person was negligent, you may be compensated for your medical expenses and lost wages, but to recover your compensation, you will need to be advised and represented by a Germantown personal injury attorney.

If you’re injured in an accident that was not your fault, you may also qualify to receive compensation for damages that are considered “noneconomic,” which may include compensation for your personal pain and suffering.

Almost any injury caused by another person is considered a personal injury, but in Maryland, the most common types of personal injury cases are cases arising from:

  1.  auto accidents
  2.  truck accidents
  3.  pedestrian accidents
  4.  premises liability accidents
  5.  product liability accidents

If you’re injured in one of these accident scenarios because someone else was negligent, what steps should you take? What will a Germantown personal injury attorney do on your behalf? Keep reading for the answers you may need.

What Should You Know About Auto Accidents?

After an automobile accident in or near Germantown, you may be facing severe long-term injuries, devastating medical expenses, and difficult personal challenges. Spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries sustained in auto accidents are sometimes permanently disabling.

If you are injured in an automobile accident, as soon as you have been examined and/or treated by a medical professional, schedule a consultation – immediately – to discuss your rights with a Germantown personal injury lawyer.

Your lawyer will determine exactly how the accident happened, identify the at-fault driver or any other party that may have liability, and negotiate with the liable party’s insurance company for a settlement that covers your medical costs, lost income, and personal pain and suffering.

Most auto accident claims are resolved in out-of-court negotiations, but if your injury claim is disputed or if no reasonable settlement offer is made, your lawyer will take your case to trial, explain to the jurors what happened, and ask the jury to order the payment of your compensation.

What Should You Know About Truck Accidents?

Truck accidents are almost always more complicated legally than auto accidents, and for several reasons. Statistically, truck accidents are far more dangerous. A truck’s weight, speed, and momentum are no match for an automobile.

Catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, injuries that require amputation, and injuries that cause permanent disabilities are – again, statistically – far more likely to happen in a truck accident than in an auto accident.

Who May Have Liability for a Truck Accident?

Often in truck accident cases, more than a single defendant will be involved. A trucking company, a contractor, a subcontractor, or a leasing company may also have a share of the liability.

If the cargo wasn’t loaded properly on a truck, if the tires or brakes were defective, or if a truck has been improperly maintained or completely neglected, more than one defendant may share the liability for a truck accident and the ensuing injuries.

However, after a truck collision, if you’re permanently disabled or catastrophically injured, the higher insurance coverage limits for commercial trucks make it more likely that you’ll recover the full compensation that you’re entitled to and deserve.

What Should You Know About Pedestrian Accidents?

Pedestrians are simply people who are walking down a sidewalk or crossing a street and minding their own business. They wear no safety protection, nor do they anticipate that they’ll be injured, so pedestrians struck by negligent drivers are likely to sustain catastrophic or disabling injuries.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, more than 6,700 pedestrians were killed in traffic collisions in the U.S. in 2020. When vehicles strike pedestrians, pedestrians may sustain back and neck injuries, brain and head injuries, internal injuries, bruises, and abrasions.

In or near Germantown, if you’re injured by a motorist’s negligence while you are a pedestrian, seek medical treatment immediately. Then, as quickly as you can, schedule a meeting to discuss your legal rights and options with a Germantown personal injury lawyer.

What Should You Know About Premises Liability?

“Premises liability” refers to a property owner’s (or property manager’s) liability for injuries that happen on a property because of a hazardous condition. This could include injuries from a dog bite, a slip-and-fall accident, a swimming pool accident, a fire, or a criminal assault or battery.

In most of these cases, if the property owner had been able to prevent an injury, and if the owner did not take action – even after learning about the hazardous condition and having the time to fix it – the owner may be deemed liable and ordered by a court to compensate the injury victim.

However, if you are injured on public property – a public park, public school, or public library, for example – and you are bringing an injury claim against a government agency, you may have less time to take legal action, so contact a Maryland premises liability lawyer at once.

What Should You Know About Product Liability?

Every year in Maryland, dangerous and defective consumer items cause scores of injuries. These items include appliances, tools, electronics, vehicles and vehicle parts, and even toys for children.

Product liability laws compel manufacturers and businesses to protect consumers from a product’s potential hazards. The manufacturers of dangerous or defective consumer items may be found liable and ordered to pay for any injuries and damages that those products cause.

If you are injured using a defective consumer item, seek medical attention at once and gather any evidence at the scene. Take photos of your injuries and the accident site. Compile any receipts, labels, or other pertinent documents. Then, speak to a Maryland product liability lawyer as quickly as possible.

What Else Should You Know About Personal Injuries?

If you’ve been injured by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled by law to compensation for current and projected future medical costs, current and projected future lost wages, personal pain and suffering, and related losses and damages.

Maryland’s statute of limitations gives injured victims of negligence three years to file a personal injury claim, but you can’t wait three years to speak with a lawyer. Your lawyer needs to examine the evidence while it’s fresh and speak with the witnesses before their memories fade.

You may have to make several court appearances. It may take some time. But if you’ve been injured by negligence, and if you and your attorney can prove it, you will recover the compensation you need, and the law will be on your side.

At Paré & Associates, LLC (formerly the Law Office of Alice Paré), we have been helping clients in Germantown, Gaithersburg, throughout Montgomery County, and all of Maryland for more than thirty (30) years.

Our attorneys are available to meet with you in person, over the phone, or online – however you prefer. If you are ready to consult with an attorney, or just need some questions answered, contact us here, go online to schedule an appointment, or call us at 301-515-1190 to set up an initial strategy session.