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This post will provide a comprehensive explanation of everything you need to know about lawyers’ fees and expenses in auto accident and personal injury lawsuits. We will explain: exactly how much money your lawyer will take out of your accident or personal injury settlement. To help you understand how this works we will provide examples of lawyer fees and expenses deducted from actual injury cases. Finally, we will go over what lawyers are NOT allowed to charge you for.

What will your lawyer take out of your settlement?

If you hire a personal injury lawyer on a contingency fee and they succeed in getting a settlement in your case, the lawyer will take 2 things out of that settlement money before giving the rest to you: (1) the contingency fee; and (2) all necessary costs and expenses they incurred in bringing your case.

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In a personal injury case, the defendant and their insurance company will often state that they are “admitting liability.” Lawyers also call this admitting responsibility or accepting fault.

In this post, we will try to explain what it means when the defendant admits liability and how it will potentially impact the outcome of your claim. Admitting liability can happen in any type of tort case, but it is most common in auto accident cases so this post will focus solely on liability admission in auto tort claims.

Liability vs. Damages

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Our Frederick personal injury lawyers field a lot of calls from potential clients who have been injured in auto accidents in Frederick. A large percentage of these accidents seem to occur at a handful of notorious roads and intersections in Frederick County. In this post, we will give our own list of the worst intersections and roads in Frederick County, Maryland. This list is based on both our own anecdotal information from client calls and data from the Maryland State Highway Administration.

In determining what should rank as the “worst” intersections and roads in Frederick, we are primarily looking at the frequency and severity of auto and pedestrian accidents that occur on that road or at that intersection. However, our list also takes into account traffic volume and congestion, which often goes hand-in-hand with the number of accidents.

Auto Accidents in Frederick County

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The Baltimore Washington suburban corridor in central Maryland has changed dramatically over the last few decades. The 30 mile stretch along I-95 connecting the two cities has become one of the most densely developed and populated areas in the entire country. This intense suburbanization has generated a massive volume of vehicle traffic and transformed the roadways in central Maryland.

Columbia in Howard County is one of the areas in the Baltimore Washington corridor that has undergone the most dramatic change during this period. In the early 1990s, Columbia was still felt like the isolated “planned community” that it was originally designed to be.

Today, however, Columbia is the second largest town in Maryland with a population of well over 100,000. The volume of vehicle traffic and nature of the roadways in Columbia have followed a similar pattern of development. What used to be single-lane roads with stop signs have evolved into 4 or even 6 lanes commercial routes clogged with traffic lights.

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Over the last few years, a large number of states have passed new laws eliminating or significantly expanding their statute of limitations on sexual abuse lawsuits. So far, however, Maryland has not joined this movement to make it easier for sex abuse victims to sue. Recent investigations uncovering sexual abuse at one of Baltimore’s leading private schools might help change this.

Investigation Uncovers Sexual Abuse at the Gilman School

Founded in 1897, the Gilman School is one of the oldest and most prestigious private schools in the Baltimore Region. For decades Gilman has enjoyed a relatively pristine reputation. Last summer, however, the school announced that it was conducting its own private investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Gilman employees.

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Glen Burnie is an underrated sized market in Maryland.  It is more of a zip code than it is a town.  But it is a big zip code – codes actually – that has a lot of dangerous interactions that cause too many injuries and deaths.

Most Hazardous Intersections in Glen Burnie

The Glen Burnie car accident lawyers at Miller & Zois handle a high volume of auto accident cases in the Baltimore area. This gives us a unique perspective on what the more dangerous roads and intersections are in the Baltimore region. In this post, we will focus on auto accidents in the Glen Burnie area of Anne Arundel County and rank the most hazardous intersections in Glen Burnie.

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According to a National Highway Traffic Association (NHTSA) study, the pedestrian fatality rate increased by 53 percent between 2008 and 2019. American Automobile Association (AAA) researchers sought to figure out why. Their new report found significant trends in pedestrian fatalities. However, the researchers found that some of their data could not adequately explain the 53 percent increase. They concluded that more research must be conducted to better understand pedestrian fatalities.

Roadway type

Regarding roadway types, 70 percent of the overall increase occurred on either arterials or non-intersections. Intersection fatalities increased by 29 percent and accounted for one percent of the overall rate increase. Non-intersection pedestrian fatalities increased by 70 percent. The researchers speculated that either pedestrian behavior or inadequate pedestrian facilities might explain why pedestrian fatalities occurred in arterial and non-intersection roads.

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Parents sometimes cause car accidents when their children in the car.  When these children are injured, can the minor children bring a personal injury claim against their parents?

Let’s back up. Why would a child sue their own parent?  A child should sue their own parent because while they are technically suing their parent, the claim is really an insurance claim.  So if the child is hurt in a car crash, the insurance company is making payment to make good on that claim.

What is the Maryland law for minors to sue their parents to collect the insurance proceeds?

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So many of our clients call knowing they need a Maryland personal injury lawyer to handle their claim. Their focus is simply that I think I will get more money in my pocket and less fear of getting ripped off if I hire the best lawyer I can.  Let me explain generally what we do.  So if you are reading this before you call a lawyer, you will have some idea of what we do and what we will do for you as we advance your claim forward to settlement or trial.

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?

One question you have to ask yourself is do I need a personal injury lawyer?   You can try to handle your accident claim yourself.  If you have a small case, you will probably end up with less money and more hassle than if you had tried a lawyer.  But if you are one of those “I want to do it myself if it is remotely possible” people and you have not suffered a meaningful or permanent injury,  go ahead.  Use the link above and take a shot at it.  Is it possible you will completely screw it up?  Of course.   But the risk is not as grave in a minor accident case.

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Some personal injury lawyers in Maryland have a very negative opinion of chiropractors and they usually try to steer their accident clients away from using chiropractors to treat injuries suffered in an accident. Is this view unfair?  It is.  But this negative opinion of chiropractors is largely shaped by how chiropractors are viewed by insurance claims adjusters.

Patients often see it differently. Many insist that chiropractors provide effective treatment and make them feel better. Most insurance adjusters, however, are more reluctant to pay full value for chiropractic therapy.  Adjusters argue chiros treat patients too long and charge too much.   The other problem with chiropractors in personal injury claims is that they usually don’t give injured patients a diagnosis, or any sort of long-term treatment plan with an end goal of recovery.  Too many chiropractors have the mentality of trying to get a lifelong patent.

As lawyers, it is not our job to control or direct our clients in their medical treatment choices. However, we do have an ethical obligation to advise our clients that if they chose to use a chiropractor instead of a traditional doctor, it could have a negative impact on the value of their accident case if there is not a medical doctor standing behind the chiropractors work and blessing the treatment.

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