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Your Salisbury Personal Injury Attorney
The short answer. In Maryland a civil action must generally be filed within three years from the date it accrues (Md. Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-101). A minor or a mentally incompetent claimant may file within the lesser of three years or the normal period after the disability ends (Courts and Judicial Proceedings 5-201). The trial court for Wicomico County sits in Salisbury, at 101 North Division Street, Salisbury, MD 21801. To talk it through, send the form on this page and we will work to connect you with an attorney in our network.
Getting hurt rarely comes at a convenient time. You may be in pain, missing work and answering calls from an insurance company while trying to learn what you are owed. If your injury in Salisbury was someone else’s doing, start with the basics below and go at your own pace.
Nothing on this page is legal advice, and NeedAnAttorney.net is not a law firm. It is a service that connects injured people with attorneys. The rules described here are quoted or summarized from Maryland’s own statutes so that you can check them yourself.
Questions Worth Asking In Salisbury
Ask these in any first conversation:
- Your share of fault. Ask whether any fault on your part could bar the claim, since Maryland has long followed contributory negligence (Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia, 432 Md. 679 (2013)).
- The deadline. Ask the attorney to name the exact last day to file for your claim. Maryland’s general limit for a civil action is three years (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-101).
- The cap. Ask how Maryland’s limit on noneconomic damages would apply to your injuries (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 11-108).
- The money terms. Ask how fees are calculated and which costs come out of a recovery.
- Who will work on it. Ask who handles your file day to day and how fast messages are answered.
Personal Injury Types of Cases
Motor Vehicle Accidents
As long as the person that was operating the vehicle that injured you was negligent in some way, you can could have a claim for compensation. This can include.
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- 18 wheeler Accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Drunk Driving
- Distracted Driving
- Aggressive Driving
- and other types of motor vehicle accidents
Work Place Accidents
These types of personal injury lawsuits involve more that just a employee and employer. If you feel like your place of employment was negligent in some way, you might have a claim for compensation. These types of accidents can include.
- Slip and Fall
- Unsafe working conditions
- Unmaintained equipment
- Auto Accidents
- Death
- Electrical Hazards
- Occupational illnesses like COPD, contagious diseases, and asbestosis
- personal injuries at work
Premises Liability
Many premises liability claims are from a property owner’s duty to maintain a property in the way that does not endanger others. There are may ways a property owner can violate this duty.
- Broken Stairs
- Unlit alleyways
- Slippery Floors
- Surfaces that are uneven
- Places to receive burns
- Places to receive chemical exposure
- Dog bites
- and other dangerous conditions
Wrongful Death
When negligence leads to fatal injuries, a wrongful death suit can help the surviving family members hold the negligent company, persons, and or person accountable for what was done. A wrongful death case can involve different types of compensation from other personal injury claims. After a fatal accident, family members can ask an attorney to review what compensation the surviving loved ones may have a right to. These types of accidents can include.
- Auto Accident
- Maritime Accident
- Drowning
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Helicopter Accident
- Fire
- Firearm
- and other types of wrongful deaths
Injured in Salisbury? Get matched with an attorney now.
When You Were Partly At Fault
Many states reduce an award by the injured person’s share of fault. Maryland has long followed a stricter rule, contributory negligence, under which a person whose own negligence contributed to the injury can be barred from recovering. In Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia, 432 Md. 679 (2013), Maryland’s highest court declined to abrogate the long established common law rule.
That decision is from 2013, and any later change would have to come from the legislature or a later court decision, so ask the attorney you speak with whether the rule still applies the way it did. What it means in practice is that your own actions before and during the accident will be examined closely, and what you say to an insurer about them matters.
Filing Deadlines For Injury Claims
Maryland gives most injury claimants three years from the date the claim accrues (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-101). The same three years run from the death in a wrongful death case (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-904), though the statute carves out occupational disease and some homicide cases with their own rules.
Disability can change the date: a person who was a minor or mentally incompetent when the claim accrued files within the lesser of three years or the applicable period after the disability is removed (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-201). Ask for the date in writing at your first conversation.
When A Death Is Involved
If the injury ended in a death, a different part of the law applies. Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-904 provides that an action is for the benefit of the surviving wife, husband, parent and child, and for a dependent relative if none of them qualify. Only one such action may be brought for a death.
The statute lets the beneficiaries seek damages for the harm the death caused them, including, in the cases it lists, mental anguish and the loss of companionship, comfort and guidance. The noneconomic part of those damages is subject to the cap in Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 11-108, which is higher when there are two or more beneficiaries.
The Court and Hospitals Behind a Salisbury Claim
Wicomico County is the county the Census Bureau assigns to Salisbury. Wicomico County’s circuit court (1st Judicial Circuit) is listed in Salisbury, at 101 North Division Street, Salisbury, MD 21801. Peninsula Regional Medical Center (TidalHealth) in Salisbury appears on the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems list of trauma centers as a Level III trauma center.
Keep copies of everything the hospital or clinic gives you, ask for an itemized bill, and note each appointment as it happens. If you moved between facilities, collect the records from each one.
Where To Begin After An Injury In Salisbury
Start with the form at the top. It asks a few questions about the injury. NeedAnAttorney.net reviews your details and works to match you with an attorney in our network who may handle cases in Maryland. Using it is free, and it does not create an attorney client relationship.
Until someone calls, make a simple record: what happened, the date and time, names of anyone who saw it, the treatment you have had, and the days you missed from work. Keep every bill and letter in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Maryland?
For most injury claims, three years from when the claim accrues (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-101). A wrongful death action is filed within three years after the death, subject to exceptions (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-904).
Can I still recover if the accident was partly my fault?
That is a serious risk in Maryland. The state follows contributory negligence, which can bar a claim when the injured person’s negligence contributed, and the rule was reaffirmed in Coleman v. Soccer Association of Columbia, 432 Md. 679 (2013).
Is there a cap on what I can recover for pain and suffering?
There is a statutory cap on noneconomic damages, $980,000 for causes of action arising from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Medical bills and lost income are not covered by it (Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 11-108).
Who benefits from a Maryland wrongful death action?
Under Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-904, the spouse, parents and children of the deceased benefit, or a substantially dependent relative by blood or marriage if there are none. Only one action lies for a death.
What is the nearest hospital to Salisbury?
On the federal list the nearest Maryland acute care or critical access hospital is TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in Salisbury (1.1 miles, straight line), then Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin (20.5 miles) and University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton in Easton (38.0 miles). In an emergency call 911; not every hospital has an emergency room.
Which nearby places does this site cover besides Salisbury?
Closest by straight line are Cambridge (29.3 miles northwest), Easton (38.1 miles northwest) and Annapolis (64.5 miles northwest).
Does it cost anything to use this page to find an attorney?
No. The form is free, and many injury matters are handled on a contingency fee. Ask for the fee agreement in writing.
What should I do right after being hurt?
Get medical care, report the incident to the police or the property owner as appropriate, photograph the scene and your injuries, and write down what happened while you remember it.
Help Elsewhere in Maryland
If your injury happened outside Salisbury, one of these pages may fit better.
