July 21, 2010

Maryland Nursing Home Abuse Case : Judge Sentences Nursing Assistant for Stealing Pain Medication

The Maryland Attorney General's office issued a press release regarding sentencing in a recent case of nursing home abuse in Northern Maryland. While many nursing home abuse cases involve assault or neglect of a resident, this case involves something we hear less about, but is just as abusive -- theft of pain medication from an elderly patient who needed it.

According to Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, a 34-year-old man from Hagerstown, Md., pled guilty to stealing a Fentanyl pain medication patch from a 94-year-old patient. The perpetrator was employed as a nursing assistant in a Washington County, Maryland nursing home.

Baltimore County nursing home abuse lawyers assist families who believe a loved one may be suffering from abuse or neglect at a Maryland nursing home.

The judge in this Maryland nursing home abuse case handed down a sentence of 3 years
incarceration (suspended) and 3 years supervised probation. The perpetrator is not allowed to engage in employment in any nursing home or health care facility. His crime was discovered by a nurse at the facility, who found the patient to be suffering from pain and his pain patch missing.

Video cameras also assisted investigators in identifying the nursing assistant who stole pain medication from a Maryland nursing home resident. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used in chronic pain management -- in cancer patients, for example. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is more potent than morphine.

Washington County Nursing Assistant Sentenced for Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult
Attorney General of Maryland Press Release June 29, 2010

Related Web Resource

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Fentanyl

July 16, 2010

Maryland Highway Construction Worker Killed in Dump Truck Accident

The Washington Post reported that a construction accident near the Beltway claimed the life of a 27-year-old man from Bryantown, Maryland.

According to Maryland State Police, the traffic accident occurred early on July 15, 2010, on Pennsylvania Ave/Route 4 in Forestville, Maryland, near the Beltway. Reports state that a road construction worker was killed when he was crushed between two dump trucks. The victim was brought to a Prince George's County, Maryland, trauma center, where he died shortly after.

Prince George's County construction accident lawyers are well aware of the hazards to workers in and around highway and road construction zones. Road workers often perform their jobs at night, in narrow sections of the highway, with heavy construction vehicles moving closely alongside laborers on foot.

According to The Center for Construction Research and Training, highway incidents were ranked among the top causes of construction worker death in the U.S. in 2005, with transportation accidents amounting to 28.4% of all deaths from construction injuries. (Source: The Construction Chart Book, The U.S. Construction Industry and Its Workers, Fourth Edition, Dec. 2007.)

This Maryland construction truck accident is being investigated.

Man killed by dump trucks in Md.
The Washington Post July 15, 2010

Related Web Resources

The Center for Construction Research and Training

Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health

June 24, 2010

Maryland Texting Ban and Car Accident Prevention: New Report Says Adults as Guilty as Youth of Texting while Driving

"Don't drive too fast." "Be careful with your mother's car." "Keep your eyes on the road." "Be home by your curfew." All typical warnings parents give to their teenagers when they hand over their car keys to them -- and pray they come back home alive. Now, 21st century parents need to tell their teenagers, "No talking on your cell phone while you're driving" and, more recently, "No texting and driving."

Problem is, an alarming percentage of adults aren't practicing what they preach.

A new study released by the Pew Research Center shows that adults are as guilty as youth of sending text messages while operating a motor vehicle (see link below). Scores of traffic safety reports show that distracted driving is a primary cause of serious and fatal car accidents in Maryland and around the country. Some scary statistics:

> One in four adults in the U.S. have texted while driving (27%), nearly the same percentage as teenagers who admit to texting while driving (26%).

> A greater percentage of adults admit to talking on cell phones while driving (61%) compared to youth ages 16 and 17 who admit to chatting on their cells behind the wheel (43%).

> Nearly half of adult motor vehicle passengers surveyed said they have been a passenger in a car where the driver was talking on a cell phone or sending text messages.

Drivers who take their eyes off the road for an instant to answer a cell phone or speed dial a number are at increased risk of causing a traffic accident, including traffic-related pedestrian accidents. Add the time and attention it takes to type in and send -- and read and reply to -- text messages, and it's a wonder anyone ever gets to work or school or home in one piece. Many states have put restrictions on cell phone use while driving and have made texting while driving illegal, including Maryland.

Maryland Laws: Cell Phone Use and Texting While Driving
Last month, Maryland Gov. O'Malley signed Senate Bill 321 into law prohibiting all drivers from using cell phones behind the wheel without hands-free devices. The law goes into effect in Oct. 2010. In Oct. 2009, Maryland made texting while driving illegal.

Experienced Cecil County car accident injury lawyers are familiar with Maryland laws designed to keep motorists safe and prevent serious traffic accidents. No cell phone call or text message is more important than a human life. We've blogged before about the dangers of teenage drivers. (See Maryland Teen Driver Safety and Accident Statistics). Now adult drivers should take a hard look at their own driving habits and whether or not they're endangering others on Maryland roads, city streets, and highways.

Adults and Cell Phone Distractions
Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project June 18, 2010

Driving Safety Tips/ Dont be distracted
ABC2News.com May 28, 2010

Maryland Texting While Driving Ban Now Law
Verizon Maryland Consumer Information Oct. 1, 2009

John T. Kuo, MVA Administrator, Addresses New Texting Law
Maryland Texting While Driving Law: Video

June 15, 2010

Baltimore County Driving Safety: No. of Older Drivers in Maryland to Ramp Up by 2025

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has released a report stating that by 2025, the number of drivers aged 65 and older will amount to 25 percent of drivers in the U.S. -- a potential driving safety issue that states like Maryland might not be fully prepared to handle. Of note:

> Most states' driver licensing systems and alternative mobility/transportation programs are not adequate to handle an influx of older drivers on the roads -- drivers who may have medical or functional impairments (e.g., related to visual perception, speed of processing, navigation and maneuvering) and/or be on medications.

As any experienced Towson car accident injury attorney will attest -- no one is a perfect driver. However, certain groups of drivers such as teenagers and senior citizens have special considerations when it comes to driving safety and avoiding serious traffic accidents in Baltimore County, Maryland and around the state.

According to the AAA Foundation...

> A majority of drivers older than age 55 are unaware that medications and driving don't always mix -- despite 78 percent of those surveyed stating they're on medication. Some prescription medications can slow down drivers' response times when the unexpected happens on the road. Failure to safely brake or avoid a traffic accident due to impaired driving can lead to serious personal injury such as head and brain trauma, as well as death on Maryland highways and roads.

> 35% of drivers feel less safe on the roads than they did 5 years ago, largely due to the problem of distracted driving -- people talking on cell phones and texting while driving. It is unknown how a large influx of aging Baby Boomer drivers onto Maryland highways and streets will play into this already hazardous driving mix.

The AAA Foundation is working with states to help them prepare for more senior citizens on our roads and highways. Health care and law enforcement personnel may have roles to play in ensuring that seniors can drive safely and not pose a hazard to themselves or other drivers in Maryland and elsewhere in the U.S.

U.S. Safety and Mobility Crisis Looms for Aging Baby Boomers,
AAA Foundation Warns
(PDF)
Press Release, collected June 15, 2010

Large Majority of Drivers 55+ Unaware of Potentially Dangerous Combination of Medications and Driving, Says New AAA Foundation Study
Press Release Aug. 11, 2009

Distracted Driving the Top Reason that 35 Percent of Drivers Feel Less Safe than Five Years Ago, According to the AAA Foundation
Press Release July 27, 2009

Related Web Resources

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

SeniorDrivers.org

AAA Mid Atlantic

June 8, 2010

Maryland Work Injury Update: BLS Issues Revised Fatal Occupational Injuries Report -- Work Related Deaths on the Decline

Last fall, we posted a blog article on the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) preliminary results for its 2008 census of fatal occupational injury rates. The BLS recently released its final numbers, which were slightly higher than originally reported based on identification of new cases of work-related injuries and deaths. The final data offer the following insights regarding worker safety in the U.S.:

o A total of 5,214 work fatalities occurred in the U.S. in 2008 -- the lowest number of work-related deaths since the BLS began conducting its census in 1992. This represents a national fatal work injury rate of 3.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers.

o Private industry construction accidents causing death have declined (975 deaths in 2008 -- 19% lower than in 2007); and the fatal work injury rate for this sector is down by 10%. However, even with these notable statistical gains -- which translate to lives saved -- construction remains one of the most hazardous forms of work, with a 9.7 fatal work injury rate (per 100,000 FTE workers).

o Fatal work-related highway accidents (including truck accidents) numbered at 1,215 -- 14% lower than in 2007 and the lowest since the census began in '92.

o Work deaths caused by falls amounted to 700 -- 17% lower than in 2007 (though the U.S. Department of Labor is advocating for greater slip, trip and fall prevention in the workplace; look for a future blog article on this issue. Falls from ladders, roofs, scaffolding, and other high elevations are a major cause of brain and spine injury in construction workers).

o One negative note: Workplace suicides were up to 263 cases -- the most ever reported.

Maryland Worker Injury Fatality Rates on the Decline
As fatal occupational injuries have declined across the U.S., Maryland has also seen reductions in work fatalities -- 60 work related deaths occurred in 2008, compared to 82 deaths in 2007 and 105 deaths in 2006. Causes of Maryland work-related deaths include transportation and trucking accidents, falls, contact with objects or equipment, exposure to harmful substances, as well as assaults and other acts of violence.

As an experienced Baltimore, Maryland work accident lawyer, I have worked with individuals and families who have experienced these types of work-related injuries and fatalities. Often people hurt at work are unsure what to do and whether to file a Maryland Workers Compensation claim along with a possible lawsuit. Which is why it's so important to contact an experienced work injury attorney if you're hurt in course of performing your job in Maryland, or if a family member is killed due to a work accident.

For more on this issue, read my blog post on Maryland Workers' Compensation Liens and Construction Accident Injury: "Can I File a Work Comp Claim AND a Third Party Lawsuit?”

Sources:

Revisions to the 2008 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) Counts (PDF)
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 22, 2010

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (Current and Revised data)
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Fatal Occupational Injuries in Maryland
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Related Web Resources

Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (homepage)

May 26, 2010

Bucks 'n' Clucks for Buckle-Ups: Maryland Praised for Novel Approaches to Promoting Seat Belt Use

Maryland is among the states being praised by the national Governors Highway Safety Administration (GHSA) for getting creative when it comes to promoting seat belt use, in an effort to reduce Maryland car crash injuries and deaths.

The Maryland Highway Safety Office (HSO) has partnered with 7-Eleven convenience stores and Chick-fil-A chicken restaurants, which have donated gift cards for buckled-up motorists checked at Maryland seat belt checkpoints. The HSO is running a second incentive program called "Buckle Up for a Buck," where police give a dollar to motorists who are observed wearing their seat belts; banks donated the bucks. Both programs involve the charity of Maryland businesses and reward citizens for wearing their seat belts without draining federal or state dollars. (Source: GHSA Press Release, "States Launch Massive Seat Belt Use Crackdown," May 24, 2010.)

Any experienced Harford County, Maryland car accident attorney will tell you: Maryland seat belt laws aren't in place to encroach on anyone's freedom or to wrinkle their neatly pressed work clothes. Seat belts save lives. They prevent serious injuries that can occur in Maryland traffic accidents, including devastating and often fatal spine and head injury.

Maryland is among the states participating in a national Click It or Ticket campaign. In Maryland in 2007, there were 615 deaths resulting from 100,943 traffic accidents that were reported to the police; deaths include motor vehicle drivers, passengers, as well as motorcycle riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians killed in Md car crashes.

That same year (2007), Maryland's safety belt use rate was 93.1 percent -- a rate that had increased over the previous five years, as the numbers of Maryland traffic accident deaths decreased. (Source: Maryland Highway Safety Office, State of Maryland FFY 2009 Highway Safety Plan.) Maryland has a primary seat belt law which requires adults and young adults ages 16 and over to wear front-seat seatbelts, with a $25 maximum fine for first offense. Separate safety laws are in place regarding seat belts, car seats, and restraints for youth, children, and infants riding in motor vehicles in Maryland.

Related Web Resources

Click It or Ticket: 2010 Mobilization State Activities

GHSA: State Seat Belt Laws

Maryland State Highway Administration

May 20, 2010

Kent Island, Maryland Chain Reaction Car Crash Under Investigation; Bridge Repairs Underway Near Accident Site

Last week, a four-vehicle chain reaction car accident on Route 50 westbound in Kent Island, Maryland, sent three people to Anne Arundel Medical Center with injuries. While an accident reconstruction team investigation was underway, this case illustrates what can happen when morning traffic in Maryland meets up with road construction and bridge repair.

According to news reports, the accident occurred on Route 50 westbound near Romancoke Rd on Kent Island, before the Route 8 overpass. (Kent Island is on the Chesapeake Bay in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, on Maryland's Eastern Shore region.) Reports state that on Thursday May 13 around 5 a.m., a four-car collision occurred where a road construction crew was clearing out from doing bridge maintenance work.

The Maryland Transportation Authority reported that the accident occurred where traffic had been stopped to allow the construction crews to exit the bridge. Witnesses reported debris strewn all over the road, which was closed down during rush hour traffic for hours.

Kent County, Md car accident injury lawyers may be consulted by families when questions of responsibility and liability surround a motor vehicle accident case. While the full details of this case have not been released, it shares some common characteristics with other chain-reaction car crashes (which can cause injury and motorist fatalities), also known as pile-up accidents: volume of traffic, road construction, and unexpected stops. It is unclear if weather and/or driver inattention (a/k/a distracted driving) were factors in this pileup car accident case in Maryland.

Chain reaction crash stalls morning traffic
HometownAnnapolis.com May 13, 2010

Related Web Resources

Maryland Transit Administration

U.S. Route 50 in Maryland (on Wikipedia)

Kent Island Online Guide

May 14, 2010

Maryland Nursing Home Patients with Alzheimer's Disease Increasing in Number

A new report by the Alzheimer's Association reveals that Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, is on the rise. Some daunting statistics:

  • Alzheimer's disease affects one in eight people over age 65 (a total of 5.1 million senior citizens).
  • In addition, 200,000 younger people experience early onset of the disease, bringing the total number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease to 5.3 million.
  • Annual costs associated with caring for people with the disease are estimated at $172 billion, with 10.9 million caregivers (such as family members) who are not paid.
  • Alzheimer's disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

As Baltimore County, MD personal injury lawyers, we are keenly aware of how vulnerable seniors who suffer from dementia and their families can be. Nursing homes, retirement communities, and skilled nursing centers have a responsibility to care for these special needs patients. Yet sadly, nursing home abuse and neglect can and does occur in Maryland, especially to impaired people who can not speak up for themselves.

Maryland Nursing Homes and Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease statistics in Maryland reflect the rising trend in the rest of the country, as the Baby Boom generation ages and more people are living longer -- and becoming impaired by this cruel disease. The Alzheimer's Association offers these sobering statistics for the State of Maryland:

  • In 2000, there were 78,000 people with Alzheimer's and other dementias living in Maryland.
  • By 2010, that number had increased to 86,000 people with the disease living in Maryland -- an increase of 10 percent.
  • Of the 65,573 people living in Maryland nursing homes in 2008, more than half had cognitive impairment, and 37% had severe to moderate impairment.
  • If Alzheimer's disease continues to become more prevalent, 15% of people age 65 and older in Maryland will have some form of dementia by 2020, and 28% of Maryland senior citizens (100,000 people) will suffer from dementia by 2025.

Maryland Alzheimer's Patients Who Wander and Become Missing Persons
Another concern among families, elder care professionals, and public safety officials is the risk for Alzheimer's and dementia patients to walk or drive off and become missing persons. Six in 10 people with Alzheimer's disease will wander (Source: ProjectJason.org). Too often we read news stories of a senior citizen who has wandered away from their home or a nursing home and becomes at risk of being injured or killed in a traffic pedestrian accident, or of dying from exposure or injury if they get lost or wander into a remote area. In addition, people with progressing dementia who are still driving are at risk of becoming confused and getting lost on the road, and causing death or injury to themselves and others if they become involved in a serious car accident.

The Alzheimer's Association reports that if the disease continues to progress unchecked, by 2050 an estimated 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's Association: 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures (PDF)

Project Jason: Aging Persons with Alzheimer's and Dementia Increase Missing Person
Statistics
(PDF)

Related Web Resources

National Institutes of Health (NIH): Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Association (homepage)

May 1, 2010

Maryland Motorcycle Traffic Accidents in the News, Though National Motorcycle Accident Death Rates Have Declined

Maryland news media report that three fatal motorcycle accidents have occurred in recent weeks in the state, now that the weather is warm and more motorcycles are on the road.

According to Southern Maryland Online, a motorcycle accident that occurred on April 17 in the area of Prince Frederick, Md., is believed to have caused fatal injuries to a 53-year-old biker who died shortly after the motor vehicle accident. Police investigators reported that the operator lost control of his Harley Davidson motorcycle and struck a tree. While the man seemed uninjured by the crash and did not seek immediate medical attention, he was later found unresponsive in his home and was brought to an area hospital, where he died. The cause of death of this motorcycle accident victim remains under investigation.

Brain injuries can result from motorcycle and other car and truck accidents, and the severity of those injuries may not always be apparent immediately after the accident -- particularly if the person who has suffered a head injury is able to speak after the crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that head injury is the number one cause of death of motorcycle riders involved in traffic accidents.

Maryland Motorcycle Accident Deaths Decline by 20 Percent
This same news source reports that two other fatal motorcycle accidents occurred in Southern Maryland in April. This comes on the heels of a new report out of Washington, D.C., that nationally, motorcycle accident deaths have declined by 10 percent -- the first decline, in fact, since 1997. According to a Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report, nationally, motorcycle fatalities have declined from 5,290 in 2008 to 4,762 or fewer in 2009.

Motorcycle safety regulations such as the helmet law in Maryland are given credit for saving lives, though the report states that the sagging economy may be keeping more recreational motorcycles parked in their garages and off the road.

The GHSA report looked at motorcycle accidents in 39 states over two nine-month periods, Jan. through Sept. 2008 and 2009. Preliminary data shows that in that period, Maryland had 52 motorcycle accident deaths in 2009 compared to 72 motorcycle crash fatalities in 2008, representing a 20 percent decrease. Though as any Maryland motorcycle accident lawyer knows, any death on our roads and highways is one too many. We support the safety laws in Maryland such as the universal helmet law that help save lives and keep people out of our hospital emergency rooms.

So now that the weather is nice and people are traveling more in Maryland and beyond, remember -- that motorcyclist you see cruising down the highway is 37 percent more likely to be killed in a traffic accident than you, if you're driving a car, truck, or SUV. (Source: NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts: Motorcycle Helmet Laws 2008.)

St. Leonard Man Dies, Motorcycle Accident Injuries Believed Cause
Southern Maryland Online April 19, 2010

Motorcyclist Traffic Fatalities by State: 2009 Preliminary Data (PDF)
Governors Highway Safety Association

Related Web Resource

NHTSA: Motorcycle Safety Program (portal)

April 26, 2010

DWI Driver in Maryland Car Crash that Injured Judge May Go to Jail

Experienced Baltimore County, Maryland car accident attorneys know that when someone intoxicated gets behind the wheel, everyone on the road with them is at risk.

Anyone can be hurt or killed in drunk-driving traffic accidents—including justice and law enforcement officials who work to prevent such car, truck, and pedestrian accidents from happening. Last year on Aug. 21, a Maryland judge found himself in the path of a drunk driver, with serious consequences. It was not the first time the two had met.

The Washington Post reports that a retired Maryland judge and his wife, both in their 80s, were seriously injured when a man driving a Chevy SUV struck their Honda automobile. The car accident occurred in Montgomery County, Md. The judge's injuries included a leg fracture and broken ribs, and his wife suffered spinal injury and multiple broken bones. Ironically, the judge had spared the same man jail time when he stood before him in court years earlier, on a different drunk-driving charge.

The perpetrator has plead guilty to drunk driving in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Maryland, and this time, he may be sent to jail for his crime. Sentencing is scheduled for June 8.

Man could see jail time for drunken crash into Md. judge's car
WashingtonPost.com April 14, 2010

Drunken Driver Spared Jail Time Accused in New DWI Accident, and Judge Is the Victim
ABA Journal April 12, 2010

April 19, 2010

Trailer Truck Driver Killed in Maryland Accident When Cargo Slips and Falls

An industrial truck driver hauling cargo in Maryland was fatally injured when granite countertop slabs he was unloading from the back of a flatbed truck slipped and fell on him. According to news reports, the fatal industrial truck accident occurred Monday in Hanover, Maryland. The Baltimore Sun reported that the driver, a 41-year-old man from South Carolina, was delivering slabs of granite to a countertop company. As the driver unloaded his cargo, the granite slabs slipped and fell on him, killing him.

Anne Arundel County, Maryland police responded to the truck accident scene and identified the victim. The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Department is reportedly investigating this construction work-related accident.

A Maryland construction accident lawyer may be consulted by workers or their families when injury or death occurs due to a work accident.

Maryland Workers Compensation claims are often part of such construction injury or death cases.

Maryland Construction Accident Fatalities : Labor Statistics
In Maryland, 59 people died in work related accidents in 2008. According to the national Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number-one cause of construction work related deaths in Md. involves transportation -- whether highway transportation and/or hauling freight, such as in this case, or nonhighway transportation, with vehicles moving on a construction site. Construction transportation accidents also include pedestrian accidents where a construction worker is struck and killed by a vehicle on the construction site.

(Source: National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2008, United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Aug. 20, 2009)

South Carolina man identified as victim in Hanover industrial accident
The Baltimore Sun April 13, 2010

Local Truck Driver Killed in Industrial Accident
WLTX.com April 13, 2010

Related Web Resources

Maryland Dept. of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation

Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH)

April 1, 2010

Maryland Workers' Compensation Liens and Construction Accident Injury: "Can I File a Work Comp Claim AND a Third Party Lawsuit?”

Construction work in Maryland often involves long hours, hard labor, modest wages, and job security that's entirely dependent on the season, the market, and the employer. As experienced Baltimore, Maryland Construction accident attorneys, we've represented many clients over the years who were injured while performing their construction jobs. One question we get asked all the time is...

"Can I file a claim under Maryland Workers' Compensation and a lawsuit against the at-fault party (or parties) at the same time?"

The answer is YES. However, as with most things legal, there are many factors to consider.

Maryland Workers Compensation Liens Against Third-Party Recovery
Construction accidents in Maryland may frequently involve Workers Compensation claims and liability lawsuits. In Maryland, if you're a construction worker and you get hurt on the business premises, in the course of your employment, while performing your job -- you can pursue a workers comp case. But what if you believe your injury was caused by a third-party's negligence or recklessness -- be it another contractor, a subcontractor, equipment operator, or some other worker or party involved at the construction site?

If you're a worker injured in a Maryland construction accident, you don't have to choose between filing a Md. Workers Compensation claim and suing the responsible parties for what's called a third-party liability claim. You can do both. Remember, however, if you are awarded a third-party recovery in a construction accident lawsuit, the Workers' Compensation carrier is allowed by law to place a lien against that recovery.

For example, a builder we'll call Joe Mason suffers a neck and spine injury when his pickup truck is rear-ended by another vehicle at the construction site. As a result of this construction truck accident, Joe needs money to pay his medical bills, cover his lost wages, and compensate him for his permanent impairment, so he files a Maryland Workers Comp claim. Joe is awarded $120K in permanent partial disability benefits by his employer's workers comp insurance carrier. At this point, Joe's Maryland injury attorney pursues a lawsuit against the other construction vehicle driver, and Joe receives a third-party recovery settlement of $240K. But, as law would have it, Joe isn't allowed to "double dip."

Under Maryland law, the Workers' Compensation carrier is entitled to a lien against any third-party recovery. So Joe might have to pay the Maryland Workers Compensation carrier some of their monetary outlay back. Special emphasis on some. An experienced Maryland injury attorney can, will and should negotiate with the work comp people to get that lien reduced, so injured construction workers like Joe can benefit from as much compensation for their injuries as possible.

Workers' Compensation liens are just one reason why it's so important to work with an experienced Maryland Workers' Comp lawyer if you're hurt while performing your construction job. This is a very complicated area of the law, and one must proceed with extreme caution in handling such claims. It really is a no-brainer. In a situation like this, the best bet is to focus 100% on getting the treatment you need, feeling better and getting back to full capacity, and let the lawyers handle these complex legal issues.

Related Web Resources

Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: Construction Safety