Personal Injury Attorneys In Washington

When You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer, Legal Pros Can Help

At some point in nearly everyone’s life, we need the assistance of a personal injury lawyer; Maryland litigators have the experience you need in order to get compensation for your injuries, whether they are physical, emotional/psychological or even related to property loss or damage to your reputation.

The Point Of  Personal Injury Law

Personal injury law, or torts, shares a common goal with the concept of insurance: indemnification. What this means is that you are restored to whatever condition you enjoyed prior to the injury if possible; if not, you receive something of value (i.e., money) that you can use to adapt to your new circumstances.

In most cases, personal injury cases involve physical injuries. Because the U.S. health care and medical system is privatized and profit-driven, a serious injury can cause significant financial hardship for the victim and his/her family. The primary goal of litigation in this case is to recoup those expenses from the party responsible for the injury, whether these involve complete recovery or ongoing treatments and therapy.

In addition to medical expenses, an injured party may be entitled to recover wages lost due to an inability to engage in his/her employment as well as other expenses.

Determining Liability

When it comes to cases involving negligence (which make up the majority of personal injury cases) or product liability, it is incumbent upon the plaintiff (the injured party) to prove that the defendant (the one responsible for the injury) had a “duty of care” that s/he failed to fulfill.

Here is an example: John is aware that some porch steps leading up to his front door have become rotten and need to be replaced, yet puts off doing the repair job. John also does not bother to put up a warning sign that would advise visitors of the hazard. One day, a neighbor comes to visit; one of the steps collapses and the neighbor suffers a broken ankle as a result.

In this case, John owed his neighbor a “duty of care.” Had he at least put up a warning sign and made his neighbor aware of the situation, he could have claimed that the neighbor had used the steps at his own risk and might have been shielded from liability.

Other Types of Compensation

In addition to costs associated with medical treatment, as an injury victim you may also be entitled to compensation for what are known as “general” or “special” damages. Among other things, this covers compensation for pain and suffering. The problem is that pain – even physical pain – is highly subjective and difficult to measure.  However, testimony from medical experts can be helpful.

In product liability cases, there is also what is known as “punitive damage.” These can be controversial and are part of the “tort reform” movements in the U.S.  Although an accident victim may receive punitive damages, there are actually meant to make an example of a corporation that knowingly manufactures and sells a product that is hazardous.

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