Maryland Personal Injury Law Overview

Maryland, like every other state, has unique personal injury laws. While these laws are similar, in most respects, to the personal injury laws in other states, you will need to work with an attorney who has experience with the law in Maryland. The most common personal injury cases that Maryland attorneys see are medical malpractice, defective products, nursing home negligence and abuse, and motor vehicle accidents.

Maryland is one of the few states that follow the strictest rules regarding the victim's contribution to his own injuries. Under a doctrine called "pure contributory negligence," if you were responsible for your injuries to any degree, no one else can be held responsible at all. But you should definitely talk to an experienced personal injury attorney before assuming you were partly to blame for your injuries.

Compensation

If you are entitled to compensation in Maryland, you may collect for the following:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and lost earning capacity
• Permanent disability or disfigurement
• Emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life
• Property damage, such as damage to your vehicle in an auto accident
• Expenses incurred as a direct result of your injuries

Liability

Maryland law follows the doctrine of "joint and several liability," which means that when more than one party is responsible for the damages, each party is responsible for paying his share. But if one party cannot pay, the other responsible parties must pay the full amount.

Negligence

In Maryland, in order to prove fault, you must prove negligence. The following three elements must be present in order to prove negligence:

• The product was defective making it unreasonably dangerous
• You used the product as it was intended to be used
• The defect caused your injury

Statute of limitations

There are time limits, or statutes of limitations, in each state that dictate how much time you have to file a personal injury claim following the incident and injury. In Maryland, the statute of limitations is three years for most personal injury claims.

If you live in Maryland and think you may have a valid personal injury claim, please contact an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer in your area today.