Car Accident Lawyers

Bowie Car Accident Lawyers

Car accidents are an all-too-common occurrence. It is likely drivers in Bowie and throughout the state of Maryland see or hear about an accident every day. When you are the victim of a car accident, the aftermath does not end when the traffic clears or the news story ends. Rather, the consequences can be long-lasting and expensive.

Getting experienced, attentive representation from the Jaklitsch Law Group personal injury lawyers is the best move you can make following a motor vehicle crash. Our Bowie car accident lawyers will fight to protect your rights and secure financial justice for your losses.

Maryland Car Accident Statistics

Despite its goal to see zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries, Maryland still has its share of car accidents. For the most recent full year of crash data available from Zero Deaths Maryland, the State reported:

• 108,443 motor-vehicle accidents
• 534 accidents involving fatalities, leading to 566 deaths
• 28,024 injury-causing accidents, leading to 40,716 injured victims
• 79,885 crashes causing property damage

In Prince George County, there were 19,730 total crashes. Of this total:

• 117 involved fatalities, leading to 122 deaths
• 3,854 injury-causing accidents, leading to 5,575 injured victims
• 15,759 crashes causing property damage

All road-users are represented in these numbers. Accidents involve motor-vehicle drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists and occur on all types of roads–state roads, interstates, and county roads, for example–and in parking lots. 

Causes of Maryland Car Accidents

Determining the cause of the accident is an important part of filing a personal injury claim. For a favorable outcome, victims must prove the at-fault party’s negligence caused the accident, leading to their (the victim’s) damages. A Bowie car accident attorney from our team will investigate your accident and work to compile that evidence. 

Impaired Driving Accidents

According to Zero Deaths Maryland, 5,777 crashes involved alcohol or drug use. Fatal crashes numbered 135 and caused 146 deaths, and 1,704 of these accidents left 2,534 injured victims. Property damage resulted from 3,938 impaired driving accidents.

Under Maryland’s driving under the influence (DUI) laws, it is illegal to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Violators can face criminal charges and penalties. If you are a victim of a DUI-involved crash, you can also hold that driver accountable in civil court, demanding compensation for the losses that the driver’s recklessness caused you. The Bowie car accident attorneys from Jaklitsch Law Group can help.

Speeding and Aggressive Driving

Speeding and aggressive drivers cause a significant number of accidents. They seem to forget the vehicles they operate have dangerous capabilities when involved in collisions. Consumer Affairs puts the average small-car weight at 2,600 pounds and the average large car weight at 4,400. In addition, these vehicles share the roads with even larger trucks–the maximum weight for a loaded semi-truck is 80,000 pounds. 

At high speeds or when out of control, any crash with these vehicles can lead to devastating outcomes. Zero Deaths Maryland identifies speed or aggressive driving as a contributor to 3,365 crashes in its most recent full year of data collection, leading to:

• 132 fatal accidents producing 146 fatalities
• 3,291 injury-causing accidents, producing 5,004 injured victims
• 7,868 accidents causing property damage

Distracted Driving

Drivers who use mobile devices, eat, drink, adjust music settings, look at scenery, engage in discussions, attend to passengers’ needs, apply makeup or shave, or give their attention to anything other than the road drive while distracted. 

The numbers reported by Zero Deaths Maryland show distracted driving led to 51,032 motor-vehicle accidents. Sadly, 188 accidents proved fatal, causing 199 deaths, 14,472 involved injuries, leaving behind 21,225 injured victims, and 36,373 caused property damage. 

DUI, speed, aggression, and distraction are not the only reasons for crashes. Others include: 

• Driver Error or Inexperience: A driver may simply make a mistake–not looking carefully before changing lanes or failing to yield. Inexperienced drivers typically have less-developed driving instincts–sometimes making a panicked decision that leads to a collision.
• Vehicle Malfunction: Faulty brakes or steering systems, worn tires, or any other defect in a vehicle or vehicle part can lead to a crash. In these instances, the vehicle driver may not be to blame. Instead, the car or part manufacturer or installer or a mechanic or vehicle inspectors may be culpable for the failure.
• Road-Safety Conditions: Government entities are responsible for maintaining roads–keeping them safe for travel. Potholes, uneven surfaces, or uncleared debris can cause crashes, as can faulty traffic signals, poorly marked roads, or inadequate lighting, among other hazards. 

The process for holding a government office accountable differs from the process of filing a claim against a private individual or company. But no matter who is responsible for your accident and damages, you can trust the Bowie auto accident lawyers from our team to manage your case with accuracy and efficiency. 

Steps to Take Following a Car Accident in Bowie

After experiencing a car accident, there are steps you must take–as required by Maryland law–and steps you should take to protect your well-being and your potential injury claim. 

What Maryland Law Requires

All drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents must give other involved parties their:

• Name and address
• License number
• Name and address of the vehicle’s owner (if applicable)
• Car insurance company name and policy number
• Contact information for their local car insurance agent

If no one is injured and the involved vehicles are drivable, Maryland also requires that cars be moved as soon as possible from the path of traffic to avoid traffic jams or subsequent collisions. For accidents with no injuries, drivers are not required to call law enforcement. However, having an official accident report can help with insurance claims, especially if damage turns out to be worse than initially observed. 

Under Maryland law, involved parties must call law enforcement to the scene when:

• There are injuries–in these cases, call immediately for help
• The vehicle/s cannot be moved safely
• A driver/s is–or seems to be–impaired
• A driver/s does not have a license
• A driver/s attempts to flee the scene or leave without giving the required information
• The accident caused damage to public property

Additional Steps to Take

You can take additional steps at the accident scene and following the event to protect your case and ensure your physical well-being. As long as it is safe for you to move without injuring yourself:

• Take photo and video evidence. Take pictures and video of the overall scene. Document traffic and weather conditions, traffic signals, signs, and road markings, damage to and position of the vehicles, and your injuries.
• Collect contact information from witnesses. If they have any photo or video footage, ask them to share it with you.
• Note any traffic or security cameras and either ask camera owners to save the content or inform your attorney of the cameras’ presence.
• Report the accident to your insurance company, but keep your comments brief and factual.
• Watch your words. Do not make any admissions of fault or say anything that could be interpreted as an admission. Do not minimize your injuries or claim you are “fine.”

Even if you are fortunate enough to leave the scene of an injury without needing emergency medical care, get medical attention within a few hours or a day of the event. Some injury symptoms take time to appear, even serious ones. For example, brain trauma may not be immediately evident, but delayed care can lead to permanent injury or death. Other pain may be hidden by the adrenaline surge that typically follows an accident, and only when your body calms down do you recognize the problem.

Getting immediate care can prevent long-term consequences to your health and your case. Delayed care can worsen conditions and give the at-fault party room to blame your condition on your decision to postpone care. They could also claim you are inflating injuries–that if your situation was truly “that bad,” you would not have waited to get medical attention. 

Once you have ensured your medical safety, your next call should be to an auto accident attorney in Bowie, MD.  

A Bowie Auto Accident Lawyer Can Help Your Case

The trauma of the accident itself, the physical fallout, which includes pain, doctor visits, and medical bills, the financial worries that come with time away from work and other expenses, and dealing with insurance companies make car accidents extremely stressful events. The auto accident attorneys at Jaklitsch Law Group can take a significant amount of that stress burden off of you. Though we cannot make your injuries disappear, we can handle legal and insurance elements of your case, and fight to get you substantial financial compensation.

Manage Legalities

The State of Maryland gives victims three years to file personal injury claims. This means you must file your lawsuit within three years of your accident. Prompt partnership with a car accident attorney ensures you will meet this legal deadline. If your claim is against a government office, that filing window is shorter, making fast access to your case even more important.

While many personal injury cases settle out of court, filing a legal claim is still important. For one thing, if negotiations with the at-fault party are not productive and do not produce an out-of-court settlement, your legal filing allows you to have your day in court. Further, the act of filing shows the at-fault party you mean business–that you are ready to go to court if needed–and can prompt the at-fault party to make more appropriate settlement offers.

Find Evidence

Our Bowie car accident lawyers have extensive experience investigating car accidents. We know what evidence to look for and how to find it. We will leave no detail unexamined as we compile solid evidence and build your case. Depending on the specific circumstances of your accident, we may:

• Have accident reconstructionists “build” your accident to determine its cause and identify the party at fault
• Consult with vehicle or traffic experts
• Consult with your medical team and other medical professionals to determine the cause of your injuries, the injuries’ consequences, and your prognosis
• Interview witnesses
• Collect traffic and security camera content

Convincing evidence produces better case outcomes, and we will explore all evidence-gathering opportunities.

Value Losses

Victims do not always realize the extent of their losses or the future costs incurred by an accident. An experienced car accident lawyer will not overlook any losses or underestimate potential needs. In assessing your losses, your attorney will consider:

• Present and future medical care costs
• Wage loss while away from work and recovering
• Future income and benefits loss if you cannot go back to work
• Property damage
• Other accident-related costs–for example, you may need to hire others to take care of responsibilities you can no longer manage
• Your physical, emotional, and psychological pain
• Your diminished quality of life

After valuing your losses, your attorney will send your settlement demand to the at-fault party’s representatives.

Deal with Insurance Companies and Other Representatives

Typically, the at-fault party is represented by their insurance company and, possibly, their own attorney. When an insured driver causes an accident, victims can collect a settlement from that driver’s insurance company. However, insurance companies are businesses whose goal is to protect their own assets. They may seek to payout as little as possible. 

Victims who deal with these companies on their own are often intimidated or otherwise convinced to accept inadequate settlements. Your car accident lawyer will fight to ensure the insurance company pays you a fair settlement. The attorneys at Jaklitsch Law Group are fierce negotiators, and we will not be intimidated or tricked into accepting less than you deserve.

Navigate Maryland Negligence Laws

Maryland operates under a contributory negligence system for personal injury cases, which can make it difficult for victims to collect the compensation they need. Victims can be denied compensation if they hold any degree–even a small percentage–of fault for the accident. Our auto accident attorneys will protect you from false accusations of fault that could cost you your settlement.

We Are Ready to Fight for You

Jaklitsch Law Group is committed to upholding the rights of injury victims. When we take your case, you can put your resources into reaching a full recovery, knowing you have a powerful, knowledgeable team of Bowie car accident attorneys fighting for justice and the financial compensation you need. Call or send a message today to tell us about your case and arrange a free consultation.