A car accident can be a terrifying and life-changing event. When you are in a car accident, the injuries you sustain can be severe and expensive. If someone else caused your accident, they might owe you compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.
An Accokeek car accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow can protect your rights and pursue compensation on your behalf. We can be your advocate while you try to get back to your everyday life. We represent clients in Accokeek and throughout Prince George’s County.
How Our Car Accident Lawyers in Accokeek Can Help
The Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow is ready to support you by:
Investigating Your Accident and Injuries
We can collect evidence from many different places, including:
- The accident scene itself: We might visit the scene of the accident or ask to see footage from local surveillance video and traffic cameras.
- Your accident-related records: In addition to requesting your medical records, we can review any other paperwork you have retained, such as medical bills or photos of the scene.
- Police records: The police likely filed a report about your accident and gathered information to supplement their findings. For instance, there may be diagrams that outline your car’s damage.
- The liable party’s records: We can ask the liable party’s insurance company for pertinent information. If the liable party is a company or employee, we can see if there have been prior complaints made against them.
Fighting for Your Compensation
Not every car accident case goes to court. Sometimes, we are able to secure a pretrial settlement by negotiating with the liable party’s insurance company. We could represent you at these negotiations and prepare the settlement agreement for you to sign.
If your case ends up in court, we can instead represent you in the courtroom. We would question witnesses, make arguments before the jury, and submit anything the judge requests of us.
Putting You First
Our firm prioritizes communication with our clients. In addition to phone and email access, our clients get a unique text number for 24/7 communication with our staff.
We also work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning that we never charge attorney’s fees until after our clients get their compensation. This means you do not have to worry about whether you can afford legal help. Our attorney’s fees come from the settlement we get for you, so you pay nothing out of pocket.
For legal consultation with a car accident attorney in Accokeek, call (410)777-8960
We Can Determine Whether These Factors Caused Your Accident in Accokeek
Car accidents can happen seemingly out of nowhere and severely impact your daily life. Common causes of car accidents include:
Distracted Driving
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), 2,968 people were killed in distraction-related accidents nationwide in 2020. Distractions can include texting while driving, talking with passengers, handling the radio, or anything else that could potentially take a driver’s focus off the road.
Fatigued Driving
When a tired driver gets behind the wheel, they have the potential to harm others. A driver who nods off or falls asleep behind the wheel can easily cause a serious accident.
Vehicle Maintenance
Every vehicle driving on the road should be properly maintained. A vehicle needs regular oil changes and safety inspections. A blown tire, brake failure, or other mechanical issues could cause a dangerous collision.
Weather and Road Conditions
Weather and road conditions can have a significant effect on drivers. If the road is covered with rain or ice, cars could have trouble staying in their lanes or making safe turns and stops. Bright sun and fog can also affect the visibility of the road. Every driver has a responsibility to be aware of weather and road conditions and adjust their driving accordingly.
Alcohol
Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is unsafe and illegal. If a driver has a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of or greater than 0.08%, they could be charged with driving under the influence (DUI). There are many possible ways for a drunk or intoxicated driver to cause a car accident.
Speeding
If a driver goes faster than the speed limit, they could cause an accident. Speeding drivers may lose control of their vehicles. Other road users may not expect a driver to speed and could pull out in front of them. Speeding can also increase the force at which a collision occurs, which may increase the injuries’ severity.
The Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow can investigate the cause of your accident and identify the responsible party when we represent you.
Accokeek Car Accident Attorney (410)777-8960
We Will Determine the Cause of Your Accident in Accokeek, MD
Many of the car accident causes listed above are the result of human error; a driver does something wrong, either deliberately or unintentionally. Yet, other parties could be liable for your losses.
For example, some accidents are the fault of:
A Maintenance Team
You rely on mechanics to keep your car working properly. The local government relies on contractors to repair roads as necessary. When these maintenance teams fail to do their jobs, other people can suffer.
A Manufacturer
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recalled millions of vehicles since the 1960s. Yet, some defective vehicles may remain on the road for years before they’re officially recalled. In the meantime, countless people may suffer injuries.
If a defective car (or car part) caused your collision, we can file a product liability claim with the manufacturer. Here, we would assert that because a faulty product caused you harm, you deserve damages.
Another Road User
Did the car that you hit you lose because they were trying to avoid someone else—another driver, perhaps, or a bicyclist or a pedestrian that got in their way? If so, you could pursue that party for damages.
Click to contact our Accokeek Personal Injury Attorneys today
We Will Establish Negligence for Your Car Crash in Prince George’s County
When you are in a car accident, you or your lawyer typically need to establish liability by proving negligence. Proving negligence involves establishing these factors:
Duty of Care
You must establish that the responsible party owed you a duty of care. In the case of a car accident, every driver has a duty to follow the laws and regulations of the road.
Breach of Duty
You must show that the responsible party breached their duty of care. When a driver violates a traffic law or does not drive safely and responsibly, they breach their duty of care.
Causation
You must show that this breach of duty caused your accident and your injuries.
Measurable Damages
You must prove that the accident left you with measurable damages. These damages may include your injuries, damage done to your vehicle, and other types of losses.
An Accokeek car accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow can collect evidence of these elements when we represent you.
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Potential Compensation in a Car Accident Case
You can pursue damages as long as you are within the allotted timeframe. Per Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5–101, you are generally able to file a personal injury lawsuit within three years after the date of your car accident.
The potentially recoverable damages in a car accident case may include damages for monetary losses, such as:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Loss of income
- Decreased earning capacity
- Property damage costs
As difficult as it may be to live with big bills and less income, the physical and emotional toll of an accident is often the hardest part of recovering from a car crash. You can seek compensation for intangible damages, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of quality of life
- Scarring
- Permanent disability
- Temporary disability
You may recover other losses than those listed here, depending on your situation. The Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow wants to do everything possible to find the liable party and hold them accountable for their reckless behavior.
Call the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow Today
If you were involved in a car accident caused by someone else, an Accokeek car accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow can fight for compensation.
For a free consultation with a member of our team, call the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow today. We can also suggest trusted, highly qualified medical providers who may be able to treat your injuries. These are the same providers that our staff and families would use if we were injured.
Call or text (410)777-8960 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form