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. In a car accident in Annapolis, you will generally 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 highway speeds, the higher the likelihood of catastrophic injury. Our Annapolis car accident lawyers handle devastating injury as well as wrongful death claims. While similar sounding, these two claims are different. 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 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 in this category. They frequently try to diminish these expenses when negotiating with the insurance company. They often call them unnecessary and offer settlements below the total cost of special damages. However, this is different from 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 total compensation for these damages. They are relatively easy to quantify and 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, it is particularly 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 total and fair compensation.
In Maryland, noneconomic damages for personal injuries are capped. The cap of damages for your car accident depends on the year. If your accident occurred in 2023, the noneconomic damage limit is $920,000 for one person. If not in 2023, add or subtract $15,000 depending on the year to find the damage cap. The cap is higher when there is more than one claimant for the same car accident. To remind you, noneconomic damages are in addition to economic or special damages.
Furthermore, other categories of damages may be available to you based on your car accident. However, we must be able to prove your damages and cannot merely obtain the maximum compensation if your damages are far from 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. You can call today for a free consultation.