Baltimore Car Accident Lawyer

Baltimore is a big city with a lot of cars, so the odds of getting into an accident here can be high. Even if you’re a safe driver, you’ll always be at risk of a crash caused by a negligent road user. If this has happened to you, a Baltimore car accident lawyer can help you seek damages from the at-fault driver.

If you’ve had an auto accident in Maryland, reach out to our car accident lawyer. We’ll review your case and help you pursue compensation from the at-fault party.

Why Choose Us

We fight for the compensation you deserve. To do so, we take as much time as we need to learn about your vehicle accident case and ensure you seek appropriate damages, whether from an insurance claim or a car accident lawsuit.

Attorney Steven H. Heisler makes sure his clients receive top-quality legal representation. He’s tenacious, and he knows how to win cases. As such, our clients often receive significant payouts.

From Golden Gloves fighter to union organizer, Steve has taken on opponents in a variety of contexts. In the legal arena, he is a fierce advocate for the needs of his clients, and he doesn’t shy away from a challenge.

How We Can Help

When you choose Baltimore car accident attorney Steven H. Heisler, you get help from a nationally-recognized trial attorney who has helped clients recover millions of dollars in compensation and who has deep ties to the city of Baltimore. You’ll have a direct line to Steve for the duration of your case.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, you should connect with our Baltimore auto accident attorney. You can share details about your accident and injury with Steve, and he’ll use these details to assist you with your insurance claim or file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver.

To get started, reach out to our Baltimore auto accident lawyer to schedule a free initial consultation. From here, we can provide you with the legal help you need to pursue compensation.

What You Need to Know About Baltimore Roads and Car Accidents

Hundreds of fatal car accidents are reported in Baltimore every year. Research suggests Baltimore is among the most dangerous American cities for drivers. As most locals know, I-83, I-95, I-495, US 1, RT 50, and US 301 are all notable locations of auto accidents and associated injuries and fatalities.

In most cases, Baltimore traffic accidents come about because of negligence on the part of at least one driver. According to state law, negligent drivers are financially responsible for the injuries and property damage they cause in accidents.

Types of Negligent Driving

Negligent driving comes in many forms. Here we look at some of the most prevalent:

Driving While Drunk or Under the Influence of Drugs

In the United States, impaired driving is an issue that contributes to auto accidents, injuries, and fatalities every day. It is illegal to operate a vehicle while drunk or under the influence of drugs. Doing so can result in criminal and civil penalties.

Distracted Driving

Distraction continues to be a huge problem on American roads; it’s very common for drivers to look at their smartphones or GPS systems while behind the wheel. There are also instances where drivers take their eyes off the road while conversing with passengers or engaging in other diverting activities. In all cases, the distracted driver loses focus on what is most important: safe travel.

Distracted drivers who have caused accidents often claim they looked away from the road inadvertently, and that the consequences of this should not be their responsibility. According to the law, however, this argument is invalid. All drivers have a responsibility to stay focused on the road in spite of distractions; neglecting to do this amounts to a failure to discharge their duty of care to other road users.

Failure to Follow the Rules of The Road

The rules of the road are in place for a reason: to protect motorists and pedestrians. However, this doesn’t stop drivers from behaving dangerously on the road. Common driving violations in Baltimore include:

Speeding
Aggressive driving
Following other cars too closely
Failure to obey traffic signs
Failure to yield right of way to oncoming traffic.

Any of these issues can lead to a Baltimore car accident. If a driver ignores the rules of the road and causes an accident and injury, they can be held financially responsible.

Baltimore Car Accident Injuries and Damages

The injuries and harm that follow car accidents can destroy lives. Compensation for this harm plays a big part in helping injury victims put their lives back together. Under Maryland law, there are generally two types of damages available for car accident victims: economic damages and non-economic damages.

Economic damages cover the monetary expenses you are forced to bear due to your injury, such as:

Past and future medical care costs
Past and future lost income and economic activity
Costs associated with hiring home care help.

Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are awarded to compensate for losses that do not have a clear financial value. They can be granted for pain, suffering, humiliation, embarrassment, and emotional distress.

What to Expect With Damages in a Maryland Auto Accident Case

There is no limit on the amount of economic damages you can request in a Maryland auto accident case. Your attorney can help you calculate the economic damages to request based on the severity of your injury and other factors. Medical bills, pay stubs, and other evidence can be provided to support your request for economic damages.

In Maryland, there is a cap of $920,000 for non-economic damages in personal injury lawsuits. This cap increases to $1.38 million in wrongful death cases. Non-economic damages can be tough to agree on; they often lead to extensive negotiations between the plaintiff’s lawyers and insurance companies. For this reason, you should prioritize finding a lawyer with a strong track record when it comes to negotiating settlements.

Punitive damages may be awarded in auto accident cases in Maryland as well, but this is extremely rare. To secure them, you would have to prove that the defendant in your case acted with malice, rather than mere negligence. Punitive damages are not capped in this state.

Types of Injuries That Can Occur in a Baltimore Car Accident

A lot of car accident injuries require immediate and long-term medical care. The possibility of the need for ongoing care is among the most compelling reasons to be careful when accepting a settlement early in the negotiation process.

You might regard a certain amount of money as very significant, but, if you’re likely to have continuing medical costs for the rest of your life, you need to make sure you’ll be in a position to pay them. The only way to be confident you’re covering all your bases is to consult with a road accident attorney who has ample experience of securing top-class settlements.

We’ve looked at some of the most common serious car accident injuries in the section below:

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can occur due to impacts involving the brain and the inside of the skull, which happen when the neck or head is subjected to overwhelming, sudden force. TBIs can also occur when the skull is penetrated by a foreign object. The consequences of TBIs can range from short-term loss of cognitive ability and neurological function to complete incapacitation or death.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Car accident victims often suffer spinal cord injuries. Temporary and permanent paralysis can occur, requiring significant levels of medical treatment and help with basic needs. In the most serious cases, spinal injury victims are left unable to carry out even the most basic tasks unaided.

Even less serious spinal injuries can make life very difficult for victims. Whiplash is a type of neck injury that often results from car accidents, particularly those in which one car rear-ends another. It occurs when the head or neck is quickly jolted forwards and back. Though whiplash doesn’t generally result in paralysis, it can cause debilitating pain, numbness, and cognitive issues, sometimes for many years.

Internal Injuries

As is the case with TBIs, car accident victims may experience internal damage through extreme blunt force or by way of a piercing injury. Internal injuries often go unnoticed at first, which can be dangerous, and even fatal. For this reason, it is always important to get a complete medical examination after any road accident, no matter how small.

Bone Fractures

Bone fractures in car accidents are often caused by sudden, forceful impacts or by the body being jolted against parts of the vehicle such as the steering wheel, dashboard, or windows. Fractures vary in seriousness; classifications include:

Simple fractures: The bone breaks but does not penetrate the skin.
Compound fractures: The bone breaks and pierces through the skin, exposing the bone and creating a risk of infection.
Compression fractures: These occur in your spine, and can cause your backbone to collapse on itself.

Steps to Take Immediately After a Car Accident

The minutes, hours, and days following a car accident may rank among the most difficult of your life. It’s understandable that you might not be in the clearest state of mind. However, staying focused and making careful decisions during this period could massively benefit any insurance claim or lawsuit you end up filing later on.

After you’ve been in a collision, you should:

Ensure safety: First, check yourself and others for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call 911 immediately. Move to a safe location if you’re in danger or blocking traffic, but only if you can do so without causing further injury.
Call the police: Regardless of the severity of the accident, calling the police is crucial. They will document the scene and create an official accident report, which can be vital for insurance claims and legal proceedings. The report should be available from the Central Records Division of the Maryland State Police no more than 10 days after your accident takes place and can be obtained in person or online for a small fee.
Exchange information: Obtain the name, contact information, insurance details, and vehicle information (make, model, and license plate number) of all drivers involved. Also, collect contact information from witnesses.
Document the scene: Take photos and videos of the accident scene, including all vehicles involved, any visible damage to the road or traffic signs, skid marks, and road conditions. If there is any dispute about the factual elements of your claim later on, these photos and videos can serve as crucial evidence.
Report the accident to your insurance company: Inform your insurance company about the accident as soon as possible. Stick to the facts; you don’t want to engage in speculation about who was at fault for your accident, as this might ultimately work against you. Provide your insurance agent with the police report number if you have it.
Seek medical attention: Even if you feel fine, it’s important to see a doctor after an accident. Some injuries, like whiplash, may not show symptoms immediately. In all cases, the sooner you attend to an illness or injury, the better your chances of making a full recovery from it will be. Additionally, if you don’t seek immediate medical attention after an accident, this may damage your insurance claim or lawsuit later on, particularly if you seek compensation for physical injuries arising from your crash.
Keep records: Save all documentation related to your accident, including medical bills, repair receipts, and any correspondence with insurance companies.
Consult a car accident attorney: Consulting with an attorney can help protect your rights and ensure you receive fair compensation. The sooner you go for an initial consultation, the better your chances will be of asserting your right to compensation. Don’t delay.

How a Baltimore Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You Win or Settle Your Case

In a Baltimore car accident case, an insurance company is likely to shoot for a quick, reduced payout. The company understands that you may need money to cover your medical bills, and it’s counting on your lack of knowledge and experience of the claims process to get away with paying you less than you deserve.

We encourage all our clients to review all settlement offers they receive, and to carefully weigh the pros and cons of any decision regarding a settlement.

Once you contact a Baltimore auto accident lawyer, you will get the help you need to take care of your home and family life and heal from your injuries. In the meantime, your lawyer will be fighting at every stage of your litigation. Your attorney keeps in constant contact with you throughout your case and works diligently in pursuit of the best possible result.

What a Baltimore Auto Accident Attorney Will Do for You

Your lawyer will handle a lot of the tasks involved in your claim for compensation, including:

Drafting and filing essential documents for your case, including your personal injury protection (PIP) application
Collecting medical records and bills
Completing an evaluation and appraisal of your case and injuries
Performing investigations and analyzing evidence of your car accident, including the police report, body camera footage, and video of the collision
Meeting and negotiating a settlement with insurance adjusters
Obtaining any and all health insurance liens (including Medicare and Medicaid), and negotiating reductions.

Do not expect your auto accident claim to be resolved right away. It can take weeks or months to negotiate a settlement. If your case goes to trial, you could be waiting several years to see a verdict.

Your attorney will keep you up to date as your auto accident case progresses. If you have concerns or questions at any point during your litigation, your lawyer will be happy to respond to them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Afford to Hire a Baltimore Car Accident Lawyer?

Car accident lawyers work on contingency, so hiring one won’t cost you anything unless you secure a settlement or verdict. If this happens, the lawyer will deducts their fees and costs from your compensation. You then receive the remainder of your compensation.

The percentage of settlements our firm charges depends on various factors, primarily the length and complexity of the case in question. If your lawsuit goes to trial, your legal fees will be a higher percentage of your compensation, as trials involve more work on our end.

How Much Time Do I Have to File a Car Accident Claim?

Car accident survivors in Maryland have a three-year time frame within which to seek compensation for their damages, per the statute of limitations in this area. It is in your best interests to sue an at-fault driver as soon as possible following your auto accident. If the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit passes, you will most likely lose the right to pursue legal action against the at-fault driver.

When it comes to insurance claims, it’s usually necessary to complete your filing within a reasonable time. That’s part of the reason why it’s crucial to contact an insurance company right after your accident, so you can report the accident and take the initial steps toward getting compensation. Be careful if you talk to the at-fault driver’s insurer to not agree to a recorded statement. Just report the accident, that’s it. Your Baltimore Car Accident Lawyer can give them the rest of the details.

Your auto accident lawyer can explain the statute of limitations for personal injury cases in detail. The lawyer will help you work with an insurance company to settle your claim. As your case progresses, your attorney will continue to advocate for you and make sure your legal rights are protected.

How Much Compensation Should I Expect in a Baltimore Car Accident Case?

It depends on your case. You would need to meet with Baltimore car accident lawyers to get a reasonable idea of your claim’s worth. As you might imagine, the more serious your injuries, the more compensation you’re likely to need.

Other relevant factors include the severity of the damage to the vehicles in the collision and the county in which the accident took place. Your attorney can give you insights into these factors. Meanwhile, your lawyer will work with you to ensure you request the right amount of damages.

Damages in auto accident cases can total tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even millions in the biggest cases. Your lawyer will look at all of the economic and noneconomic losses you have incurred to date and those you may face in the near future. This will enable your lawyer to seek an amount of damages that will fully cover the short- and long-term costs of your auto accident.

How Long Do Car Accident Claims Take?

Some cases can be settled within six months, while other settlements take as long as two years. If your case goes to trial, it will likely take 2-4 years to reach a verdict.

If time is of the essence for you, you should consider agreeing to a settlement. However, defendants know that most people want to get paid as quickly as possible, so they’ll often try to use this as leverage to get plaintiffs to accept inadequate settlements. For this reason, you should never “telegraph” the fact that you want to get your case finished quickly; even if you are getting impatient, you should always try to create the impression that you’re willing to go to trial to get a proper payout.

Attorney Steve Heisler

Steve Heisler decided in 1996 that he was going to focus his law practice exclusively on injury cases. Since then, he has been representing injured people against insurance companies, disreputable medical practitioners and Big Pharma, and doing it with compassion, honesty and level-headed rationality. [ Attorney Bio ]