Yes. The insurance companies will take advantage of you if an experienced Ocean City auto accident lawyer is not involved in your case.
First, the probability of being involved in an auto accident in Maryland is quite high compared to other states. Baltimore drivers have never fared well in Allstate Insurance Company’s ranking of cities with safe driving habits. Baltimore drivers often rank as being among the worst drivers among the 200 cities that Allstate examines for safe driving habits. Baltimore has consistently ranked among Allstate’s bottom 10 cities for safe drivers during the last decade.
On average, drivers in Baltimore saw 4.2 years between accident claims – an improvement over last year’s 3.8 years between accidents. Allstate says the national average between auto accident claims is 10 years. However, in Baltimore, the average between such claims is much higher, coming in at about 4.2 years. In addition, Baltimore drivers report an average 30.6 “hard-braking events” per 1,000 miles – far more than the national average of 19 per 1,000 miles.
The numbers mean that Maryland motorists are much more likely to be involved in a car accident than the drivers in other states.
When a report of an auto accident is received by the insurer, the insurer’s goal is to pay out as little as possible on each claim. There are several ways for this to happen. The rep for the insurance company may deny the claim altogether, hoping that you will accept the refusal and go away.
Another tactic is to deny parts of the claim which basically means the insurance rep will try to “nickel and dime” your claim to pay out as possible. For example, an insurance company may initially refuse to reimburse you for the hours lost taking time off from work. It’s important to remember that damages from an auto accident include all of your medical bills as well as lost wages even if you have enough hours with your company to get paid through your employer. An experienced Ocean City car crash lawyer knows the compensation you should receive under Maryland law and will make sure that you are adequately reimbursed on your claim.
Conventional wisdom is that an auto accident attorney is not needed for small claims. Even with that in mind, it could be helpful to talk to an attorney to find out if you should move forward without legal representation.
Of course, car accidents that involve severe injuries or even a death require the services of an Ocean City auto accident attorney.
Maronick Law, LLC is open during the pandemic and will continue to meet your Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Baltimore, Essex, Ocean City, Towson, White Marsh auto accident needs. If you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident, you should talk to a car accident attorney. An Ocean City auto accident lawyer can make sure that you are fully compensated for the expenses you face while recovering.
If you have access to Zoom, we can meet with you remotely. The consultation is free. You can contact Thomas Maronick on his cellphone at 202.288.0167, the law office at 410.402.5571 or via the website.