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COVID-19: Maryland Laws, Policies and Legal Resources from Miller & Zois. Includes information and updates on Maryland and Federal laws and regulations impacting Maryland residents and businesses.

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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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Our office is in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore City.  So our lawyers see a lot of pedestrian accident cases.

Walking on the street should not be a dangerous activity, right?  But, my goodness, it is. Pedestrians struck by a vehicle are far more likely to experience severe or fatal injuries than vehicle occupants. This is because — and I’m not telling you anything you did not already know —  they lack a vehicle’s physical protection. If

Pedestrian-vehicle accident statistics

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The State of Maryland has taken significant measures to prevent distracted driving. This includes imposing stricter penalties and promoting campaigns to discourage it.

Distracted driving

 Distracted driving is causing Marylanders to die every day.  COVID is as awful as they say.  But, in the long run, distracted driving is going to kill more Marylanders.  It is the public health crisis that gets 1/on-millionth of the attention.

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Dog bites happen every day across Maryland and the U.S. Even the most placid and harmless dogs can sometimes bite when they get scared or anxious. Most types and sizes of dogs (even little Yorkshire Terriers) can puncture the skin when they bite. Aside from the pain and physical tissue damage, dog bites can also lead to harmful infections. In fact, infections are a common secondary complication associated with dog bites. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 15% of dog bites lead to an infection.

Our Maryland dog bite lawyers see a lot of dog bite victims with infections. In this post, we will look at the 3 most common types of infection that can result from a dog bite and talk about the impact these infections have on the settlement value of a dog bite injury case.

Strep and Staph Infections

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Workplace injuries are a fact of modern life and many workers get injured on the job every day in Maryland. But most workers, even those in high-risk fields, do not spend a lot of their free time preparing personal game-plans for what to do if they get hurt on the job. This mentality is easy to understand, but it can be detrimental.

If you suffer a work-related injury, knowing what to do and, more importantly, what not to do can have a big impact on your ability to get compensation.

In this post, we will look at some common mistakes people make after getting injured on the job and how these missteps can negatively impact workers’ compensation claims and settlement amounts.

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Left-hand turn accidents can make for difficult and complicated auto accident lawsuits. An accident involving a left-turn can cause devastating injuries and determining fault is not always as easy as it might seem.

Left-turn-300x169At first glance, determining fault in left-turn accidents may seem simple because the driver making the left turn has an obligation to yield to oncoming traffic.  That simple assumption is correct in the lion’s share of cases.  When you call our law firm and telling us another driver to a left turn in front of you, our lawyers are pretty confident, without hearing anything else, that you have a case.

But… you have to hear the entire story.  Because the assumption that the driver who made the left turn is at-fault sometimes fails.  This is particularly true, as I explain below, in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

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The Maryland auto accident lawyers at our firm have been involved in literally thousands of auto accident claims over the years.  Our exclusive focus is on victims.  It is, I can tell you, more fun for us than representing defendants.  Most of us started out as defense lawyers.

But people that cause accidents are not criminals.  They made a mistake that any of us could have made.  There is so much information available for victims. But the only ones giving at-fault drivers information is insurance companies.  I wouldn’t trust an insurance company to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

This page will attempt to answer some more frequently asked questions and concerns that arise from drivers who are at-fault in auto accidents.

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