Car Accidents
Car accidents are becoming all too frequent occurrences. While safety technology has increases, so has instances of distracted driving. Drivers have a duty to use reasonable care to follow the rules of the road and avoid car accidents by paying attention to changing road conditions. Reasonable care simply means using caution, attention, and skill that are reasonable under the circumstances. For example, when there are snow covered roads, a driver using reasonable care would become more attentive and keep speed to a minimum versus when driving in clear, sunny conditions. This reasonable care the law requires changes based on the circumstances.
In Maryland, a driver who is injured by the negligence of another also has a duty to drive safely and not be contributorily negligent. A driver is contributorily negligent when they also fail to use reasonable skill, attention, and caution to avoid injury. Contributory negligence is a complete bar to recovery in Maryland. Essentially, this means if you are injured due to the negligence of another party, but you were also negligent, you will not prevail on any lawsuit.
Once a negligence claim is proven, there are many different types of damages you can recover. Some of those damages include:
- Medical expenses incurred in the past;
- Medical expenses reasonably and probably expected in the future;
- Loss of earnings,
- Loss of earning capacity,
- Pain and suffering, pre-impact freight, inconvenience and loss of consortium.
It is important to seek the assistance of injury attorney to discuss the damages available to you as soon as any injury occurs. Poe Law, LLC offers free consultations on all car accident cases, and we do not take any fee unless we recover.