What Are the Damages Available After a Maryland Auto Accident Claim? | The Law Office of Thomas Maronick Jr LLC
Auto accidents are a fact of life. When consulting a Baltimore auto accident lawyer after an automobile mishap, people are often concerned about what they might have to pay and what the other side will be responsible for reimbursing.
What Am I Responsible For?
Basically, the plaintiff in an auto accident is entitled to reimbursement for all of the costs and expenses resulting from the accident. The reimbursement – called damages – exists to put the party that did not cause the accident in the same position they would be in had the harm not occurred.
In Maryland, because negligent drivers must pay the full value of the harm they cause, a plaintiff is allowed to recover for injuries and damages even if other sources are available to pay. It does not matter if the plaintiff has already taken advantage of those sources to cover the injuries and damage resulting from the accident. For example, even if the plaintiff has health insurance that will take care of injuries and has already sought medical treatment and also has enough time accrued from work to get paid for the absences stemming from the accident, the negligent driver will still have to reimburse the plaintiff for those costs.
The severity of the injuries resulting from the accident plays a huge role in determining the amount of the Baltimore auto accident compensation.
There are several types of money damages available for recovery after a car accident in Maryland. Damages are divided into two types:
- Economic
- Non-economic
Economic Damages
Economic damages are those things that can be easily determined such as medical expenses, lost wages and property damage, which would obviously include the damage to your car.
Past medical expenses are, obviously, easy to determine by simply adding up all the bills received from hospitals, clinics and other medical providers. Determining reimbursement for future medical expenses can be difficult. A Baltimore car accident lawyer is important in helping to determine what future medical damages will be.
Compensation for lost wages can run the gamut from the half-day of work lost to get to the car to the dealer for repairs to estimates of lost earning capacity.
Non-Economic Damages
Some people ask about punitive damages in instances where there is drunk driving. Punitive damages are designed to punish the wrongdoer. Punitive damages are rarely awarded in auto accident cases.
Maryland law allows a husband and wife to recover damages for injuries caused to their marital relationship as a result of an accident. This claim is called loss of consortium.
You might be able to get compensation for the pain and discomfort experienced because of the accident as well as any pain that you can expect to experience in the future.
If you can show that you suffered emotional distress because of the accident, you might be able to get reimbursed for that.
Are You Seeking Help After an Injury?
An experienced Baltimore auto accident attorney can help you with your Maryland personal injury claim. The attorneys at The Law Offices of Thomas J. Maronick can help you to get the reimbursement you deserve when you have been involved in a car accident in Maryland. You can contact Thomas Maronick at 410.244.5068 or via our website for a free consultation.