Hurt by a drunk driver in or near Bel Air? Beyond the criminal case the state brings, you can pursue a separate civil injury claim to recover for your medical bills, lost income, and pain.
In 2023, 5,455 Maryland crashes involved a driver who had been using alcohol or drugs; those crashes injured 2,447 people and killed 132. Source: Maryland Highway Safety Office
The Pinder Plotkin Legal Team serves the Town of Bel Air and neighboring Harford and Cecil counties, and we handle these claims on a contingency fee. You pay nothing unless we win.
At Pinder Plotkin, the initial consultation is free, whether by phone or in person. We represent clients on a contingency fee basis — we only charge you after we recover compensation on your behalf, typically 33% of your insurance settlement. Our fee is increased if a lawsuit is filed. There won't be any charges if we don't win.
In Maryland, the BAC limit is .08. Anyone with a BAC of .08 or higher is deemed to be under the influence and a drunk driver. When you get into an accident, police will complete a breathalyzer test on the driver, and that reading is cited in the police report — it can have a significant impact on the case you file if the other driver was deemed to be under the influence.
In many states you can sometimes sue the bar or restaurant that overserved a drunk driver. Maryland is one of the few that does not. Its highest court reaffirmed in Warr v. JMGM Group, LLC (2013) that the legal cause of a crash is the drinker's own choice to drink — not the business that poured the drinks — so a bar or restaurant generally cannot be held liable to someone the drunk driver injures. That puts the driver, and every layer of insurance behind them, at the center of your case, which is why we dig for every available policy: the at-fault driver's liability coverage, any employer or vehicle-owner policy, and your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
Make sure you and everyone else are safe. Your health is most important — begin seeking medical assistance as soon as possible if necessary.
Have law enforcement come and take a look at the accident along with the drunk driver. This ensures all the necessary tests are taken and recorded officially, which is essential to prove the other driver was legally drunk.
Ask for witness information if possible and start taking visual evidence of the scene, including both photos and videos.
Consult with a medical professional and get a medical record of the incident. This will go a long way to prove any injury sustained due to the accident.
Reach out to Pinder Plotkin during this process. We can guide you, knowing what to look out for when it comes to a drunk driving accident, and set you down the right path.
These damages pinpoint any fees or costs that came with the accident, including medical bills, prescription fees, and loss of income if you missed work.
These damages showcase that you are dealing with PTSD, a drop in quality of life, and/or not being able to do the things you love doing.
Punitive damages are only awarded where the defendant acted with malice — ill will or intent to harm the victim. There's no cap on punitive awards in Maryland, unlike in many other states. Driving under the influence by itself usually does not meet that bar.
With Pinder Plotkin, you don't pay anything upfront. There is a small contingency fee for our services, only paid when we win the case and the compensation comes through — a small set percentage decided beforehand and spelled out in the contract.
Every car accident case is unique, and the amount you recover depends on the circumstances — as determined by the insurance company or a jury. Factors that affect your settlement's value include:
In Maryland, juries typically aren't told whether the defendant has insurance. Since your settlement is ultimately negotiated between your attorney and the insurance company, take your time to find an attorney you trust and can work with throughout the process.
It can be extremely difficult to predict the value of a settlement — even experienced attorneys can only give a rough estimate. Juries use human logic and reasoning, guided by a judge; insurance companies use standardized software with predetermined formulas. Any real prediction comes from a fact-intensive look at how the accident happened and the damage, injuries, and treatment that followed.
No two cases are worth the same, but insurers lean on two common methods to estimate pain and suffering. Understanding them helps you spot a lowball offer. Try our free Maryland Car Accident Settlement Calculator for a personalized estimate.
Add up your "economic" damages — medical bills plus lost wages — then multiply by a number (usually 1.5 to 5) based on how serious and lasting your injuries are.
Example: $12,000 in medical bills + $3,000 in lost wages = $15,000 in economic damages. A moderate injury at a 2x multiplier puts pain and suffering around $30,000, for a rough total near $45,000.
Insurers work aggressively to push the multiplier down. Part of our job is fighting to keep it tied to the real impact on your life.
Assign a daily dollar value to your pain — often tied to your daily earnings — and multiply by the number of days you're affected.
Example: $200 a day for 180 days of recovery = $36,000 in pain and suffering, added on top of your economic damages.
Under Maryland's contributory negligence rule, even a strong-value case can be reduced to zero if you're found partly at fault — so the number that matters is what you can actually prove and recover.
We generally advise against it. Insurers will most likely make an immediate offer well below the true cost of your damages. If you work with us, we handle all discussions and negotiations so you're protected from being victimized in the claims process.
The adjuster's first offer is in most cases very low and doesn't represent what the case is actually worth. Negotiations typically go back and forth for a few months before settling — at which point we file a lawsuit based on the value of the case.
These injuries can temporarily or permanently hinder your quality of life. Anyone requiring extended medical care or dealing with a lack of mobility is also likely to be affected by job loss, expensive hospital bills, depression, lost wages, inability to perform routine tasks, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Harford County is home base, and we also handle crashes throughout Cecil County. Here's where we see the worst wrecks and where injured drivers are treated.
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Download the guideA drunk driver may face criminal charges, but that case does not put money in your pocket — your injury claim does, and it is a separate process. From our Bel Air office at 121 Archer St., we represent injured people across Harford and Cecil counties. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we win.
Impaired drivers react slowly, brake late, and often hit at full speed without ever trying to avoid the crash. That means higher-impact collisions and more serious injuries. The one upside for your claim is that a drunk driver’s conduct usually makes fault clear — so the fight becomes how much your injuries are truly worth.
Even when the other driver was drunk, Maryland’s contributory negligence rule still applies: if the insurer can show you were even 1% at fault, it can try to deny your claim entirely. A drunk driver’s insurer will still look for any way to shift blame to you.
Many people assume a drunk driver automatically owes extra "punishment" damages. In Maryland that is not the rule — punitive damages require proof of actual malice, and driving under the influence by itself usually does not meet that bar.
If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may step in to pay for your injuries. We check every available policy so a coverage gap does not leave you holding the bill.
121 Archer St, Bel Air, MD 21014 · Call (888) 844-5373 to schedule a visit. View on Google
We handle car accident cases throughout Bel Air and the surrounding counties.
At Pinder Plotkin, this isn't a satellite office — it's home. Christian Miele lives here in Bel Air and served the state as a Maryland Delegate before joining our firm. Josh Fannon lives in Harford County. And Tony Balsamo grew up in Harford County. Our team didn't move here for the caseload — when you work with us, you are working with people who know these roads, these courts, and these neighbors.
Free case review, no pressure, no fee unless we win. Reach out and one of our attorneys will walk you through your options.
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