DC Injury Lawyer Blog

Who Is at Fault When a Turning Driver Hits a Pedestrian in a D.C. Crosswalk

Published on: May 28, 2026 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

A turn at an intersection is one of the most common ways a driver hits someone on foot in Washington, D.C. The driver watches for a gap in oncoming traffic, rolls into the turn, and never looks for the person already stepping off the curb. You can be walking with the signal, inside the painted lines, doing everything right, and still end up on the pavement.

If that happened to you, the first question is usually who pays for the harm. In most turning crashes the driver carries the legal fault, and D.C. law gives pedestrians stronger protection than many people expect. Understanding why the driver was likely at fault, and what evidence backs that up, helps you protect a claim before an insurance company starts shifting blame onto you.

How D.C. Traffic Rules Assign the Duty to Yield at a Turn

What Maryland Drivers Should Know About Underinsured Motorist Coverage After a Serious Crash

Published on: April 28, 2026 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

A serious crash can leave you with medical bills, lost income, and a long recovery, only to find out that the driver who hit you carried the lowest insurance the state allows. When the at-fault driver’s coverage runs out before your losses are paid, the next place to look is often your own auto policy. Underinsured motorist coverage exists for exactly this situation, and most Maryland drivers carry it without fully understanding how it works.

Your own underinsured motorist coverage can step in to cover part of the gap between what the other driver’s policy pays and what your injuries are actually worth. Maryland sets specific rules about how that coverage is calculated, what you have to do before you settle with the other driver, and how your own insurer can fight the claim. Getting these steps right early can be the difference between a full recovery and money left on the table.

What Underinsured Motorist Coverage Does in Maryland

Underinsured motorist coverage, often shortened to UIM, is part of your own auto policy rather than the other driver’s. It applies when the person who caused the crash has some liability insurance, but not enough to cover your injuries. Maryland requires this type of protection on standard auto policies, so there is a good chance you already carry it even if you have never filed a claim under it.

This coverage matters most after the kind of crash that produces real harm. A driver carrying state-minimum liability limits may have far less coverage than a hospital stay, surgery, and months of lost wages will cost. Your UIM coverage is meant to fill in behind that limited policy so your own losses are not capped by someone else’s cheap insurance.

How Maryland Decides How Much Your Own Coverage Adds

Maryland uses what is often called a gap approach for standard underinsured motorist claims. Your UIM coverage pays the difference between the at-fault driver’s available liability limits and your own UIM limit, rather than stacking fully on top of it. If the other driver carries $30,000 in coverage and you carry $100,000 in UIM, your own policy can add up to $70,000, for a total of $100,000.

Maryland also lets drivers choose an enhanced version of this coverage that works differently. Enhanced underinsured motorist coverage stacks on top of the other driver’s limits instead of subtracting from your own, which can leave more money available after a severe crash. Checking which version you actually selected is one of the first things worth doing, since the difference can be large when injuries are serious.

Why You Must Tell Your Own Insurer Before You Settle

Maryland has a step that catches many injured drivers off guard. Before you accept a settlement from the at-fault driver’s insurance company, you generally have to give your own underinsured motorist insurer written notice of that offer. Your insurer then has a set period, 60 days under Maryland law, to either agree to the settlement or pay you the amount of the offer itself so it can protect its own right to recover from the at-fault driver later.

Skipping this step can quietly damage your UIM claim. If you sign a release with the other driver’s insurer without giving your own company the required notice and a chance to respond, you may lose the ability to collect under your own policy at all. This is one of the main reasons it helps to slow down before signing anything an adjuster sends you.

How an Insurer Can Limit or Deny a UIM Claim

One hard part of a UIM claim is that you may end up arguing against your own insurance company. When you file under your UIM coverage, your insurer steps into the position of the at-fault driver and can raise the same defenses that driver could have raised. That includes disputing how the crash happened, how badly you were hurt, and how much your injuries are worth.

Maryland’s contributory negligence rule makes this more serious than it would be in many other states. If your insurer can show that you were even slightly at fault for the crash, that finding can reduce or completely bar your recovery, the same way it could against the other driver. An insurer may also argue that your treatment was unnecessary or that your bills are inflated, which is why steady medical care and clear documentation carry real weight in these claims.

Talking With an Attorney Before You Accept a Settlement

The most useful time to involve an attorney is before you settle with anyone, not after. An attorney can read your own policy to confirm how much UIM coverage you carry and whether it is the standard or enhanced version. That review often reveals coverage that drivers did not realize they had.

An attorney can also handle the notice and consent steps that Maryland requires, deal with both insurers on your behalf, and gather the records that support the full value of your claim. Acting early protects evidence, keeps you from signing away rights you did not know you had, and gives your claim the best chance before deadlines and missing documents become a problem.

Contact The Schupak Law Firm After a Serious Maryland Crash

If you were hurt in a crash in Maryland, Washington, D.C., or Virginia and the other driver did not carry enough insurance, you do not have to sort through the coverage questions alone. The Schupak Law Firm can review your own policy, identify the coverage that may apply, handle the notice steps Maryland requires, and explain your next steps. To schedule a consultation, contact The Schupak Law Firm at 240-833-3914.

Maryland Contributory Negligence and How a Small Mistake Can Hurt a Personal Injury Claim

Published on: March 31, 2026 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

If you are pursuing a Maryland injury claim, one of the first things a personal injury lawyer will evaluate is whether the insurance company can argue that you were even slightly at fault. Maryland still follows contributory negligence, which means a person can be barred from recovery if the defense proves that person’s own negligence helped cause the injury. Maryland courts continue to describe contributory negligence as a complete bar to recovery, not a percentage reduction.

That rule catches people off guard. Many assume that a small mistake only reduces a claim. Maryland does not work that way. In a car crash, pedestrian case, or fall case, the defense often looks for any fact it can use to say you failed to protect yourself. Early evidence work matters for that reason. Once an insurer builds a blame-shifting story, settlement value can drop quickly.

What Does Contributory Negligence Mean in a Maryland Injury Case?

Maryland Medical Malpractice Settlements and the One Satisfaction Rule After a Later Car Crash

Published on: February 26, 2026 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

If you pursued a settlement after a car crash and you also believe earlier medical care caused a separate injury, an insurance adjuster may try a familiar move. The adjuster may argue that the earlier medical malpractice case is over, even if the medical care happened years before the crash. A recent Maryland Appellate Court opinion, filed on February 2, 2026, rejected that shortcut in a case where the later settlement did not necessarily cover the earlier alleged harm. The decision offers a clear reminder to people in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia who have sustained layered injuries over time. A release from a later incident does not automatically extinguish a separate malpractice claim, and courts must compare the injuries before applying the one-satisfaction rule.

What the Court Decided in a Practical Sense

The trial court entered summary judgment in the medical malpractice case under the one-satisfaction rule, reasoning that a settlement in a later motor-vehicle negligence claim barred any further recovery. The appellate court reversed and remanded the case.

Pedestrian Accidents In Washington, D.C. And How Contributory Negligence Affects Your Claim

Published on: January 23, 2026 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

Walking in Washington, D.C. comes with real risk. Busy intersections, ride-share drop-offs, delivery drivers, and construction zones create constant conflict points for people on foot. When a vehicle hits you, the injuries can be severe even at low speeds. The legal challenge in D.C. is that contributory negligence can block recovery if the defense proves you played any role at all in causing the collision. That rule makes early evidence and careful case framing essential.

What Drivers Owe Pedestrians Under D.C. Law

Drivers must use reasonable care, keep a proper lookout, and yield when the law requires it, including at many crosswalk situations. Speed, distraction, failure to yield, and unsafe turns often drive liability. Evidence like signal timing, impact location, and visibility conditions can determine whether the driver violated a duty of care.

Storefront Crashes In Washington, D.C. And Who Can Be Liable When A Car Hits A Building

Published on: December 7, 2025 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

A storefront crash can injure you in a place that should feel safe. Drivers can jump a curb, lose control in a parking lot, or plow through a sidewalk dining area in seconds. After that, insurance companies often focus on one question: “Was this only the driver’s fault?” In many cases, the answer is no. You may have claims against more than one party depending on how the property was designed, protected, and maintained.

What Counts As A Storefront Crash Injury Case

A storefront crash usually involves a vehicle striking a building entrance, sidewalk, patio seating area, or pedestrian zone directly outside a business. These incidents often cause blunt force trauma, fractures, head injuries, spinal damage, and severe emotional distress. You may also face long recovery periods because crush injuries and orthopedic harm can require surgery and extended therapy.

Storefront Crashes in Washington, D.C. and How Injured Victims Protect Their Claims

Published on: November 25, 2025 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

A recent collision in Washington, D.C. shows how dangerous storefront crashes can be for customers, pedestrians, and workers. Local reporting described a vehicle that slammed into a Hip Hop Fish & Chicken location, injuring multiple people and sending three individuals to the hospital for emergency care. First responders closed the area, evaluated structural damage, and began investigating how the driver lost control before striking the building.

Situations like this demonstrate how quickly an ordinary visit to a restaurant or shop can turn into a medical emergency with serious financial consequences. Storefront crashes often raise complex questions about fault, insurance coverage, and the responsibilities of drivers and property owners. You also face pressure from insurers almost immediately. Understanding how these incidents unfold in D.C. helps you protect your rights from the beginning.

How Storefront Crashes Happen in Urban Areas Like Washington, D.C.

Busy corridors in D.C. create conditions where driver error can cause severe building damage. Drivers sometimes accelerate when shifting into drive, misjudge distances while parking, or react poorly to traffic around them. Certain intersections also combine tight turns with heavy foot traffic, which increases the risk of a sudden collision.

Bladensburg Birthday Party Hit And Run Leaves One Dead

Published on: October 24, 2025 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

A devastating hit-and-run at a child’s birthday party in Bladensburg left one woman dead and more than a dozen people injured, including several children. Reports indicate the car drove through a front-yard tent near Annapolis Road, with chaos unfolding as neighbors and first responders lifted the vehicle off trapped victims. Incidents like this create complicated legal questions for families who need immediate medical care, funeral support, and long-term financial stability. You deserve clear steps for protecting your rights after a large-scale crash.

Maryland Mass Casualty Injury Claims And How They Work

When many people are hurt at once, multiple insurance policies and defendants may be involved. You often see claims against the at-fault driver’s auto liability policy, but you should also consider additional sources. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can help when the at-fault limits are too low. Some homeowners’ or renters’ policies may provide limited medical payments coverage for guests on the property. In the most severe cases, families may pursue wrongful-death claims and survival actions through the estate. Coordinating these claims requires fast notice to all carriers and careful tracking of deadlines, because insurers move quickly to minimize exposure after headline-grabbing events.

Maryland Court Affirms Right to File Airline Injury Claims in State Court

Published on: September 19, 2025 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

If you were injured during a flight that ended in Maryland, you may have the right to sue the airline in a Maryland court. A recent appellate decision confirms that victims of in-flight injuries can file suit locally when the airline regularly conducts business in the state. You do not have to pursue your case where the airline is based. Filing close to home may ease the burden during recovery and place you on more familiar ground.

The decision came from a case involving an incident aboard a commercial flight arriving at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The passenger was injured while still inside the plane. Maryland’s intermediate appellate court confirmed that local courts could hear the case because the airline regularly lands and operates flights in Maryland. That level of activity gave Maryland courts the legal authority to listen to the claim.

Airlines Can Be Held Accountable Locally

An airline that chooses to operate flights into and out of Maryland submits itself to local courts. When a flight ends here, and someone is harmed on board, Maryland law allows for the case to proceed in state court. This jurisdictional rule helps injured passengers by giving them access to a nearby courthouse and familiar legal procedures. Filing close to home often makes a difficult process more manageable. You can continue medical care without traveling across the country just to seek justice.

Understanding Your Rights After a Pedestrian Accident in Washington DC

Published on: August 31, 2025 | by Sidney Schupak, Esq.

If you were struck by a vehicle while walking in Washington DC, you may be entitled to compensation. Recent reports show that pedestrian fatalities in the District have risen sharply, with city officials recording some of the highest numbers in years. The combination of heavy traffic, distracted driving, and dangerous intersections places pedestrians at constant risk. Knowing your legal rights can make the difference between struggling alone and securing the recovery you deserve.

Why Pedestrian Accidents Are So Common in Washington DC

Washington DC has dense traffic patterns, frequent construction zones, and thousands of daily commuters. These conditions often lead to crosswalk violations and drivers who fail to yield. Speeding and distracted driving, particularly at night or near bus routes, increase the chances of serious injury. Pedestrians do not have the protection of a vehicle, which means even low-speed crashes can cause fractures, brain injuries, or wrongful death.