Towson Personal Injury Attorneys
Filing a Personal Injury Claim
Have you been in a car accident? Did you slip and fall in a public place, like a restaurant or business? If you’ve been injured because of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to financial compensation for loss of wages, medical bills, and other damages.
If you think you may be eligible for a personal injury lawsuit, contact our Towson personal injury lawyers at Albers & Associates for help seeking the compensation you deserve. Our team can review the details of your case during a free, no-obligation consultation. Should we accept your case, we will do so on a contingency fee basis. This means that you do not owe any legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.
To learn more, contact us online or call (410) 927-5717 for a complimentary consultation.
Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle
At Albers & Associates, we help clients throughout the Towson area with all types of personal injury matters.
Our personal injury practice includes cases involving:
- Dog bites
- Premises liability
- Catastrophic injuries
- Bicycle accidents
- Car accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip and falls
If you believe you may have a case, reach out to our team right away to learn how we can help. Our attorneys offer free consultations for all personal injury matters and can answer any questions you may have about the legal process, your options, and what to expect with your case.
What Is Negligence?
Negligence describes when a person “fails to use reasonable care to avoid harming another person.” Though many crimes require a certain measure of criminal intent, negligence does not. You may not specifically mean to hurt someone, but some behaviors may reasonably lead to injury and/or fatality.
Things like excessive speeding, failing to clean up a slippery mess in a busy restaurant, or allowing a violent person to babysit an infant are all potentially negligent behaviors. Though the person performing these acts may not be intending to harm anyone, there is a “failure to use reasonable care” in each of these scenarios. If this sounds familiar to you, contact a personal injury lawyer in Towson, Maryland today!
Things That Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim
If you have been injured through the negligence of another, then you should be able to seek damages to compensate for the difficulties you have endured. However, there are some events and actions that can harm your case.
Below are some things that may hurt your personal injury case:
- You Didn’t Seek Prompt Medical Attention: Following the accident or event, you may not feel like you’re injured. You feel fine, so why should you go to the doctor, right? Well, some injuries take time to present themselves fully, particularly when you’re in an adrenaline-inducing event, like a car accident. It is always important to follow up on an accident with a medical professional to ensure that you’re not overlooking what could become a serious problem down the line. Not only that but not seeking medical attention promptly following an accident may lead insurance companies to claim that your pain is unrelated to the accident or that it isn’t as serious as you make it sound.
- You Didn’t Maintain Adequate Documentation: Car accidents can be very stressful events for all parties involved. In the heat of the moment, you may forget important details about the case. It is very important that you write everything down. Any of the details that you can remember may be of value to your case, so make sure to keep detailed records pertaining to your injuries and the circumstances of the incident. Take pictures and keep a journal of each and every symptom you experience.
- You Gave in to the Insurance Company: Insurance companies do not want to pay out your claim. They want to continue to be profitable. So, they’re going to do anything within their power to deny your claim, defend against it, and delay paying it. Making a statement to an insurance company without the guidance of a lawyer can prove to be a serious mistake. They are going to look for any reason to dismantle your case, so work with a lawyer before you speak to anyone from an insurance company.
- You Didn’t Seek Legal Advice: If you have suffered damages, you should talk to a personal injury lawyer to help you seek the compensation you need and deserve. Your injury is not your fault, and it does not have to ruin your life. With the help of a trusted legal professional, you can move forward.
What Types of Damages Can You Recover in a Personal Injury Case?
The exact types of damages you may be entitled to recover in your personal injury lawsuit vary. Many factors—including the severity of your injury, your degree of fault (if any) in causing the accident, and more—affect not only the types of damages you can receive but also the potential value of your case.
Depending on the specific details of your situation, you could be entitled to compensation for the following types of damages:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income/wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of earning ability
- Loss of future earnings
- In-home assistance/care costs
- Transportation costs and other miscellaneous expenses
Although rare, it is also possible to obtain punitive damages in Maryland. Unlike the compensatory damages listed above, punitive damages are not meant to compensate the victim for economic and non-economic losses related to their injury. Instead, punitive damages are meant to punish the defendant for acts of egregious negligence, gross misconduct, or intentional infliction of injury.
How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Maryland?
In most cases, you have three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in Maryland. If you did not discover (and could not have reasonably discovered) your injury right away, you may have three years from the date on which you discovered or reasonably could have discovered your injury to file your lawsuit.
Different statutes of limitations apply in different types of personal injury cases. While the three-year statute of limitations applies to most negligence-based cases, there is a shorter, one-year statute of limitations for certain cases involving injuries arising from intentional acts. This includes most personal injury cases involving assault, domestic violence, or related crimes.
There are also certain exceptions to the typical three-year statute of limitations. One common one is when the injured individual was a minor (under the age of 18) when they were injured. In such cases, the three years do not begin until the individual turns 18. In other words, they would have until their 21st birthday to file a personal injury lawsuit for an injury that occurred before they were 18. This same deferment applies in cases involving adults with mental or legal disabilities—such individuals would have three years from the date on which the disability ends (i.e., the person is declared competent) to file a personal injury lawsuit.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
It can be very difficult to navigate the aftermath of a serious accident or injury. In addition to dealing with the physical pain associated with your injury, you may also need to attend numerous medical appointments, take an array of new medications, and undergo various procedures, including surgeries. You may need physical therapy, and you could be out of work for weeks or even months. The last thing you should have to worry about right now on top of everything else is fighting for the fair compensation you are owed.
Unfortunately, this could be your reality. Insurance companies are not on the side of the victims. Instead, they will often do everything possible to limit payouts. The insurance adjuster may dispute the validity or severity of your injuries; they may argue that you were partially or even mostly at fault for the incident that led to your injuries. In short, they will likely try to dispute or deny your claim, or at the very least offer a lowball settlement that does not fairly compensate you for your damages.
When you work with a personal injury lawyer, you put a powerful ally on your side. Your attorney can not only communicate with the insurance company on your behalf and work to negotiate a fair settlement but also advocate for you in court if necessary. At Albers & Associates, we help our clients with all aspects of the legal process, from investigating the incident to gathering important evidence and talking to expert witnesses. We utilize powerful evidence and cutting-edge legal technology to develop innovative strategies tailored to each client’s unique case.
Are You Ready to Make a Personal Injury Case in Towson, Maryland?
If you have sustained injuries or come to harm as a result of the negligence of another, reach out to a personal injury lawyer in Towson, Maryland. Albers & Associates can help you seek the damages that you need to move on with your life. When you hire our firm, you do not pay any attorney fees or legal costs unless/until we recover a settlement or verdict on your behalf.
Contact us today for a free consultation and we can talk through the details of your case together. Call (410) 927-5717 to get started.