Cars provide many benefits. They can get a person from point A to point B in a controlled and enclosed comfortable environment and can do so quickly and efficiently. However, this is only the case when the driver is alert and cautious and when the car functions normally.
Oftentimes, the negligent manufacturing or faulty design of the vehicle and/or the negligent or wrongful actions of other drivers causes fatal traffic accidents in Maryland and across the U.S. Most fatal accidents, however, are preventable.
Case evaluations are free, so please contact us online or call the Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers office today at (301) 932-9997.
Your Economic & Non economic Damages
In Maryland, you can recover both economic and noneconomic damages in your car accident claim.
Economic damages include huge medical expenses, which may include:
- Emergency transportation and treatments
- Surgeries and aftercare
- Doctor, surgeon, specialist, and therapist appointments and care
- Prescription medications
- Follow-up care
- Adaptive medical devices
Economic damages also include your lost wages and any decreased earning potential that you experience because of the accident. These damages are easy to quantify because each has a verifiable monetary value.
Non economic damages, on the other hand, relate to non-tangible losses that don’t come with a price tag. The staggering trauma associated with a car accident that an impaired driver caused can lead to inestimable emotional pain and suffering—along with the attendant physical pain and suffering.
Recovering from a car accident that another driver’s negligence caused often carries a significant, hard to overcome emotional component.
While no equation will provide a calculation of your pain and suffering, you can demonstrate their severity through:
- Your doctor’s expert opinion related to the physical pain you suffered in the aftermath of the accident
- Your history of prescribed pain medications in the aftermath of the accident (relative to before the accident)
- A record of any psychological treatments or care that you received for mental or emotional distress in the aftermath of the accident
- The written opinions of medical experts (other than your doctor) and research studies related to accident trauma
- Your own account of the pain and anguish that you suffered because of the accident
In Maryland, you can recover from the pain and suffering a traumatizing car accident caused you to endure. While no amount of money can return you to your pre-accident self, adequate compensation can better allow you to move forward in the journey toward recovering.
Driving While Impaired Statistics
When drivers choose to drive under the influence of alcohol, they endanger everyone with whom they share the road.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares several sobering drunk-driving statistics:
- In 2015, alcohol contributed to nearly one-third of U.S. traffic fatalities.
- 16 percent of all accidents in 2015 that killed children involved impaired drivers.
- Only about one percent of all the self-reported cases of driving under the influence in the United States results in DUI charges.
These statistics assure us that drunk drivers are out there operating their vehicles carelessly and that they make our roadways more dangerous for everyone.
If you or someone you love was injured—or worse—by an impaired driver in Maryland, you need skilled legal counsel. At Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers, we know how harrowing these claims are, and our dedicated personal injury attorneys are committed to helping you recover on yours. We have six locations in Maryland, and we’re here to help.
Blood Alcohol Content Legal Limit
To determine whether a driver was impaired, police usually measure the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC). A driver’s BAC also indicates the degree of impairment. In Maryland, if a driver’s BAC reaches 0.08 percent or more, police can cite the driver with driving under the influence (DUI). If the driver’s BAC falls between .04 percent and .08 percent, however, police can charge the driver with driving while impaired (DWI). Drivers younger than 21 cannot exceed the limit of 0.02 percent.
If the negligence of someone you believe is impaired injured you, relay this information to an officer of the law who’s at the scene of the accident. Mentioning your belief that the other driver is impaired (and why you believe this is true) may help ensure that police test the negligent driver’s BAC.
Driving Under the Influence is Dangerous
Alcohol impairs a driver’s physiologic responses, which are critical to complicated driving tasks.
Several studies highlight the dangers of driving while impaired and its specific, deleterious effects, which include:
- A diminished capacity to recover from the glare that’s common to nighttime driving
- A diminished ability to track visually complex situations, such as the traffic on the road
- Decreased peripheral vision, which is elemental to driving safely
- The inability to perform well when factors compete for one’s attention, such as driving often demands
Alcohol impairs a driver’s ability to drive safely, and impaired drivers cause dangerous accidents.
Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Contact Alpert Schreyer Personal Injury Lawyers today to consult with a skilled car accident attorney. The initial consultation is absolutely free, and our fees are contingent upon successfully winning your case. There’s no risk in reaching out to learn more about how we can support you.