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For a number of reasons, personal injury is an area of the law that is generally not suited to self-representation. This section will give you an overview of the law, give you some tips on things to look out for and help you to find an attorney.
Why you need an attorney to help with a personal injury case
Personal Injury Basics and What to Look Out For
On Your Own: Some Common Sense Tips
 
Why you need an attorney to help with a personal injury case
Unlike some other areas of the law, personal injury cases are matters that are difficult to handle on your own and there are many attorneys willing to handle the cases with no fee up front. This is why this website does not offer forms and self-help information on personal injury cases. Here are some reasons why you need an attorney to help with a personal injury case.
- There are many different laws that may apply - There are many different kinds of personal injury case, including automobile negligence, medical malpractice and products liability. Each type of personal injury case requires different skills and expertise for success. Because the evidence in these cases may require familiarity with other areas of knowledge such as engineering, physics or medicine, these cases are hard for a person without special training to handle. An attorney experienced in this area will develop a "theory" of the case to guide his/her argument on your behalf. S/he may draw upon several areas of the law plus basic legal principles. Developing a case requires both legal training and experience.
- There are no forms or self-help programs to guide you - Because this area of the law is one that legal experts believe is difficult to handle yourself, there are no forms or programs developed by the courts or legal aid organizations.
- You will need expert witnesses and evidence - In order to be successful, you will need to decide which areas of the case will need expert witnesses and be able to locate, evaluate, pay for and define the issues for expert witnesses.
- You will need to use "discovery" - This refers to special set of legal rules and tools that can be used to find out information from the people, agencies or companies that you will sue.
- Your case is likely to settle without a court hearing - Most cases of this type are settled after the case is filed but before the full court hearing on the merits of the case. Aside from the challenges of representing yourself on an emotional issue, many personal injury cases involve an argument that there has been some level of incapacity as the result of the defendant's actions or negligence. It will be hard to make that argument if you are handling the case yourself.
Personal Injury Basics and What to Look For
Basic Concepts
Filing Your Claim on Time
Defenses
Each type of personal injury case requires different skills and expertise for success. It is not possible to summarize the law relating to every type of injury here. However, there are some core concepts that will help you to understand what you must prove. Understanding the law means first understanding the key definitions. In addition, it is important to file your claim within certain time periods. Remember that the other side may defend themselves by arguing that it is not entirely their fault.
Basic Concepts
These are the concepts to help you understand personal injury cases.
"Personal injury" means an injury to your body or mind.
"Tort" means a wrongful action that injures a person, for which the injured person may receive monetary compensation from the person who committed the wrongful action. Torts may result from intentional or negligent actions.
"Negligence" is an action that accidentally injures someone.
For example, when the driver of a car isn't paying attention and accidentally rear-ends your car, that is negligence. To win compensation for negligence, you must show that the person who injured you owed you some kind of duty (obligation or responsibility). In this example, drivers have a duty to watch other cars on the road and to avoid hitting them when they stop at red lights. The driver who hit you breached (broke) that duty and caused your injury as a result of that breach of duty.
A "statute of limitations" is a law that limits the amount of time you have to file a legal case against another person. If you wait too long after suffering (or discovering) an injury to file your claim, you may be legally unable to recover any money from the person who hurt you. This is true even if that person really is to blame for your injury.
Filing Your Claim on Time
Maryland law limits the amount of time you have to file a court complaint against a person or company that has wrongfully injured you. Figuring out which statute of limitations applies to your case can be difficult.
The "statute of limitations" that applies to most tort cases is
Md. Code Ann. Cts. & Jud. Proc. Section 5-101, which provides that "A civil action at law shall be filed within three years from the date it "accrues" (see below) unless another provision of the Code provides a different period of time within which an action shall be commenced." However, actions for assault, libel, or slander must be filed within one year of the date when they accrue, according to
Md. Code Ann.
Cts. & Jud. Proc. Section 5-105.
Even after you figure out which law applies, you must decide when this period starts. Deciding when "a cause of action accrues" is often a matter of complex legal interpretation and requires substantial case law research. It is a good idea to consult a lawyer to help you figure out when your cause of action accrued. Usually, but not always, the tort cause of action "accrues" on the date when the wrongful action occurs and results in injury. Berringer v. Steele, 133 Md. App. 442 (2000); Fairfax Sav. F.S.B. v. Weinberg & Green, 112 Md. App. 587 (1996).
Defenses
Even if you can prove that the person you are suing wrongfully injured you and you file your law suit within the legal time limit, your claim may be barred (prohibited) or reduced by certain legal "defenses."
- One such defense is "contributory negligence." In Maryland and other states that adhere to the rule of contributory negligence, you can't legally recover compensation from a person who negligently injured you if you also acted negligently and your own negligence contributed to your injury. See, for example, Schwier v. Gray, 277 Md. 631 (1976). In other words, if you were also to blame for the injury because you were negligent, you may collect a smaller award or your lawsuit may be unsuccessful.
- Another possible defense to a personal injury claim is "assumption of the risk." In Maryland, a person is said to have assumed the risk of injury when he or she has full knowledge and understanding of an existing danger and voluntarily exposes him- or herself to that danger. Hooper v. Mougin, 263 Md. 630 (1971). In other words, if the other side can show that you knew of the danger and you chose to go ahead, any award may be reduced or your lawsuit may not be successful at all because you knew the risk you were taken before you were injured.
- There may be other possible defenses to your personal injury claim, depending on who hurt you and how.
Very thorough research is required to determine whether you can win a personal injury case.
On Your Own: Some Common Sense Tips
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