Garrett County Personal Injury Attorneys

Garrett County is a county in the state of Maryland, at the state’s westernmost point. Situated at the end of the panhandle that extends between Pennsylvania, on the north, and Virginia and West Virginia, on the south and west, Garrett County is a mountainous area with few large towns, but with plenty of outdoor activities to take advantage of.

Despite its remoteness, accidents still happen in Garrett County that leave innocent people hurt. Should this ever happen to you or a loved one, getting legal representation to help you enforce your legal rights can be the best way to ensuring you get the compensation you need and deserve. While filing a personal injury lawsuit against the person or the people responsible for your injuries will not turn back time to before you were hurt, it can prevent your injuries from putting a severe financial strain on you and your family that would be difficult to overcome in the years following the incident. It is also the best way to make sure the people who hurt you pay their fair share and serve the interests of justice.

Garrett County

Garrett County is the county at the westernmost tip of Maryland, squeezed between the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. Despite being the second-largest county in Maryland in terms of land area, at 656 square miles, Garrett County had only 30,097 people living in it during the 2010 census. This made it the third least populous county in Maryland and gives Garrett County a low population density of only 46 people per square mile. The largest town in all of Garrett County is Mountain Lake Park, which had only just over 2,000 residents during the census.

With so few people in the region and with numerous natural areas and mountains, outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking are popular for local residents of Garrett County, as well as tourists from the rest of Maryland, looking to get away from the bustle of larger cities. In fact, there are over 76,000 acres in Garrett County that are held open to the public for outdoor activities, from mountains and forests to state parks and lakes. Many of these acres of wilderness are found in the six state parks that are contained within the boundaries of Garrett County.

Unfortunately, this seclusion that gives Garrett County some of the most pristine wilderness in the state of Maryland has also meant that much of the state’s growing economy has passed the area by, leaving many residents poor and financially struggling. One out of every eight residents is living below the federal poverty line, while nearly one in five of those below the age of 18 is beneath it.

Personal Injury in Garrett County

Just because it is secluded, though, does not mean that accidents and personal injuries do not happen in Garrett County. In fact, precisely because it has so many secluded areas, many of the injuries suffered in Garrett County do not get the medical attention they need, making your road to recovery more difficult in the long run. Getting compensation for these injuries becomes hugely important if you want to return to your way of life that you had, before the accident that hurt you.

Truck and Auto Accidents on Interstate 68

One of the most common sources of personal injuries in Garrett County is a car accident, and one of the worst places for these crashes is on Interstate 68. While car crashes can happen anywhere, those that happen on major highways like I-68 involve the kinds of high speeds that almost guarantee a serious personal injury that can change your life.

Luckily, Maryland’s personal injury law allows you to get compensation for your injuries from the person who caused the crash if they were driving in a way that was not reasonably safe for the road conditions at the time of the crash. Examples of driving unreasonably include driving while distracted or while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or excessively speeding and weaving in and out of traffic. All of these seem to be happening more and more often on the roads and highways of Maryland, and if they are found to be the cause of the crash that hurt you or someone you love, filing a personal injury claim can lead to you getting the financial compensation you need and deserve.

Injuries on Government-Owned Properties

Visitors to Garrett County’s numerous state parks are often looking to get away from the cities and enjoy some peace and quiet in a secluded area, where they can catch up with nature and not have to worry about checking their email. Unfortunately, accidents can still happen in the seclusion of the woods and at the state parks in Garrett County, leaving you in dire need of immediate medical attention.

While it might seem like you will be out of luck if this should ever happen to you, Maryland’s premises liability law might provide an opportunity for you to seek out the compensation that you deserve from those responsible for your injuries. Premises liability law puts a legal duty on landowners and managers to take reasonable steps to maintain their property in ways that ensure the safety of visitors. When that land is being held open to the public, the steps that need to be taken are at their high point, because visitors can rightfully assume that the area is safe, if they are being allowed on it.

Of course, it might not be considered reasonable to expect the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to keep every foot of trail in the Swallow Falls State Park immaculately clean so there is no chance of you slipping and falling. However, making sure that serious dangers and dealt with in a reasonable amount of time is what they are there to do, and they could be held liable if they fail to follow through on this and you get hurt, as a result.

Garrett County Memorial Hospital

If you get hurt in Garrett County and need medical attention, or if you are simply getting a routine procedure done at the Garrett County Memorial Hospital, you are putting your health into the hands of a doctor, surgeon, or other medical professionals. Unfortunately, people in these positions are human beings, just like the rest of us. They can make mistakes or act negligently or commit an oversight, too. However, when they do, it can amount to medical malpractice and lead to you suffering serious personal injuries.

The Garrett County Memorial Hospital is one of the most likely places in Garrett County for an instance of medical malpractice to happen. This is because this hospital sees more than 20,000 patients in its emergency room annually, giving ample opportunity for mistakes to happen and for people to get hurt. If a doctor or surgeon at the Garrett County Memorial Hospital makes a mistake and you were the patient, getting legal help as soon as possible can make a huge difference.

Garrett County Courthouse

If you get hurt in Garrett County and pursue your legal rights to compensation by filing a personal injury claim, your case will be heard either by the Garrett County District Court, if your claim is for less than $5,000, or by the Garrett County Circuit Court, if it is for more than that amount. Both of these courts are located in the county seat of Oakland, Maryland, at the intersection of East Alder Street and South Third Street, in a gorgeous building constructed in the early 20th century.

Under Maryland’s statute of limitations, though, such a personal injury suit needs to be filed before three years have passed since the time of the accident. If you do not file your claim until after this window has passed, your case will be dismissed without the court even looking to see whether you deserve the compensation you are seeking from the party who hurt you.

Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Accident Victims in Garrett County

The personal injury attorneys at the law office of Gilman & Bedigian know how frustrating it can be to be involved in an accident that was not your fault and yet still be the one who gets hurt. Overcoming the pain and the suffering from injuries that you did not deserve, that you could not have avoided, and which was caused by someone else’s negligence can make you feel powerless and victimized by bad luck.

This is why we strive to represent accident victims in Garrett County both in and out of court to get them the compensation they deserve from those who hurt them. By filing a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf and pursuing it until it is resolved, we can get you the financial help you need to make a full recovery.