Gelb & Gelb, P.C.
N/aCopyright © 2023 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
When one of our former or future clients gets into a car accident, our Annapolis car accident lawyers fight to ensure they obtain maximum compensation. For nearly 70 years, our attorneys have been practicing law in Maryland and serving the greater Annapolis area. When you are in a car accident in Annapolis, you generally will make a claim under a negligence cause of action. While this is not the only route, it is the most common. Alternatively, you may also make a claim for intentional conduct. This may include assault or battery with a motor vehicle. These claims may exclude the defendant’s insurance coverage, but it can substantially increase the value of your claim.
In Annapolis, car accidents happen with unfortunate regularity. While it has its everyday collisions on its local roadways, it also has a chunk of I-50. This is a high-speed interstate with portions of it with speed limits as high as 65 miles per hour in or near Annapolis. Trucks carrying cargo frequent these roads and present dangers to drivers. Of course, the higher the speeds on the highways, the higher the likelihood for catastrophic injury. Our Annapolis car accident lawyers handle catastrophic injury as well as wrongful death claims. While similar sounding, these two claims are not the same. A wrongful death claim in Maryland is a claim by a parent, spouse, or child of the deceased. Below, we will detail compensation in a typical car accident case in Maryland.
In Maryland, there are general and special damages. These are legal terms of art with special meaning. Special damages are damages which are causally related to your car accident. They generally include medical expenses and lost wages. But of course, this category of damages can theoretically include any monetary damage related to your accident. For example, the damage to your golf clubs which are in the trunk of your now destroyed car is a special damage that deserves compensation.
Moreover, the damage to your car is also included in this category. When negotiating with the insurance company, they frequently try to diminish these expenses. They often call them unnecessary and will give an offer for settlement which is below the total cost of special damages. However, this is not how the law works. And if we file suit in a Maryland court, you will be able to obtain all the special damages so long as they are causally related to your car accident and reasonable for your recovery. This is because you are entitled to full compensation for these damages and they are relatively easy to quantify as well merely examine your bills and records from doctors’ offices, hospitals, lost wages, etc.
Meanwhile, general damages are more difficult to quantify. This category encompasses “pain and suffering” damages, or noneconomic damages. When negotiating with an insurance company, this is particularly where it is valuable to have a seasoned Annapolis car accident lawyer in your corner. These damages are those that arise directly and inevitably from your accident. However, what is direct or inevitable can be debated. Fortunately, our Annapolis car accident lawyers aggressively pursue every penny so that you obtain full and fair compensation.
In Maryland, noneconomic damages for personal injuries are capped. The cap of damages for your car accident depends on the year the accident occurred. If your accident occurred in 2023, the noneconomic damage limit is $920,000 for one person. If not in 2023, you add or subtract $15,000 depending on the year to find the damage cap. When there is more than one claimant for the same car accident, the cap is higher. As a reminder, noneconomic damages are in addition to economic, or special damages. Furthermore, there are other categories of damages which may be available to you based on your car accident. Although, we must be able to prove your damages and cannot merely obtain the maximum compensation if your damages are nowhere near that number. But as always, our Annapolis car accident lawyers fight to get you every penny available to you.
Our Annapolis car accident lawyers have decades of experience and look forward to discussing your case. Call today for a free consultation.
Gelb & Gelb, P.C.
N/aCopyright © 2023 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.