Many of our Maryland and West Virginia automobile accident clients tell us that they believe the negligent driver was illegally using a cell phone at the time of the collision. Often this is because our clients witness [...]
Effective July 1, 2012, West Virginia has a comprehensive law restricting the use of cell phones by drivers. As the 36th state to ban texting and driving, West Virginia’s legislators clearly agree that cell phone use is [...]
If there is one significant trend we have noticed over the past ten years in our automobile accident lawsuits, it’s that a significant number of accidents are caused by drivers who are distracted by cell phones, [...]
Many serious automobile accident lawsuits wind their way toward what is often called the independent medical exam (IME). In reality, these should be called defense medical exams, because there is nothing independent about them. The exam is [...]
We’re going to finish out the trio of complex Maryland legal principles, starting with contributory negligence and assumption of the risk, and ending today in last clear chance. First, a quick recap: Contributory negligence: a plaintiff [...]
Maryland is one of five jurisdictions, including Virginia, the District of Columbia, Alabama and North Carolina, that continues to hold onto the old rule of contributory negligence. Contributory negligence is a complete defense to a victim’s claims [...]
For the past few years, Maryland has systematically tightened the rules on cell phone use by drivers. Like drunk driving and failure to use seatbelts, it is getting attention on a national level. Most Maryland drivers [...]
The police report is often the best source of information in an automobile accident case. It can be so important that we recommend that anyone involved in an accident call the police. The police may or [...]
We’ve blogged about how to calculate a Maryland automobile accident case value. Our clients understandably want to know exactly what the process is to move a case toward settlement. When we are initially contacted, we’ll take [...]
Maryland has a rule called “collateral source,” which allows people injured by someone else’s negligence recover the value of expenses even if those expenses have been paid through another source. That’s a little confusing, so we’ll [...]
Collision is a provision in your automobile insurance policy that will pay to repair or replace the vehicle if it is damaged in an automobile accident. Deciding whether to get collision on a vehicle is usually [...]
In Maryland, all insurance policies are required to carry a minimum amount of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM). UM/UIM is insurance that helps a driver and passengers in the event of an automobile accident with a driver [...]
Most Maryland automobile insurance policies include Personal Injury Protection, known as PIP. PIP is insurance that typically helps you and your passengers in the event of an accident. It is a type of “no-fault” insurance, meaning [...]
Many people wonder what kind of medical treatment they need after an automobile collision. The question arises, I think, because people understand that there is an interplay between an insurance claim (or an auto accident lawsuit) [...]
When you meet with your lawyer, there will be some forms to sign. We want to take the mystery out of hiring a lawyer, so below is an explanation of the forms that we might need [...]
There are many reasons to hire a lawyer after an automobile collision. For most people, hiring a lawyer boils to two good reasons. First, lawyers are experts and know the ins-and outs of insurance law. Make [...]
Heads up, Marylanders! We’re surrounded by states that have steer clear laws, with stiff penalties for violation. Ignorance of these laws is no excuse. “What’s a steer clear law?” you may say. Not all states have this law, but in these surrounding [...]
Recently we have added a new article to our Car Insurance section on our website, entitled 'From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves'. 'From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves' is a book written about Allstate, revealing their efforts to reduce [...]
Something we see far too much of is innocent victims getting injured in an auto accident and not being properly insured. A common misconception is that simply having auto insurance totally protects you, unfortunately that is not [...]
Maryland Auto Accident Lawyers Serving Baltimore, Frederick and all of Maryland Drunk Driving Maryland Law Alcohol-related crashes can be devastating. Last year alone, over one million people were injured in these types of accidents. Auto accidents may [...]