Washington County (Hagerstown)
Over the last 13 years, the volume of personal injury wrongful death and medical malpractice cases Miller & Zois has handled in Hagerstown has increased dramatically. Why? First, it is because our law firm has had a lot of success in Hagerstown. But our success is also a function of changing and growing Hagerstown. This town has transformed from a transportation industry town to a city with a diverse economy.
This matters in personal injury cases for one obvious reason: more people equals more claims. But the diversity has brought something else that is even more important for accident and malpractice victims looking for a fair shake. This new economy has brought about a more cosmopolitan city that brings with it more open minded juries.
Today, most Hagerstown juries are middle-class people who walk into the jury stand with open minds They view the world similarly to our middle-class clients, and they no longer assume that doctors and corporations are infallible. They relate well to our clients and their suffering from the tragedies they have endured. The result is larger settlements and larger jury verdicts. We see results now that we would never have imagined when we started this law firm.
DemographicsHagerstown is the sixth largest incorporated city in Maryland and the “capital” of Washington County. It is the largest town in the western part of Maryland, with a population of almost 40,000. The major hospital in Hagerstown is Washington County Hospital and Meritus Medical Center.
Washington County Verdicts and SettlementsJuries in Hagerstown have been traditionally viewed as conservative which means unfriendly to victims. It used to be -- and is still true for some today -- that car accident and medical malpractice lawyers would seek a trial by judge instead of a trial by jury. Plaintiffs have moved out of state to obtain federal jurisdiction instead of having their case heard in Washington County.
But times are changing, and Hagerstown has become more cosmopolitan, which has improved jury awards (according to the anecdotal evidence, anyway - we do not have data). A few years back, a Hagerstown jury awarded a $3 million verdict against State Farm in an uninsured motorist car accident case. This would have been unthinkable at one time. We are also aware of at least one seven-figure settlement in Hagerstown. In 2015, we settled a malpractice case in Hagerstown where the doctors' lawyer did not overplay the "tough jury pool" angle in settlement negotiations. Insurance companies now know this is not your grandfather's Hagerstown and the juries are no longer going to give wrongdoers a pass.
Hagerstown JudgesThere are five circuit court judges in Hagerstown: Donald E. Beachley, M. Kenneth Long, Daniel P. Dwyer, Dana Moylan Wright, and Viki M. Pauler. There are two district court judges in Hagerstown: Mark D. Thomas and Terry A. Myers.
Hagerstown Trial LawyersOur law firm handles serious personal injury car accident, medical malpractice, and product liability cases in Hagerstown, Maryland (Washington County). If you have been injured in an accident, by a defective product, or by malpractice in the Hagerstown area, call our lawyers at 800-553-8082 or click here for a free initial consultation.
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