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.

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.

When Baltimore residents suffer a personal injury, the physical pain and suffering caused by the injury can be life-changing. At the same time, however, the emotional and mental effects of suffering a serious personal injury cannot be forgotten. Individuals who have suffered serious injury themselves or who have endured the loss of a loved one know this all too well.

Through a personal injury cause of action against the party responsible for the injury, individuals can be compensated for both the physical and mental effects of the injury. The compensation can be essential for the recovery for the injured person.

Of course, certain injuries can be so devastating that they lead to a loss of life. In these circumstances, surviving family members can bring a wrongful death action to obtain compensation.

For instance, one family recently brought a wrongful death action based on medical malpractice that affected their son. The son had suffered chronic lower back pain, which lead him to receive injections to attempt to alleviate his pain. After the man received an epidural steroid injection in his lower back, he suffered complications, including a lump that developed on his back.

While family members questioned what the lump was, which grew to the size of a racquetball, the medical professionals told the man it was a normal occurrence. The man's condition then deteriorated to the point where he was diagnosed with meningitis and painful spinal injuries. Although the man initially filed the medical malpractice lawsuit, he committed suicide before it finished. The man's parents stepped in, however, and obtained a $2.88 million jury verdict for the man's suffering and wrongful death.

The case illustrates how compensation can be obtained for a person's wrongful death, as well as for a survival action based on injury suffered by the deceased person. While the wrongful death action looks at the damage caused by the person's death at the hands of another, the survival action looks at the conscious pain and suffering endured by the person before death. Accordingly, these are different causes of action, with different damage awards to provide compensation for the pain and suffering the person experienced, and of course the death that resulted as well.

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.

There are a number of ways in which a driver can act negligently and endanger those whom they share the road with. Every type of negligent action -- whether it is distracted driving or speeding -- can lead to the same outcome. Devastating, injury-inflicting crashes are often the result of one driver's failure to exercise due care, and injuries resulting from car crashes can be life-altering. In what seems like a split-second, a victim's life can be forever changed, and before they know it hospital visits and chronic pain become part of their everyday lives.

Four people were injured in a recent car accident in Maryland, according to reports. On a Monday, around noon, a Nissan sedan was stopped in a southbound lane, waiting for the chance to make a left turn. Around the same time, another vehicle was driving northbound at high speeds. Ahead of the northbound vehicle was another car that began to make a right turn. The northbound vehicle, in an attempt to make a left turn, switched lanes to maneuver around the right-turning vehicle and locked its brakes, careened into the intersection and collided with the Nissan sedan that was in the southbound lane.

After being extricated from her vehicle, the passenger in the Nissan sedan, a 35-year-old woman, was rushed to a nearby medical center where she received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. Three occupants of the other vehicle were also taken to a hospital and given treatment. The crash was being investigated and, depending of the investigation's findings, there may be charges filed.

Driving above the speed limit is oftentimes considered a negligent action. If a victim suffers injuries as the result of another driver's negligence, they may be able to pursue compensation from the negligent driver. Using evidence such as investigation reports and medical records, victims can oftentimes build strong legal cases that can help them secure compensation. Compensation can help victims pay for medical expenses and other costs associated with the car accident injuries they have suffered.

Baltimore areas depend heavily on their job in order to earn an income and pay their bills. When individuals suffer a job loss or are unable to work for a period of time, it can pose serious consequences to not only the life of the person with the job, but his or her family as well. Accordingly, when a person suffers an injury that affects his or her career, the person may need relief from the person who caused the personal injury.

A unique case of alleged medical malpractice recently illustrated this principle. A woman, who maintained a career as an opera singer, was injured by an alleged case of negligence during the birth of her son. During the birth, a nurse performed an episiotomy on the woman to enlarge the birth opening. However, according to the woman, she was not informed or asked for consent for the procedure, and the incision caused her serious consequences.

The woman alleged the incision was not repaired properly, causing the woman to suffer incontinence and excessive gas. As a result of her condition, the woman was not able to continue her career as an opera singer, and she is now seeking damages from the medical provider as a result.

While the woman's injuries are unique, the case illustrates how an injured patient can seek damages if his or her injuries affects a career. First, if a person lost wages because of the injury that the person would have otherwise earned, those lost wages can be recovered as an element of damages.

The person can also recover separate damages if the person's ability to earn money in the future is lost or lessened because of the injury. These damages focus not on what was lost in the past, but what would have been earned in the future if the patient had not been injured by the doctor's negligence. Through these various damages, the injured patient can recover the compensation they would have otherwise gained at their employment.