Essex Personal Injury
Lawyer

Why Choose Us?

While recovering from injuries, the last thing you need is to fight with insurance companies. The personal injury lawyers in TopDog Law’s legal network know how they work—and their tactics—to get out of paying you what you need and deserve. The stakes are even higher in Maryland, where the law makes it more difficult for accident victims to get the recovery they need.

When you choose TopDog Law, you get access to a personal injury lawyer who will advocate for you. We will put all our resources toward getting you the right legal representation to help you get the full compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation and case evaluation.

What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Personal injury lawyers represent clients who suffered injuries to their bodies, emotions, or reputation due to another person’s neglect or ill intent. Personal injury law allows victims to file a lawsuit in civil court against the person or party who harmed them and receive compensation for their losses, like medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.

Personal Injury Cases Our Network of Lawyers Handle

The attorneys in TopDog Law’s legal network handle a wide range of accident cases, including:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Truck accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Slip and fall incidents
• Premises liability claims
• Birth injuries
• Wrongful death
• Medical malpractice

If you suffered any injury due to the negligence of another person or party—even in an accident not listed above—call TopDog Law for a free consultation. We want to hear your story and can explain your legal options for compensation.

What Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?

Insurance companies will quickly offer compensation to injury victims to settle accident claims fast. Once the injured person accepts that money, they cannot return for more if their injuries require more surgeries or therapy or if their injuries force them to miss more work than expected.

Determining the value of your accident damages involves more than counting up your medical bills.

Your Essex personal injury lawyer will review your medical records and talk with medical experts to understand your long-term medical needs. They will assess how your injuries have affected your ability to work now and in the future and how the accident may have damaged your quality of life and the lives of your family.

With a better understanding of the extent of your damages, they will have a more accurate demand for compensation to make to the insurance company.

What Damages Can Personal Injury Victims Recover?

Personal injury victims may recover compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages:

Economic Damages

Economic damages are damages with monetary value.

These include:

• Medical bills for medication, surgeries, rehabilitation, physical therapy, etc.
• Lost income, benefits, and earnings
• Loss of future earnings and benefits
• Durable medical equipment
• Modifications to the home or vehicle
• Property damage
• Funeral and burial expenses (in the case of wrongful death)

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages have no objective monetary value.

These include:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental trauma
• Scarring or disfigurement
• Humiliation
• Loss of companionship

Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Case

To recover compensation in a personal injury suit, you need an attorney to prove that the negligence of another person or party caused the accident or incident that injured you. To establish negligence, your lawyer must establish the following four elements.

Duty of Care

The other party had a duty of care to avoid careless acts that harm others. For example, all motorists must drive safely and follow local traffic laws.

Breach of Duty

The person’s conduct fails to meet the reasonable standard of care. For example, a driver who runs red lights breaches their duty to drive safely and follow traffic laws.

Causation

The other party’s breach of duty directly caused the accident and your injuries.

Damages

Your accident injuries resulted in damages, such as medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

What if I Partially Caused the Accident?

States follow different rules when assigning blame in accidents based on negligence. Maryland is one of only five states that follows a contributory negligence rule. This unfair and outdated rule doesn’t permit accident victims to recover compensation if they bear even a small amount of fault for the accident. This rule makes it difficult for personal injury victims to recover the compensation they desperately need and deserve.

Insurance companies know Maryland’s harsh contributory negligence rule. They may try to get injured victims to admit even partial fault in an accident to get out of paying them what they deserve. This is one of the many reasons you should limit your conversation with the insurance company and let your personal injury lawyer handle discussions with them instead.

How Can a Lawyer Help Me With a Personal Injury Claim?

At TopDog Law, we believe that all injured accident victims deserve a fair shake. If someone else’s negligence harmed you, we will use every resource to ensure you find a lawyer who can help you get justice and full and fair compensation for all your damages.

Here’s how our network of Essex personal injury lawyers can help you:

Investigate Your Accident

A thorough investigation creates a strong foundation for us to build a strong case on your behalf. Your attorney will begin by reviewing all evidence, including police reports, medical records, photographs of the accident scene, and eyewitness testimony. They may also bring in other resources, such as accident reconstructionists or medical experts.

Identify All Liable Parties

Many times, personal injury cases involve more than one party. For example, you can hold a trucking company liable for the actions of their truck driver or hold a restaurant liable for serving alcohol to the drunk driver who hit your car. Your attorney will seek compensation from all parties liable for your accident.

Value Your Personal Injury Claim

Determining the full value of a personal injury claim takes time and understanding. An experienced personal injury attorney will do the legwork to determine your full range of damages, including future medical expenses, loss of future earnings, and pain and suffering. They will fight for maximum compensation for you.

Deal With the Insurance Company on Your Behalf

When recovering from an accident, the last thing you need is the hassle of dealing with the insurance company. Your lawyer will handle all communications with the insurance company, including demanding compensation that reflects the full value of your damages–often, reaching a fair settlement takes negotiating. Personal injury lawyers are experienced negotiators. They won’t stop fighting for you until we get a fair settlement.

Represent You in Court

If the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, your attorney may advise taking them to court. They will file your personal injury lawsuit in civil court within Maryland’s deadline and prepare your case for trial. Most personal injury cases settle before they reach the courtroom. Your lawyer can aggressively represent and advocate for you in court if yours does not.

Is There a Deadline for Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Maryland?

Maryland has a three-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. The clock begins on the date of your injury. The three-year deadline for filing wrongful death claims begins when the accident victim dies.

For medical malpractice, Maryland has a five-year statute of limitations from the date of the injury or a three-year deadline beginning on the date you discover the injury. In the case of a late-discovered medical malpractice injury, the courts will use whichever expires first.

Three years may seem like a long time to file a lawsuit. But remember, it takes time for your personal injury lawyer to build a strong case. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can begin working on your case and working toward obtaining compensation for you.

Contact an Essex Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Accidents can change a life in a heartbeat. If another person’s negligence caused your injuries, you need an Essex personal injury lawyer from TopDog Law’s legal network who will fight for you.

Contact us today for a free consultation. If you hire an attorney, you pay nothing unless they obtain compensation on your behalf. Visit us online or call (888) 778-1197, and let an experienced personal injury lawyer tell you what your case is really worth.