For many Baltimore-area women, pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times of their life. The expected arrival of a new child can bring feelings of joy, along with some anxiety as well. The ultimate goal is to have a safe and healthy childbirth experience, and welcome the new addition to the family.

Unfortunately, this goal may be cut short for some families when the mother or child is injured before delivery. The injuries can be devastating for the family to overcome, given the tragedy of the situation.

Injuries can occur in a multitude of ways. For instance, one 19-year-old expectant mother recently suffered car accident injuries after being struck by another driver. The mother was a passenger in a vehicle that was struck by a driver who was attempting to make a left turn. The car accident left the woman and her baby in critical condition.

Cases involving serious injury or death to a mother and her unborn child can present unique circumstances. For instance, if an unborn child dies because of a negligent driver, a wrongful death action might be able to be brought for the unborn child, although many states do not allow such actions. In any event, the mother can recover damages based upon the injury or loss of the child.

Ultimately, no amount of compensation can be adequately placed on a human life. However, injured individuals can recover damages that will attempt to provide them some relief for their injuries, which can be vital when medical expenses, therapy, lost wages and other costs are adding up.

Drivers in Baltimore need to be aware of other vehicles on the road and various hazards at all times to avoid a car accident. With any kind of auto accident, there is always the chance that serious injury will result. These types of accidents are made worse for the victims when there is a child involved in the crash. No matter the cause of the accident whether it's negligence, misfortune or drunk driving, it's imperative that those who suffered damages be aware of their rights.

A late-afternoon crash between a 2014 Dodge Ram and a 1999 Toyota Sienna sent a 9-year-old boy to the hospital in critical condition with injuries that are considered life-threatening. The accident investigation revealed that the Sienna was exiting a parking lot when the Ram crashed into its driver's side. The driver of the Ram waited for police to arrive. The Sienna's driver and two other children, ages 12 and 11, were all injured and taken for treatment. The injuries to the 12 and 11 year old were minor. The driver was treated and released.

A car accident with injuries can result in numerous expenses and alterations to one's life and schedule. Hospital expenses can be astronomical and there is the chance that an injured person will require an extended hospital stay followed by rehabilitation and long-term care. With a child, these issues can be much harder to deal with. Insurance companies are focused on keeping costs reasonable and are likely to make a settlement offer early in the process to prevent the family from filing a lawsuit seeking damages and to be compensated. While the settlement offer might sound substantial, it's rarely enough when all the costs from serious injury are accounted for. It is also important that an accident be investigated and evidence accrued soon after it has happened.

The 9-year-old child who was hurt in this crash might require significant care and treatment to return to normal if and when his life-threatening status improves. With that in mind his family needs to know that financial concerns won't stop them from getting him the best possible care. In order to ensure that he's receiving all the help he needs, they would be well-advised to consult with a qualified legal professional to consider litigation.

When Baltimore residents need to use an item they do not have, it is common to borrow the item from a family member or friend. While sharing can be a great thing, it can also have some serious legal implications when tragic accidents occur.

A common example of this is when a person borrows their vehicle to another individual, who then strikes and injures someone else. The injured party may not only attempt to seek compensation from the driver of the vehicle, but also the owner as well.

For instance, after a teenager was killed in a fatal accident while riding a motorcycle in another state, the teenager's estate brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash. The suit alleges the driver's negligence caused the accident because the vehicle and motorcycle collided while the driver attempted to turn into a driveway but failed to yield to the oncoming motorcycle. Interestingly, in addition to the driver, the owner of the vehicle was sued for being negligent in entrusting the car to the driver. In total, $25,000 worth of damages are being requested.

While it may sound odd that a person can sue the owner of the vehicle if that person was not driving the car at the time of the accident in question, owners can be held liable under certain circumstances if they loaned their car to someone who they knew was an unsafe driver. This is known as negligent entrustment, which is an important legal theory often used, for example, when parents are sued for their child's car accidents.

Ultimately, injured individuals or those who have experienced the loss of a loved one should understand the legal doctrines that may apply to their situation. Doing so can help them in pursuing damages from the responsible party. Each case is different, however, and must be evaluated on its own facts.

It can be difficult for Baltimore residents to read about tragic accidents that severely injure or kill other individuals. Of course, the matter becomes much more tragic when a person's friends or family members are the ones who are injured.

Recently, a tragic auto accident took the life of an 18-year-old man. The man was crossing the road when he was struck by a BMW. Making matters worse, the man was thrown into the other lane of the road, where he was hit by a second vehicle. The man was pronounced dead at the scene from the car accident injuries he suffered.

In cases like the above where multiple vehicles contribute to a person's injuries, individuals may wonder how to prove which of the drivers could be considered a negligent driver in a personal injury lawsuit. Since causation must be proven in the lawsuit, after all, individuals may wonder whether they can succeed if they do not know definitively which car actually caused the death or injury of the individual.

Fortunately, while the facts may be somewhat more complicated when multiple vehicles are involved, the legal issues are not all that different. The injured party typically can prove that the multiple drivers were at fault and responsible for the injuries. Those drivers will then be held accountable for the person's injuries, even if they may have some fighting as to which driver was more at fault than the other.

For instance, if a person is struck by two vehicles, typically the person can recover all of his or her damages from either of the two drivers. The two drivers then may have a fight as to which of them is more at fault for the person's injuries, but that fight will not impact the recovery of the injured person. Accordingly, injured individuals may actually benefit from having multiple people to hold accountable as opposed to just one, because they have another party who is financially responsible for the injuries.

With winter coming to an end, drivers around the nation are looking forward to better driving conditions on the roads. Yet, no matter what the conditions may be at a particular time, individuals can find themselves subjected to danger from a negligent driver.

Recently, for example, a car accident in Maryland left one person with life-threatening injuries. An accident investigation, which is still ongoing, showed the car collision occurred after one of the vehicles took a left turn in front of the other vehicle. As a result, the second vehicle hit the passenger side of the first, with the passenger in that vehicle suffering the life-threatening injuries.

Law enforcement indicated alcohol was a factor in the accident. They also placed the blame for the accident with the driver of the vehicle that took the left turn in front of the second vehicle.

Such a finding is not surprising, as left turn accidents are typically the fault of the person who made the turn in front of the other vehicle. The reasoning is simple: a car traveling straight has the right of way and another vehicle that turns in front of that first vehicle cuts into that right of way.

There are exceptions, of course, as with any situation. For instance, a driver traveling straight at an excessive rate of speed or one that runs a red light would likely be found negligent if he or she hit a vehicle turning in front of him or her.

Ultimately, issues of fault determination often require court proceedings. An individual who is harmed in a car accident may wish to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney to find out what can be done to recover compensation for the victim's damages. The attorney can help examine what happened in the incident and how legal liability and damages may be affected by these circumstances while representing the victim's best interests.

A central part of many Baltimore area residents' lives is their job. Individuals depend on having a steady source of income from their job in order to provide for themselves and their family, and earn a living. Accordingly, when individuals are not able to work for extended periods of time, it can cause a hardship on their finances, with devastating results to follow if they cannot make up that lost income.

Unfortunately, this is often the case for those who have been injured in an auto accident, because their injuries may make it near impossible to go back to work for a significant period of time. For instance, a Maryland State Trooper recently returned to work after months of being cared for after she was hurt in an auto accident. The accident, which occurred last fall, was caused by a passing car who struck the officer.

The police officer suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the incident, causing her to spend more than a month in the hospital. The officer is still hesitant about driving again, and she experiences lingering effects from the injury. Meanwhile, the driver involved in the crash was cited for the crash, including for being a negligent driver.

For many individuals, an extended period away from work can cause severe financial troubles, particularly after the person exhausts all of their leave policies. Fortunately, through a personal injury lawsuit, injured persons can recover damages for the lost wages they suffered as a result of an injury.

Through the lawsuit, the person will be able to show the wages they lost from the date of the injury until the conclusion of the case, and what those wages would have been if they had been able to work during that time. The recovery of damages can be an essential element of getting the person's finances back in order and moving on from the incident.