Were you or a family member injured because of someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful acts in Frederick, MD? The responsible party may owe you significant compensation. An experienced Frederick personal injury lawyer can help you stand up to the insurance companies and fight for the full compensation you deserve.
At Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers, our experienced team brings over 125 years of experience to the table. We’ve helped injury victims and their families recover millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts over the years.
Your future is too important to trust just any law firm. We’re prepared to put decades of experience in personal injury law to work for you. Contact our law offices in Frederick, Maryland, to schedule a free consultation at (301) 932-9997 with a Frederick personal injury attorney and learn more about how our team can help.
Why Should I Hire Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers To Handle My Frederick Personal Injury Case?
Accidents can occur in the blink of an eye. In a split second, a victim’s life can be changed forever. Even if the person responsible had no intention of hurting you, they can be held accountable for their actions.
Unfortunately, most injury victims face an uphill battle when it comes to recovering full compensation for their losses. Many walk away with a lowball settlement just to avoid wasting any more time dealing with insurance adjusters.
The insurance claims process is complicated enough. The personal injury process can be even more overwhelming. Hiring an experienced Frederick personal injury attorney is the best way to protect your rights.
When you hire Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ll increase your odds of success by:
- Evaluating all options for recovering compensation
- Identifying all sources of compensation and all responsible parties
- Compiling the strong evidence you need to establish your right to compensation
- Working with leading experts who the insurance company will take seriously
- Fiercely defending you against any allegations that you share blame for the injuries
- Documenting your losses to prove how much your case is worth
- Negotiating aggressively to secure a full and fair insurance settlement
- Filing a lawsuit and advocating for your rights before a judge and jury if necessary
Our Frederick personal injury lawyers will stand by your side at every stage during the legal process. You’ll never have to wonder about what’s happening with your case. That’s because we work closely with you and your family as your claim for compensation progresses in Frederick, MD.
We’re ready to start building your case right away. Give us a call to arrange your free consultation today.
Why Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
The process of getting fair compensation can be frustrating, even under the best circumstances. You’ve been injured in an accident. It’s likely that you’re already struggling. First and foremost, hiring an experienced lawyer will ease the burden and allow you to focus on your recovery.
It’s also important to remember that insurance companies have virtually endless resources. They often make the process much more difficult than it needs to be. They also know what your case is worth–and may offer a lowball deal in hopes you’ll give up and walk away with less than you deserve. Your lawyer can level the playing field.
Access to resources can also be incredibly important in complex personal injury cases. Expert witnesses and skilled investigators can make a world of difference. Experienced attorneys have access to the tools you need to prove your case.
Because of Maryland’s defendant-friendly comparative fault laws, you’ll probably be blamed for your injuries. A skilled lawyer will expect the insurance company’s blame-the-victim strategy. They’ll also be well prepared to defend you.
We Handle All Personal Injury Cases in Frederick
Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers is a full-service personal injury law firm. Because we have decades of legal experience, we’re prepared to take on any type of personal injury case.
Some examples of our key practice areas include:
Car Accidents
Car accidents tend to occur when drivers are careless. As the victim, you have the burden of proving who caused your accident.
Some of the most common causes of car accidents in Maryland include:
- Distracted drivers
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Aggressive driving
- Inexperienced drivers
Even if your case seems clear-cut, proving liability is rarely easy. Our Frederick car accident attorneys handle serious car accident cases every day. If you or a loved one were injured in an accident, count on us to fight for the full compensation you deserve.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists have almost nothing to protect them in an accident. Wearing a helmet might prevent serious brain damage or death, but it can’t protect the rest of your body from injury.
As a result, motorcyclists often suffer severe and even catastrophic injuries, such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Paralysis
- Severe burns and road rash
- Amputations
- Broken bones and crushing injuries
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, reach out to our law firm for a free consultation today. While you’re recovering, our lawyers will handle the insurance claims process and legal issues on your behalf. Count on us to fight for every dollar you deserve.
Truck Accidents
According to FMCSA data, in 2023 alone, 1,616 people were injured, and 69 people were killed in trucking accidents across the state of Maryland. Because trucks are so large and heavy, occupants in smaller vehicles tend to suffer the worst injuries.
It’s also likely that someone other than the at-fault driver will actually be liable for your damages. Our Frederick truck accident lawyers will conduct a detailed investigation to identify all parties responsible for your losses. Contact us today to get started on your truck accident case.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slips, trips, and falls are one of the most common ways to get hurt. When you slip and fall on someone else’s property, the property owner may be liable. Maryland premises liability laws hold property owners responsible for negligent property maintenance.
Still, property owners rarely admit fault without a fight. If you were injured in a slip and fall, contact our experienced accident lawyers for a free case review today.
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents have the potential to be devastating. That’s particularly true when the at-fault driver was speeding. If you or a loved one were injured walking down the streets of Frederick, our legal team is here to fight for you. Schedule your free consultation to learn more about your legal options today.
Wrongful Death
Fatal accidents in Maryland are much too common. If you lost a loved one in a tragic and preventable accident, let our lawyers help you fight for justice. The at-fault party may owe your family compensation for loss of financial support, pain, trauma, and the loss of your loved one’s presence in your life. We’re prepared to help you fight for the maximum compensation available in your wrongful death claim.
Additional Practice Areas
There’s a virtually endless list of ways you can be injured when others are careless.
Our personal injury lawyers in Frederick also handle personal injury claims involving:
- Bicycle accidents
- Commercial vehicle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Accidents involving Uber or Lyft
- Boating accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Recreational vehicle accidents
- Electric scooter accidents
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Defective products
- Dangerous property conditions or premises liability
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Intentional torts (assault and sexual assault)
Regardless of the circumstances, our lawyers have the tools to help you hold the responsible party accountable for your damages. The sooner we get to work, the better the outcome is likely to be.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Like many personal injury law firms, we use a contingency fee structure. That means you won’t owe us any money upfront. Our lawyers only get paid once you’ve received your settlement or verdict.
When we do recover compensation in your case, the attorney fees are taken out of that compensation award. When you hire us, you’ll agree to pay a percentage of whatever amount we recover for you. That’s typically between 33% and 40%, depending on the facts of your case.
How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
No lawyer can answer this question without a detailed understanding of the facts. Your injuries are unique. That’s true because even when you suffer injuries that are similar to someone else’s, you’ll recover differently. Your losses will also be different.
When your lawyer is evaluating how much your personal injury case is worth, they’ll weigh many different factors, including:
- The overall severity of your injuries
- The type of injuries you’ve suffered
- How much you’ve spent on medical bills
- Your out-of-pocket expenses, including expenses for property damage, rehab, therapy, and assistance
- Whether you’ve lost income because you can’t work during your recovery
- Whether any long-term injury will impact your future earnings and how
- The nature of your personal losses, including trauma, pain, and reduced quality of life
- The amount of insurance coverage that’s available
- The identity of the at-fault party and the nature of their actions
Shared responsibility can also have a significant impact on the value of a Maryland personal injury case.
In all cases, you should expect the insurance company to focus on factors that reduce your case value. You don’t have to let them get away with it. Insurance companies are much more likely to play fair when you have a respected lawyer in your corner. Most lawyers offer free case reviews, so don’t hesitate to reach out and explore your legal options.
What Types of Damages Can Personal Injury Victims Recover in Maryland?
Identifying your damages is one of the most important aspects of your personal injury claim. Maryland personal injury laws allow victims to seek compensation for economic and non-economic damages. In extreme cases, punitive damages may be available.
What Are Economic Damages?
Economic damages are awarded to compensate for the financial losses you’ve suffered because of an accident and injury.
Common examples include:
- Current medical costs
- Future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and specialized therapy
- Skilled nursing care
- Lost wages while you recover
- Lost future earning potential
- Vehicle repairs and property damage
Even when insurance coverage is sufficient to cover all of your damages, victims must prove the value of their losses. The insurance companies will want to see detailed records to establish the economic hit you’ve suffered because of the injury. Don’t expect the insurance adjuster to hand over a settlement for the full amount of your claim without a fight.
What Are Non-Economic Damages?
Non-economic damages compensate victims for intangible losses associated with an injury. These damages don’t have a clear financial value. That means they can be difficult to prove.
Examples of non-economic include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Chronic pain
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Reduced life expectancy
- Loss of your ability to enjoy life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
Note that Maryland law limits the value of your non-economic damages award. The amount increases each year. It’s important to remember that the amount of the cap depends on when your injuries occurred.
When Are Punitive Damages Available?
Punitive damages are extremely rare in Maryland. Under Maryland law, you must prove that the defendant acted with actual malice to receive punitive damages.
It’s a high bar because punitive damages are awarded as a punishment rather than to compensate a victim. Most accidents are just that–accidental.
How Can Maryland Shared Fault Laws Impact My Right to Recover Compensation After an Accident?
Most states allocate blame between all parties to an accident. Victims tend to lose their right to damages if they are mostly responsible for causing the accident.
Maryland is one of the few states in which accident victims completely lose their right to recover compensation if they were partly responsible for an injury. If the insurance company can prove that you were even 1% responsible for the accident, you’re completely barred from recovering compensation under Maryland’s contributory negligence system.
Insurance companies in Maryland love to blame injury victims. When they succeed, they can get away with paying nothing. Our lawyers won’t let them get away with unfairly pinning the blame on you. Contact us today if someone is trying to blame you for your own injuries.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After an Accident in Maryland?
The statute of limitations in most Maryland personal injury cases is three years. You have three years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit.
It’s always possible that you could have more or less time. For example, if a government entity is a defendant, you must act sooner. If the victim was a minor or you had no way to discover the harm right away, you could have more time.
Your lawyer can help you determine the deadline in your case. It’s always best to seek legal advice as soon as possible to avoid running out of time. You should also remember that insurance companies have their own time restrictions–and you’ll likely be dealing with an insurance company before filing a lawsuit.
What is Negligence and How Do I Prove It?
Negligence is the legal basis for the vast majority of personal injury cases. “Negligence” means something very similar to carelessness or even recklessness. Someone is negligent when they fail to use the caution that a reasonable person would have under the circumstances.
The four elements of a successful negligence claim are:
- Duty of care. You must prove that the defendant owed you a legal duty of care. For example, all drivers have a duty to obey traffic laws and drive carefully. Doctors owe their patients a duty to provide a certain standard of care.
- Breach of duty. You must prove that the defendant did something to violate their duty of care. For example, if the at-fault driver in a car accident ran a red light, that would likely qualify as a breach of duty.
- Causation. You must prove that the at-fault party’s breach of duty actually caused your injuries, meaning that nothing else intervened to actually cause the harm.
- Damages. Damages are the losses you suffered because of the at-fault party’s actions. Physical, emotional, and financial losses all qualify.
The relevant standard of proof in personal injury cases is a “preponderance of the evidence”. That means something like it was “more likely than not” true that the defendant was responsible for your losses.
What Types of Evidence Can Be Used to Prove Negligence in Maryland?
The types of evidence that can be useful will depend on the nature of the accident itself.
Our lawyers often search for and evaluate:
- Police or accident reports
- Eyewitness statements
- Video footage from a dash cam, traffic light, business or even doorbell camera
- Hard evidence from an accident scene
- Medical records
- Employment records
- A driver’s licensing and qualifications
- Hiring practices
- Maintenance records
- Photos of an accident scene
- Drug and alcohol test results
- Cell phone records
- Testimony from experts in accident reconstruction, medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and other specialties
- Receipts, pay stubs, tax returns, and other records that can establish the value of your economic losses
It’s never too early to start building your case. While you’re working toward your recovery, our lawyers can begin compiling the evidence we need to prove your case.
How Long Will My Personal Injury Injury Case Take?
It’s impossible to give an exact answer to this question. Some personal injury claims can be resolved relatively quickly, even within a matter of weeks. Others can take months–or possibly even years–to resolve.
The severity of the injuries is often the key factor in determining how long your case will take. When more serious injuries are involved, cases take longer. That’s largely because it takes serious injury victims longer to reach maximum medical improvement.
Other factors that will impact the length of time it’ll take to resolve your case include:
- The strength of the evidence available to prove liability
- Whether you will continue to incur costs even after receiving your settlement
- Whether multiple parties share fault for the same accident
- The identity of the at-fault party
- Whether there are serious disputes over the value of your losses
- Whether the other side has any evidence that can be used to prove you shared fault
Cases that go to trial also take longer to resolve. When a trial becomes necessary, you’re often at the mercy of the court’s schedule. You’ll also go through a lengthy discovery process to obtain additional evidence to support your case.
Our Personal Injury Attorneys in Frederick Represent Victims Who Have Sustained All Types of Injuries
Any type of injury has the potential to turn your life upside down. Many victims struggle with years of pain and rehabilitation. Some injuries can be life-changing.
Common types of personal injury cases involve:
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Dislocations
- Nerve damage
- Back injuries
- Wrist and ankle injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Whiplash injuries
- Dental injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Internal organ damage
- Burns
- Degloving injuries
- Amputations and loss of limbs
- Chest injuries
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
You deserve the best possible legal representation if you were injured in an accident. Our attorneys are prepared to put the full weight of our legal knowledge to work in your case. If you or a loved one were injured, don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more today.
Contact Our Experienced Frederick Personal Injury Lawyers For Legal Help
If you or a loved one were injured and it wasn’t your fault, our legal team at Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers is prepared to help. With an experienced Frederick personal injury lawyer on your team, you’re much more likely to walk away with the compensation you deserve.
Whether you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall or even on the job, give us a call today. We have the skills to stand up to the insurance companies and defense attorneys and fight for every dollar you deserve in Frederick, MD.