Wrongful Death Auto and Truck Accident Verdicts and Settlements in Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC: How Much Are the Recoveries?
According to Metro Verdicts Monthly, the median motor vehicle accident wrongful death case in Maryland is worth $505,000.
This is interesting information. What does this data tell an auto accident or truck accident lawyer practicing in Maryland? Not much. Why? The motor vehicle accident data has little probative value, because it does not include the amount of the insurance policy at issue. We have settled wrongful death claims for $20,000 in cases where that is all the available insurance, and the defendant had no meaningful assets. Uninsured motorist cases also bring down the median and average values of auto accident wrongful death cases, because plaintiffs' attorneys are overly reasonable in requesting damages in a wrongful death uninsured motorist case, due to the fact that the lawyer knows that he/she will be limited in the damages that can be recovered.
This data becomes more interesting when you consider that the median settlement/verdicts in Washington DC and Virginia are much greater than in Maryland, $941,500 and $800,000, respectively. Because verdicts in Maryland tend to be higher than those in Virginia, mostly because of verdicts in Baltimore City and Prince George's County, I think it is safe to assume that the Virginia median is higher because of settlements that are due to the cap on non economic damages.
Tomorrow, the Maryland Personal Injury Lawyer Blog will look at median settlements and verdicts in wrongful death Maryland medical malpractice cases.
Related Posts:
How Are Lawyers and Insurance Companies Valuing Your Personal Injury Case (summary on settlements and verdicts by injury type and overview of how your case is evaluated by the insurance companies and their lawyers before and after a lawuit)
Wrongful Death Settlements and Verdicts in Maryland (wrongful death values in personal injury cases in Maryland)
Wrongful Death Verdict Values for Female Decedents (average and median wrongful death values for women based on age of the victim)
Value of Wrongful Death Auto and Truck Accident Cases in Maryland (average settlements and verdicts in Maryland accident cases)
Value of Personal Injury Cases in Washington D.C. (District of Columbia settlements and verdicts)
Valuing Cases in Virginia (settlements and verdicts in Virginia)
Personal Injury Verdicts Across the Country (personal injury verdicts in your state)
