Maryland Car Accident Lawyers

If you or a loved one has suffered serious injuries in a car accident, our award-winning Maryland car accident lawyers are ready to help you seek fair compensation. Securing damages for your accident can be challenging for multiple reasons, including liability laws and the willingness of the at-fault party to offer a fair settlement. 

Jaklitsch Law Group has years of experience fighting to protect the rights of our clients. A car accident lawyer in Maryland can help protect the integrity of your claim and help you overcome any hurdles in recovering your full compensation. Set up a free consultation with our Maryland personal injury lawyers to learn about your legal options. 

Why Choose Us as Your Maryland Car Accident Lawyers?

Our priority is providing legal protection to our clients. We fight for your rights after you have been injured by careless drivers. With over 100 years of combined legal experience among our attorneys, we know how to deal with the complexities of car accident injury cases.

What We Offer Our Clients

We see our clients as part of our family and fight for their rights accordingly. Several other important features set us apart. 

• Exceptional communication: We listen to your concerns, guiding and supporting you throughout the legal process. When you need us, call. We are there for you.
• Personal attention: We deliberately keep our practice small so that we can offer you the personal attention and dedicated representation you deserve. We see ourselves as your partners in your quest for a fair settlement.
• Skilled attorneys: We have helped our clients obtain millions of dollars in compensation owed to them due to the negligence of others. We will apply ourselves to your case, seeking to secure the maximum compensation possible.
• Solid reputation: With a positive reputation in the court system and a network of supportive resources available to our clients, working with Jaklitsch Law Group means you are well-connected and in good hands.

We will examine your case and give you an unbiased legal opinion. If we agree to take your case, you can be assured of strong representation and our commitment to using our skills to make a positive difference in your life. 

How We Make It Possible for You to Afford Strong Representation

You have been injured and have incurred expenses, coupled with the loss of income. You may be wondering how you can afford to have leading Maryland car accident attorneys represent you. We make it easy for you to do just that. 

If we are satisfied that we can tip the odds in your favor and win your car accident case, we may be willing to accept it on a contingency fee. In this arrangement, you do not pay us unless we win. That means that you have no out-of-pocket costs to worry about and can afford an excellent lawyer.  

If we agree to work together, we will discuss our ultimate fee with you, keeping it aligned with the Maryland code and court rules, which state that attorneys’ fees should always remain reasonable. With our help, you will be far more likely to receive fair compensation, making your contingent fee well worth your while. 

How Much Is Your Maryland Car Accident Case Worth?

One of the more challenging aspects of filing a claim for car accident injuries is understanding how much compensation you should claim. Your losses may be extensive and have long-lasting implications. The total value of your claim is strongly influenced by the severity of your injuries and their impact on your lifestyle. Costs claimed include:

Medical Costs Related to Car Accident Injuries

If you were in a car accident with serious injuries, medical costs can be staggering, and there may be more to come. Examples include:

• Emergency medical care costs
• Surgical procedures
• Specialist care in the hospital
• Rehabilitation costs, for example, physical therapy
• Medications and medical appliances such as wheelchairs
• Costs for mental health treatment

We must consider your current costs and obtain expert opinions on your future medical needs. In some cases, medical needs may continue for years, or you may need lifelong treatment. Your Maryland car accident attorney will take this into account when calculating your claim.

Additional Costs Related to Your Injuries

The financial and personal costs that car accident victims experience go beyond their medical needs. These losses can be substantial and must be claimed too. They include:

• Earnings lost while you are not well enough to work
• Loss of earning capacity if you can no longer do your job
• Limitations on your quality of life
• Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
• Damage to relationships

Once we have considered all these factors, our car accident lawyers in Maryland can use methods accepted in case law, expert opinions, and financial records like your wage history to determine and substantiate a claim. You can be sure that we will seek ways to maximize your compensation in line with our reputation as Super Lawyers who always put their clients first. Most importantly, we will always be completely honest with you regarding your prospects and chances of winning.

Wrongful Death Claims

Losing someone close to you is the worst possible outcome of a car accident. Nevertheless, the victim would want their families to seek justice on their behalf. When a person dies after a car accident, their families are entitled to claim all the types of damages we have discussed so far on their behalf.  This can be accomplished through a wrongful death lawsuit.

However, additional forms of compensation are worth considering since surviving family members must now face the future without a person who was dear to them and may suffer financial hardship as a result of their loss. Your Maryland car accident attorney can claim against losses such as:

• Funeral and burial costs
• Loss of financial support 
• Loss of benefits previously earned by the deceased
• Loss of companionship and personal support
• Loss of non-financial contributions toward households

A specific hierarchy determines who is eligible to file a wrongful death claim. As captured by the Department of Justice, this may be a spouse, parent, or child, with other family members having the right to proceed if there is nobody with a closer relationship to the deceased. 

Elements of Liability That Show You Have a Right to Claim

Proving basic principles can be a little more complicated than it sounds. To hold another party liable, we need to satisfy each of the elements of liability, and there are areas that may prove contentious. To show liability, we must:

• Show that there was a duty of care. For example, a driver has a duty of care to avoid any action that may place others at risk of harm. 
• The duty of care was breached. To prove this, we must show that the other driver took a risk that resulted in your accident. Common risks include distracted driving, speeding, and driving while intoxicated. 
• The breach of duty of care caused the accident. For instance, an inattentive driver failed to see your car and struck you, or an impaired driver swerved onto the wrong side of the road.
• The accident caused your injury. Although injuries may seem to be a logical consequence of accidents, arguments about whether certain injuries were sustained elsewhere are not uncommon in car accident cases. This argument frequently occurs when hidden injuries only become apparent later on. 

Unless we can successfully show that each element of liability is present, we cannot proceed with your case. However, our team conducts thorough investigations to identify liable parties and will ensure that all the elements are satisfied in accordance with best practices. 

How Contributory Negligence Affects Your Ability to Claim

In Maryland law, the principle of contributory negligence is applied to car accident claims. Although people in many other US states can still claim if they were partly (but not mostly) to blame for an accident, this is not always the case in Maryland. 

Contributory Negligence Explained

Simply put, Maryland’s use of the pure contributory negligence principle means that if your accident would not have happened if you had not been careless in some way, you cannot claim compensation. 

This sets the bar very high for car accident attorneys in Maryland and their clients. Car accident lawyers must ensure they are ready to counter attempts to blame you for contributory negligence. Fortunately, there is an exception that we can explore. 

The Last Clear Chance Doctrine

There is one exception to the rule: the “last clear chance doctrine.” It harks back to a case in which a man drove a wagon into a donkey that was left on the road. The donkey’s owner had been negligent, but the court ruled that the defendant could have avoided the animal and awarded compensation.

In the modern world, this doctrine allows a little leeway when the person who was to blame for an accident could have avoided the consequences of their negligence. As you can see from its origin, this applies even though you contributed to the accident due to a mistake. So, apart from determining liability, we must investigate the possibility of contributory fault and determine whether we can apply the last clear chance doctrine. 

Statute of Limitations for Car Accident Claims in Maryland

A statute of limitations is a deadline by which a case must be filed. If the deadline is exceeded, your case will be rejected. According to the Maryland Statute §5–101, the general rule stipulates that you must file your lawsuit within three years from the date of the accident. The same deadline applies to wrongful death. 

It would be wise to act as soon as possible, as this will allow your lawyer time to investigate your case while the evidence and your memories of the accident are still fresh. Your lawyer may have to wait until your condition has stabilized enough to assess the future implications of your injury, but your car accident lawyer in Maryland can prepare to file in the interim. 

There are certain exceptions to the three-year rule, so if you believe that it would have been impossible to file sooner, or if you were a minor at the time of the accident, a lawyer may still be able to help. This area can be complex, so ask for a car accident lawyer’s opinion. 

Common Maryland Accident Sites and the Top Causes of Auto Collisions

I-95

The I-95 is reported to be the most dangerous road in the US, with the highest number of accidents per mile. The stretch of the I-95 that passes through Maryland carries heavy traffic, with many ramps merging onto it. Sideswipe accidents due to attempts to merge into traffic from ramps and reckless lane-changing are common causes of accidents. In addition, the route carries a lot of long-distance heavy vehicle traffic, adding driver fatigue and the risk of truck crashes to the hazards drivers encounter. 

MD 210

MD 210 is known to be one of the deadliest roads in Maryland. Despite efforts to encourage motorists to reduce speed, the Maryland Department of Transportation reports that its strategies have proved unsuccessful so far. The agency reports that speeding, coupled with harsh braking and acceleration, contributes to this road’s high accident rate, observing that these behaviors become even more dangerous when combined with distracted driving. 

The Jones Falls Expressway (Interstate 83)

According to the Baltimore Sun, the curves of the Jones Fall Expressway contribute to an even higher accident rate than the notorious I-35. Rear-end crashes and sideswipes were among the most common accidents encountered, and various measures are being suggested to increase driver caution, while expansion of CCTV monitoring has been proposed.

Maryland Urban Area Crashes 

An insurance study found that Maryland ranks second in the US for car crashes in urban areas, with a much lower percentage of crashes occurring in rural areas. The equation is relatively simple. More drivers and busier roads will lead to a higher chance of accidents. 

A government study found that the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas alone account for 90 percent of Maryland’s annual traffic accidents. It lists the top causes of accidents as impaired driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and speeding. 

Contact the Car Accident Lawyers of Jaklitsch Law Group

With so many people being hurt on the roads every day, it is an unfortunate truth that people who have suffered severe injuries often struggle to recover fair compensation. If you have been badly injured and need a settlement to rebuild your life, our Maryland car accident lawyer may be able to help. You will stand a far better chance of receiving a fair settlement with our law firm to advocate for you. Contact us to claim your free case assessment.