A serious injury can quickly transform your reality. Multiple medical appointments, missed work, unexpected bills, and difficult conversations with insurance companies. For people injured in Baltimore, the state of Maryland’s complex laws add another concern when seeking fair compensation for what happened.
At Jaklitsch Law Group, we fearlessly represent people injured because of another party’s negligence. We are a small firm known for its big-dog mentality. A personal injury lawyer from our team can investigate what happened, preserve evidence, document losses, communicate with insurers, and prepare a claim for court when a fair resolution cannot be reached.
If you were injured while living, working, driving, or visiting Baltimore, our personal injury lawyers can help. For a free consultation with our personal injury attorneys, contact our law firm today.
Types Of Personal Injury Cases Handled In Baltimore City
Jaklitsch Law Group represents clients in a range of personal injury matters arising throughout Baltimore and the surrounding area.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents can cause injuries ranging from fractures and soft-tissue damage to traumatic brain and spinal injuries.
Evidence in these cases may include:
- Police reports
- Witness accounts
- Photos and video
- Vehicle damage
- Electronic records
- Medical documentation
When fault is disputed, evidence showing what happened immediately before impact can become particularly important.
Premises Liability Cases
Property-related injury claims may arise from unsafe walking surfaces, dangerous stairs, poor maintenance, falling objects, or other hazardous conditions. This encompasses all kinds of hazards at a property beyond slips, trips, and falls.
Premises liability cases can involve questions about whether a responsible party knew or should have known about the hazard and whether reasonable steps were taken to correct it or warn visitors.
Catastrophic Injury Claims
Severe accidents can result in traumatic brain injuries (TBI), spinal cord damage, amputations, significant orthopedic injuries, and other permanent limitations.
These cases may involve long-term medical care, rehabilitation, reduced earning ability, and major changes to daily life. Evaluating the claim, therefore, requires considering future consequences as well as current expenses.
Contributory Negligence: How Partial Fault Affects Maryland Personal Injury Claims
Under Maryland’s contributory negligence laws, an injured person may be barred from recovering damages if their own negligence contributed to causing the injury.
In basic terms, you cannot receive compensation if you are in any part responsible for the accident. Even 1% shared fault is enough to make you ineligible for recovery.
The rule is sometimes described as meaning that someone who is even “1% at fault” cannot recover. This can prove true.
How Insurers Might Use Contributory Negligence Against You
Such a strict law makes fault a critical issue in Baltimore injury cases. Following a vehicle collision, for example, an insurance carrier might claim that the injured driver:
- Was distracted before impact
- Failed to keep a proper lookout
- Was driving too fast for conditions
- Made an unsafe maneuver
- Could have avoided the collision
Similar arguments can arise in premises liability and other negligence-involved cases.
Insurance companies’ representatives may blatantly attempt to coax you into admitting fault. An insurance adjuster may ask detailed questions about what you were doing immediately before an accident, for example.
Hire a Lawyer to Protect Your Claim from Insurance Companies
Because your answers could later become part of a contributory negligence argument, be cautious about recorded statements and avoid guessing about details you do not remember.
An allegation that you contributed to an accident does not automatically make it true. A Baltimore personal injury attorney can investigate the evidence and challenge attempts to shift responsibility that are not supported by the facts.
Steps to Take Immediately Following an Injury in Baltimore
The days following an injury can affect both your recovery and your ability to document a claim. Several practical steps can help protect important information.
Get Yourself Medical Care
Obtain medical attention after an accident, particularly when you experience pain, limited movement, headaches, dizziness, or other symptoms. Some injuries may become more noticeable after the initial shock wears off.
Medical records can help document:
- Your reported symptoms
- Diagnosed injuries
- Treatment provided
- Recommended follow-up care
- Physical limitations
Follow your medical provider’s instructions and keep records related to treatment. The Jaklitsch Law Group can immediately assist you in obtaining medical care and preserving documentation once you engage us.
Preserve Any Potentially Relevant Evidence
Accident scenes can change quickly. Vehicles are repaired, dangerous conditions are corrected, and surveillance footage may be erased.
When it is safe to do so, preserve:
- Photos and video of the scene
- Pictures of property damage or visible injuries
- Witness contact information
- Police or incident report information
- Insurance information
Document Your Losses
Keep copies of medical bills, receipts, employment records, and other documents showing how the injury has affected you financially.
This can include:
- Medical and rehabilitation expenses
- Prescription costs
- Lost wages or overtime
- Transportation for medical care
- Other accident-related expenses
Speak with an Attorney Before Accepting a Settlement Offer
Be careful when an insurance company requests a recorded statement, medical authorization, or quick settlement.
Before signing a release, consider discussing the claim with a personal injury lawyer near you. Our Baltimore lawyers can help you understand the true value of your claim.
How Much Is Your Baltimore Personal Injury Claim Worth?
No single formula determines the value of a Baltimore injury claim. The amount a victim of negligence deserves depends on factors such as the severity of the injury, treatment required, time away from work, long-term limitations, insurance coverage, and evidence concerning fault.
We consider these factors as we categorize clients’ losses as economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages in Personal Injury Claims
Economic damages address measurable financial losses. Depending on the case, they may include:
- Medical and hospital expenses
- Surgery and rehabilitation
- Prescription costs
- Lost wages
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Future medical expenses
For serious injuries, future losses can be significant. Someone who requires additional treatment or cannot return to the same work may experience financial consequences long after the accident.
Non-Economic Damages in Personal Injury Claims
An injury can also create losses that do not come with a receipt. Non-economic damages may address consequences such as:
- Physical pain
- Emotional distress
- Inconvenience
- Limitations on normal activities
- Reduced enjoyment of life
Our Law Firm Can Help Estimate Your Future Losses and Needs
The nature and duration of these effects can influence the value of a claim.
Before accepting an early insurance offer, consider whether the full extent of your injuries and future needs is known. Once a claim is settled and a release is signed, obtaining additional compensation later may no longer be possible.
Our personal injury law firm can evaluate both immediate losses and the longer-term effects of an accident before settlement negotiations are concluded.
Why Choose Jaklitsch Law Group for Your Personal Injury Representation
Personal injury cases require careful preparation, particularly in Maryland, where allegations of contributory negligence can threaten an otherwise valid claim.
Depending on the circumstances, the firm can help by:
- Investigating how the injury occurred
- Preserving evidence and locating witnesses
- Addressing contributory negligence allegations
- Gathering medical and financial documentation
- Communicating with insurance companies
- Evaluating settlement proposals
- Filing suit when appropriate
- Preparing a case for trial
Why People in Baltimore Trust Our Personal Injury Lawyers
Jaklitsch Law Group has represented injured Maryland clients since 1999. We’re a small firm, but we have the skills and the focus to take on big companies and powerful interests.
- A Long Record of Legal Success: Jaklitsch Law Group reports more than 9,000 personal injury cases won and more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for personal injury clients.
- Legal Recognition and Excellence: Attorney Richard L. Jaklitsch has received longstanding recognition from Super Lawyers and has an AV Preeminent rating through Martindale-Hubbell.
- We’re Ready to Go to Trial If It’s Best for You: Trial preparation matters even when a claim ultimately settles. Building the case carefully from the beginning can help establish liability, document damages, and show an insurance carrier that the claim is prepared to move forward if negotiations fail.
Contact Our Personal Injury Attorneys Serving Baltimore, MD
After an injury, insurance companies may begin evaluating fault and financial exposure while you are still dealing with medical treatment and the disruption to your daily life. Jaklitsch Law Group can help protect you, your family, and your right to full compensation. For a free consultation with our personal injury lawyers serving Baltimore, contact our law firm today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Injury Lawsuits
Prospective clients often reach out to our law firm and ask the following questions about personal injury law.
Maryland generally provides a three-year limitations period for civil actions from the date the claim accrues unless another law establishes a different deadline. In legal terms, three years is not very long, and cases can fall apart when victims wait to take action.
First, consider whether you know the full extent of your injuries, whether additional treatment is expected, how much income you have lost, and whether the injury could create future medical or employment consequences. Most do not, and therefore should not accept a settlement right away.
Rather, a personal injury attorney from our team can review the offer and help determine whether it adequately accounts for your losses.
Jaklitsch Law Group offers free consultations and handles personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis. Under this arrangement, the attorney fee is tied to a successful recovery rather than traditional hourly billing. Exact fees and case expenses should be explained in the written representation agreement.
The Maryland Court Help Centers also provide general resources for people seeking assistance with Maryland’s court system.
Maryland’s contributory negligence rule can bar recovery when an injured person’s own negligence legally contributed to causing the injury. Even just 1% partial liability could prevent financial recovery.
However, an insurance company claiming that you were partially responsible does not establish that the allegation is correct. The final determination of fault may depend on witness accounts, photographs, video, physical evidence, electronic records, and other details.
Let us review your case and figure out who is at fault.
