Baltimore Car Accident Lawyers
Our Baltimore car accident lawyers have a singular focus in every auto accident case that we take: getting the maximum amount of money possible for our client and getting that compensation quickly and efficiently. If you have been injured in a car accident in Maryland that was not your fault, contact our Baltimore auto accident attorneys today to see how much we can get in your case. Call us at 443-276-0809 for a free consultation.
Hire a Baltimore Car Accident Lawyer for Your Case
If you get into a car accident and nobody is physically injured, you don’t really need to hire a car accident lawyer because you can usually resolve the auto property damage claim yourself without filing a lawsuit. It’s a much different story, however, if you get physically inured in an accident that was not your fault. When you suffer injuries in a car accident, you are entitled to get financial compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance company for things like medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Even if you suffer relatively minor injuries in an accident, you may still be entitled to thousands of dollars in compensation.
Unlike property damage cases, however, insurance companies will not voluntarily pay fair compensation for physical injuries unless you get a lawyer and file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. Why? Because insurance companies are in the business of making money. Without filing a lawsuit, an injured driver has no way of forcing the insurance company to offer fair financial compensation for their injuries. If you don’t have a lawyer and file a lawsuit, the insurance company will give you a lowball settlement offer and tell you to pound sand if you don’t like it.
If you hire a Baltimore car accident lawyer and file suit against the at-fault driver, everything changes. The insurance company is obligated to pay for a lawyer to defend their insured driver, and if you take the case to trial and get a big verdict the insurance company will have to pay for that also. Most insurance companies will do anything to avoid going to trial in an auto accident case. This means that they will offer you a significantly higher amount to settle the case before trial. Accident victims in Maryland who hire lawyers and file lawsuits against the at-fault driver get 3-4 times more compensation on average.
25% Contingency Fee in Accident Cases
Personal injury lawyers always work on a contingency fee basis, meaning the lawyer takes a percentage of whatever money they get for the client and they get nothing if they don’t get you any money. Almost all Baltimore auto accident law firms charge a very high contingency fee percentage of 40% or even higher. Most firms claim to offer a 33% contingency fee, but if you read the fine print that 33% only applies if the case settles before a lawsuit is filed. Very few auto accident cases involving serious injuries are settled without a lawsuit being filed so this is really just a “teaser rate.”
At Penn Law Firm we give all our car accident clients a much lower contingency fee percentage of 25% for all auto accident cases. This is a flat rate that applies across the board regardless of whether we have to file a lawsuit in your case. This means that you keep more of your settlement money at the end. 25% versus 40% can make a very big difference in the bottom line. If a case settles for $100,000, the 25% contingency fee rate gives our clients an additional $15,000.
We Avoid Excessive Expenses
What many auto accident victims fail to realize when they hire a lawyer is that the lawyer’s contingency fee (in our case 25%) is not the only thing that gets taken out of their settlement at the end of the case. Any expenses the lawyer incurs in connection with your case also get taken out of your settlement. If the lawyer hires expert witness (e.g., medical experts) or invests in accident reconstructions or experts, these expenses can be very significant. 1 deposition from an expert medical witness costs anywhere from $4,000 to $8,000
How Much Money Can You Get for Your Auto Accident Case?
Auto accident cases are about money, plain and simple. If you bring an auto accident injury lawsuit, your primary goal is to get money. So how much money can you expect to get for your auto accident case? The potential settlement payout value of a car accident case in Maryland depends almost entirely on the severity level of your injuries. The more seriously you were injured in the accident, the more money your case will be worth.
As the chart shows, Baltimore car accident cases involving minor or “level 1” injuries have an average settlement value of $16,500 to $27,000. Cases involving moderate or “level 2” injuries have an average payout value of $35,000 to $110,000. Baltimore auto accident cases involving the most serious injuries such as death or permanent disability can be worth $150,000 to $375,000 on average.
