Being in a car accident can change your life overnight. Even minor crashes can cause painful injuries, emotional distress, and costly property damage, while serious crashes often result in permanent disability or wrongful death. The aggressive attorneys of Whitney, LLP focus on holding reckless drivers accountable for their actions, while pursuing the greatest compensation possible for the injury victims we represent.
At Whitney, LLP, we bring a nuanced and strategic legal approach to each car accident case we work on, which has enabled us to recover compensation for numerous clients during our many years practicing personal injury law. We are proud to serve the people of Bethesda, MD, including but not limited to the communities of Bannockburn, Bradley-Manor Longwood, Carderock Springs, Edgemoor, Glen Echo, Kenwood Park, Wood Acres, and Wyngate.
We provide confidential initial consultations completely free of charge, so call our law offices today at (410) 583-8000 to start discussing your accident with our knowledgeable car accident attorneys. You will not be charged any fees for your consultation.
Intersections, Highways, and Major Roads in Bethesda, MD
Crashes and collisions can occur on any type of road, in any type of setting. However, some environments are more prone to accidents than others. Interstate highways, state highways, county roads, and the major transportation arteries of towns and cities are all examples of settings where crashes are likely to happen, simply because these types of environments tend to feature high speed limits, congested traffic lanes, and impatient, aggressive commuters.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, nearly two thirds of all Maryland car accident fatalities in 2013 occurred in urban settings. Just over one third occurred in rural settings, while a tiny fraction of road settings in fatal accidents were unknown.
Listed below are some of the major roads and highways in and around Bethesda:
- Bradley Boulevard/MD Route 191
- Burdette Road
- Cabin John Parkway
- Capital Beltway/I-495
- Clara Barton Parkway
- Cromwell Drive
- Fairfax Road
- Greentree Road
- I-270
- Jones Bridge Road
- Landon Lane
- MacArthur Boulevard
- MD Route 185
- MD Route 189
- MD Route 355
- MD Route 396
- MD Route 614
- Old Georgetown Road/MD Route 187
- River Road/MD Route 190
- Sangamore Road
- Seven Locks Road
- West Cedar Lane
- Wilson Lane/MD Route 188
- Whittier Boulevard
Due to issues like poor visibility, confusing signage, and faded road paint, intersections can also create hazardous situations for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Some of the busiest intersections in Bethesda include:
- Bradley Boulevard and Wilson Lane
- River Road and Holton-Arms School
- River Road and I-495
- River Road and Willard Lane
- West Cedar Lane and Rockville Pike
- Woodmont Avenue and Montgomery Lane
What Types of Injuries Can a Car Accident Victim Get Compensation For?
Depending on how and why your accident occurred, you may be able to recover compensationyou’re your physical and emotional injuries. Compensation may also be available for property damage to your vehicle and other personal belongings. In order to be awarded compensation, or damages, the plaintiff must be able to prove that four elements were present in the crash or collision:
- Duty of Care – Every single driver has a legal responsibility to minimize the risk of death or injury to other people by obeying the rules of the road. This concept is known as the duty of care.
- Breach of Duty – This means the defendant somehow failed to live up to his or her duty of care, whether such breach was intentional, reckless, or careless. Some examples of a driver breaching the duty of care include:
- Driving while intoxicated by drugs and/or alcohol (DUI/DWI).
- Failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign or crosswalk.
- Following too closely, or tailgating.
- Running a red light.
- Speeding.
- Causation – The accident must have been caused by the defendant’s actions (or failure to take the necessary actions).
- Damages – The accident must have resulted in damages to the plaintiff. Damages can be physical injuries, emotional trauma, and/or financial loss.
If the court finds that the defendant was at fault for the accident, the plaintiff can be awarded various types of damages to help cover his or her costs and losses, including the following:
- Emotional distress and psychological trauma
- Injury-related home renovations, such as making doorways wide enough for wheelchairs to pass through
- Loss of companionship/loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of income/wages
- Medical bills
- Medical devices (e.g. pacemakers, wheelchairs, back braces, prosthetic limbs)
- Pain and suffering
- Physical therapy
- Prescription medication
- Replacing or repairing damaged or totaled property
- Surgery
Our attorneys have experience investigating a wide range of injuries and medical complications resulting from traffic accidents, with some of the more common crash injuries including:
- Bone fractures
- Broken noses
- Burns
- Chest injuries
- Hand and wrist injuries
- Neck injuries
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Soft tissue injuries
- Spinal cord injury, or SCI
- Traumatic brain injury, or TBI
- Whiplash
If you were hurt in a car accident in Bethesda or the surrounding towns of Montgomery County, we encourage you to call the law offices of Whitney, LLP at (410) 583-8000 for free, confidential, and straightforward legal advice. Don’t worry about having too many questions, or not knowing where to start. We’re always here to answer your questions, provide you with legal support, and help you understand your rights and responsibilities as an injury victim in Maryland.