George Pittman Patterson's Answers

What is the statute of limitations for a negligence claim in Maryland?

Three years but there are some exceptions. You may also have notification requirements if a governmental entity is involved. The notification requirements may be as short as 180 days from the injury. It is always wise to speak with a lawyer shortly after a claim arises. Good luck.

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I fell over a pipe in someones yard. Is it negligence?

Injury claims from falls are difficult cases. In Maryland, a claim for a fall is denied if the person was not careful when walking across the yard (contributory negligence) or knew they were walking across an area where a hazard was likely to exist and not be seen (assumption of the risk). The duty that the homeowner owes to you also depends on why you were on the property. I am not sure that a lawyer will be able to assess the strength of this case without seeing photopgraphs of the area...

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How do i write a letter to police officer requesting him to change an auto accident report

This situation is not uncommon. The good news for you is that the trooper's opinion is not admissible in a trial over the traffic tickets or your injuries. It is critical that you retain a lawyer to defeat the traffic tickets. A failure to defeat the traffic tickets could result in a finding against you that could preclude your valid claim for personal injuries. Accidents like this involving large trucks is common due to the blind spots of truck drivers. You will need to subpoena the...

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If i was injured in a food store in maryland on a wet floor and tore my achilles tendon is the suit filed in maryland or in penn

You could definitely file the suit in Maryland. These types of cases are very difficult. If you slipped on the grapes it could be very hard to show that the store knew or should have known of the hazard. If you slipped on water from a leaking freezer that would be any easier case because the store probably knew or should have known of that problem. Also it is very easy to understand why you didn't see the water before your fall it is tougher to reach the same conclusion with grapes. In a...

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Is the apartment complex or the county responsible for ICE injury at a school bus stop located at apartment complex?

The law for ice cases changed drastically by two court decisions that were published in October 2011. These cases made it much easier to prevail as a plaintiff for falls on ice. The changes in the law still require a detailed analysis of the facts. Your answer simply does no contain enough facts for me to evaluate the case. Please feel free to contact me for a free evaluation of the case,

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Criminal lawyer

You should call the officer that wrote the report to indicate that you were injured and would like the State to pursue a criminal charge against the person that assaulted you.

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The metal step gave away an I fell throw it an hurt my leg can I sue my landlord

You likely have a strong case. Metal steps should not fail. If it was a defective product you need to take quick action to preserve the defective step for inspection by an expert. If the landlord failed to maintain or replace a rusting step then you have a good claim against the landlord.

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Should I pursue a claim for an accident that happened in 2009? MD has 3 yr statute of limitations, would a lawyer take case?

Either contact your old lawyer or a new one as soon as possible. The closer you get to the statute of limitations the harder it will be to obtain a lawyer. It will take time for the lawyer to obtain your medical records and verify the correct person to file a lawsuit against.

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Suppose the lawyer received payment from insurance company in 2007 for settlement in a personal injury case and the client has

This is a serious problem. Typically, an attorney will prepare a settlement disbursal sheet before an offer is accepted. This sheet details where every dollar of the settlement will go. There are some situations where the total liens are greater than the defendant's insurance policy. If the defendant is otherwise judgment proof or liability is questionable then the settlement should be accepted. If this occurs the attorney has to work with the lien holders to come up with an acceptable...

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Is a hospital allowed to send my medical bill to collections when there is a settlement pending from a car accident?

Yes. In many personal injury cases the treating doctor may agree to wait for the case to resolve before pursuing a bill in collections. Hospitals typically see you on an emergency basis and such agreementts are not reached in advance. Your lawyer should contact the hospital's billing department to advise them that a settlement has been reached and that he will agree to pay the bill out of the recovery so long as they agree to remove the bill from collections and not report the bill to any of...

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