Frederick Maryland Legal Blog

3 medical mistakes to avoid after a car wreck

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

As you have probably noticed, Maryland’s roadways are busier than ever. Even with careful driving, you may eventually have a collision with another driver. What you do in the minutes, hours, days and weeks after a wreck may have a tremendous effect on your recovery.

The average number of fatal car accidents over a five-year period in Maryland is 466. You have a significantly greater chance of sustaining an injury on the road, however. In fact, in 2017, 34,518 individuals suffered some type of injury in a car accident in the Old Line State. If you have an injury after a car crash, what you do matters. Here are three medical mistakes you should avoid:

What to do when the other driver's insurance agency calls you

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.

Traffic collisions are rarely easy to figure out. This is especially true when more than two vehicles are in play, such as what happened on I-70 on Jan. 25. Police investigated the incident and found the cause was most likely a construction crew repairing potholes on the scene.

It is vital to file a police report and see a doctor immediately after a car accident. You also want to get in touch with your auto insurance company within 24 hours of the incident. You want to stick to the facts during this conversation. You do not want to give your provider any excuse to deny your coverage. While you recover, you may also receive a phone call from the other driver's insurance agency. You need to be extremely careful about how you proceed.

How to talk to your insurance company after a car crash

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC posted in personal injury on Wednesday, January 23, 2019.

After a car accident, you need to get in touch with your auto insurance provider within 24 hours. Car crashes are dangerous, and you do not want to assume your insurance company will pay for all expenses that arise.

During your phone call, be careful of what you say. Insurance companies look for any reason to deny claims or pay less. Here are some things you should and should not say during this conversation.

Becoming acquainted with divorce laws in Maryland

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC posted in divorce on Friday, December 28, 2018.

If you and your spouse are Maryland residents planning to divorce, you probably want to know everything you can about current divorce laws. You may think the year-long waiting period is still in force, but that is not entirely accurate. New laws have brought changes to the divorce procedure in our state.

Resolving the wait time

Tips when preparing for a high-asset divorce

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC posted in high-asset divorce on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

While all divorces are potentially difficult and complex, couples with a high net worth have particular considerations they must address. Financial decisions are often the source of intense conflict among divorcing couples, and when there are significant assets at stake, these conflicts can quickly escalate.

Not all high-asset divorces have to be conflictual, however. There are several steps you can take to help your divorce move in a direction that strives for shared solutions and a secure financial future.

Photos you take after a car crash often prove helpful

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC on Monday, October 29, 2018.

If you are the victim of a car crash, even a minor rear-end collision, the first thing to do is to check yourself and your passengers for injuries. The next steps involve documenting the incident, if you are well enough to do so. You will want to collect information, and your cellphone camera will be quite helpful at this time.

Call the authorities

How to protect digital assets in a divorce

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC on Friday, September 28, 2018.

There are numerous assets to divide in a divorce, such as the house and various antiques the couple may have purchased together. However, many people these days have valuable assets located digitally. Photos stored on a computer may have high sentimental value, and the law needs to catch up to ensure these assets are safe during divorce proceedings.

One recent court case in Maryland saw precisely this where a husband agreed to return all of the wife's computer files. However, he did not return everything, and the wife had to take him back to court to get what was hers. You need to be proactive regarding all of your digital assets, including social media profiles, music files and pictures, so you can retain them after a divorce.

What constitutes financial fraud in a divorce?

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC on Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

If your Maryland marriage appears to be breaking up, your life undoubtedly is difficult, emotional and stressful right now. You worry about your kids if you file for divorce. You worry about yourself. You may even have the added burden of worrying about whether or not your spouse is hiding assets from you so that (s)he will have the advantage in your upcoming property settlement negotiations.

Hiding assets and financial fraud are one and the same. It means that your spouse is deliberately attempting to do something illegal in order to deprive you of what is rightfully yours, i.e., your share of the marital assets.

Can a divorce be fair if one party has a lot of family money?

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC on Friday, July 27, 2018.

When spouses divorce in an equitable distribution state such as Maryland, their assets (and debts) should be divided fairly but not necessarily equally. Of course, many divorce cases never go to trial, and the spouses work out an agreement between themselves.

However, the spouses may be from different financial backgrounds, and it can be a shock for one spouse to realize that he or she faces a different standard of living after divorce. Can a divorce really be fair when one party has a lot of family money but the other does not?

How a mechanic's lien is interpreted under Virginia Law

On behalf of Wampler & Souder, LLC on Monday, July 9, 2018.

The modern form of a mechanic's lien can be traced to Thomas Jefferson, who used the concept in promoting the construction of Washington, the new capital city of our young republic.

Today, the Supreme Court of Virginia, like other such courts in other states, maintains and updates the law concerning liens such as this one that seeks to protect the interests of contractors.