If you have been involved in a car accident here in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, you may be thinking about seeking compensation for injuries and for damage to your vehicle (and other personal property in the automobile). Maryland auto accident cases are legally complicated, so maximize your chances of success by hiring top-rated Maryland car accident attorneys. Contact us here at the Law Office of Robert Castro. Use our contact page or call us at (301) 870-1200. We have offices in Waldorf, Maryland. Most auto accident cases settle via insurance claims and negotiations. We are dedicated and experienced negotiators and know all the “tricks” used by insurance companies to pay as little as possible. Other cases must go to trial in Maryland State Courts. If that happens, we are gifted car accident litigators and have deep experience convincing juries to give maximum money verdicts.

One of the questions we often receive involves what makes a “winning” car accident case. In our experience, a winning case has three components. These are:

• Clear liability
• Direct causation
• Strong evidence

Clear liability is about who is legally responsible for causing the accident and for paying compensation. Sometimes those are two different things since, for example, a driver might have caused the accident, but the driver was driving a “company vehicle.” In those cases, the driver’s employer will be responsible for paying compensation.

When liability is clear, it means that the responsible party has obviously breached various duties owed by drivers to others using the roads. One duty owed is to obey traffic laws. Another duty is to drive carefully. A “winning case” is one where one or more duties have been clearly violated.

Direct causation is also important to a “winning case.” This has two aspects. First, there must be a direct link between the breach of duty and the accident. Second, there must be a direct link between the accident and the injuries. For example, if the responsible party ran a red light and crashed into the victim’s car, that is clear and direct causation for the accident. Further, if the accident clearly caused the victim to sustain broken bones, that shows direct causation of the injuries. Often, the direct cause of injuries is shown by the medical records.

Finally, strong evidence makes a “winning case.” Maryland car accident cases are legal proceedings. Thus, facts and opinions (like a doctor’s opinion) are needed to prove legal liability and the responsibility for paying compensation. If the evidence is weak, then the case is weak, and this is true even where an insurance claim is made. Many insurance company representatives are legally trained, and they can distinguish strong evidence from weak evidence. This will impact the amount of money that is offered as a settlement. Examples of strong evidence include:

• Solid eye-witness testimony
• Good physical evidence from the scene of the accident, including how and where the vehicles were damaged, tire tracks, tire skid marks, location of traffic control devices, etc.
• Clear photos and videos
• Evidence from the “black boxes” located in the vehicles
• Evidence from other on-board devices like cameras, GPS, etc.
• Police reports
• Medical records
• Work and employment records
• And more

Contact Waldorf, MD, Personal Injury Attorney Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Personal Injury lawyers. Our address is 11701 Central Avenue, Suite 200, Waldorf, MD 20601.