Howard County, Maryland (Columbia)

Personal Injury Lawyers


Geographically, Howard County is a very large county but has a small population relative to its size. It has a relatively small court system. To put its size in context, there are six times the number of Circuit Court judges in Baltimore City than there are in Howard County.

Most Maryland medical malpractice and accident lawyers view Howard County as an average jurisdiction to try personal injury cases on behalf of injury victims. But opinions of personal injury lawyers in Maryland vary wildly on Howard County as a venue in accident and malpractice cases. Some Maryland accident lawyers believe that in extremely serious personal injury cases, accident lawyers better serve their injured clients by bring an action in Howard County as opposed to Baltimore City or Prince George's County (the two jurisdictions considered to be most favorable to personal injury victims). Other Maryland lawyers take the opposite extreme, contending that attorneys should seek a trial by a judge instead of a jury in Howard County.

Our lawyers believe that Howard County is a good jurisdiction but our accident attorneys would always prefer to try both accident and medical medical malpractice cases in Prince George's County or Baltimore City as opposed to Howard County. Typcially, and obviously this is a broad brush rule with many exceptions, plaintiffs prefer jurors from Columbia as opposed to the western part of the county. But Howard County has changed a lot and this preference for Columbia jurors is not what it was 20 years ago.

For personal injury attorneys handling smaller cases, district court judges in Howard County are known for giving fair compensation to accident victims.

Judges in Howard County

     While Columbia has the largest popluation in Howard County, both the District Court and the Circuit Court are in Ellicott City (both off Rogers Avenue). The Circuit Court Judges in Howard County are Diane O. Leasure, Lenore R. Gelfman, Louis A. Becker, III,, Richard S. Bernhardt, and Timothy J. McCrone.

Sample Howard County Personal Injury Verdicts and Settlements

  • 2012: $220,000 Settlement. Plaintiff is driving down Route 95. She notices a car lost control a half mile ahead. Plaintiff pulls completely off the road on the left side to render assistance. She gets out of the car and is hit by another driver. Plaintiff has a concussion and requires a metal disc and pin in her arm. State Farm was the at-fault driver's insurer; Plaintiff had additional underinsured motorist insurance with USAA. Our law firm handled this accident claim.

    • Our law firm has won millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts in personal injury case. What we do in these cases is pretty simple: we fight. Get a free consultation for your case or call 800-553-8082.
  • 2012: $19,241 Verdict. Plaintiff, a 27 year-old secruity guard, suffers a fractured nose that required surgery when defendant attempted to make a left turn from the right lane (they were both traveling in the same direction). State Farm defended the case on liability in what was essentially a he said/she said case.
  • 2012: $106,226 Verdict. Defendant mades a left hand turn in front of Plaintiff. Plaintiff suffers a herniated disc. The two insurance companies, State Farm and Allstate, claim her injury is from another accident.Allstate represented the driver; State Farm had the underinsured motorist claim. The verdict was reduced to $100,000 pursuant to high low agreement.
  • 2011: $36,000 Verdict. Plaintff is walking down the sidewalk in Columbia and tripped and fell over an exposed cable line from Comcast which she claimed should have been located underground.  Plaintiff sustains a fractured kneecap which will require a total knee replacement.  Plaintiff has $3,900 in past medical expenses and approximately $37,000 in future medical expenses.  This case underscores how tough Howard County juries can be; the jury barely awards Plaintiff's past and future medical bills in a case where Comcast reportedly did not seriously contest liability. 
  • 2010: $83,000 Settlement. Young woman is traveling on I-70 near the interchange with Route 29 and is struck from behind and forced into the car in front of her. She is taken by ambulance to Howard County General Hospital where her biggest complaint was severe pain in her thighs. Our law firm handled this accident claim.

Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer for Your Howard County Case

     Our accident lawyers handle a substantial number of our personal injury cases in Howard County, including Columbia, Ellicott City, Clarksville, Clarksville, Laurel, Glenelg Jessup, and Sykesville, If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident or by medical malpractice in Howard County, call our accident lawyers at 800-553-8082 or select here for a free consultation.

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