Maryland Injury Law Center

Ankle Fracture Settlement Amounts

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 19:22:32 +0000

On this page, I look at settlement amounts and jury verdicts in ankle injury cases. The short answer is that a serious ankle fracture can have substantial value, especially when surgery, permanent hardware, arthritis, instability, or a lasting limp changes how you walk and live. But there is no honest average that can tell you what your case is worth without the medical records, liability facts, insurance coverage, and jurisdiction.

I have a good handle on the settlement value of ankle fracture cases. My first major foot and ankle case was 17 years ago, when I sued the New England Patriots and their team doctors in a case that ultimately settled. I met with about a half dozen of the best foot and ankle surgeons in the country while preparing that case.

Since then, Miller & Zois has handled scores of foot and ankle injury cases and recovered millions of dollars for our clients. My last ankle injury verdict in Prince George’s County was the sixth-largest verdict reported in Washingtonian Magazine that year. I am telling you this because ankle cases are easy to undervalue. A lawyer needs to understand the films, the surgery, the hardware, the likely future problems, and the difference between a healed fracture and a patient who has actually recovered.

Foot Injury Lawsuits: Settlements and Verdicts

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:44:46 +0000

Foot injuries are uniquely difficult personal injury cases. One-fourth of the bones in your body are in your feet, and many of those bones are small and tightly packed together. A fracture can disrupt the joints, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and weight-bearing mechanics around it. There are simply too many things that can go wrong.

The settlement value of a foot injury depends heavily on whether the victim can return to walking, standing, running, and working without significant pain or restriction. A fracture that heals in eight weeks is one type of case. A Lisfranc injury, crushed heel, open fracture, or failed surgical repair that permanently changes the victim’s gait is an entirely different claim.

Our lawyers at Miller & Zois have handled scores of foot fracture claims arising from car accidents, truck crashes, pedestrian collisions, construction accidents, and dangerous property conditions. Call us at 800-553-8082 or contact us online for a free case review.

Maryland Sexual Abuse Lawsuits Against Churches

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Sun, 18 May 2025 17:10:51 +0000

Miller & Zois’ clergy sexual abuse lawyers help victims of sexual abuse committed by clergy who abused their authority in the worst way imaginable. These lawsuits are against not only church officials but against the churches themselves. The crimes committed in sexual abuse cases do more than violate Maryland law. They involve unimaginable cruelty and evil.

Maryland Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuit News & Updates

May 10, 2025 – New Amendments Limit Damages Under CVA

Maryland Nursing Home Settlements and Verdicts

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:45:15 +0000

Jury Verdict Research did a study that found that nursing home plaintiffs get a median award of $329,000. Defense lawyers are not eager to try these cases for a reason: plaintiffs win at trial a stunning 63 percent of nursing home jury trials. Even that figure is probably misleading. When a nursing home lets a case go to trial, it is usually because it is a case that cannot be lost. Good nursing home lawsuits settle almost every time.

So, statistically, you are more likely to win at trial a nursing home case than a rear-end accident case. Crazy, right? Why more lawyers are not pushing for nursing home cases is beyond me. They are not as lucrative as they once were because of damage caps but they are still good cases that also, not for nothing, really help protect nursing home patients.

Which Maryland nursing homes are getting sued? A look at lawsuits, ratings, and reviews of Maryland nursing homes

Average Verdicts in Motorcycle and Bicycle Accident Cases

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:20:00 +0000

According to a recent Jury Verdict Research report, plaintiffs on motorcycles receive higher awards for collisions than bicycle plaintiffs. Makes sense. They are driving much faster and frequently roads where speed is more of an issue.

Their analysis, based on plaintiffs’ verdicts rendered from October 1999 to October 2006, examines motorcycle and bicycle categories involving collisions with other vehicles, objects, and pedestrians. The study found that the award median for motorcycle accidents was $73,700 compared to $40,912 for bicycle plaintiffs.

I assume they base the difference in the fact that motorcycles generate greater speeds that lead to more serious accidents. Interestingly, Jury Verdict Research provided average verdicts> with this data, which it rarely does. To underscore the difference between median and average, the average motorcycle accident case was $561,065 and the average bike accident case was $500,353.

Allstate Claims in Maryland

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:11:06 +0000

If you polled Maryland personal injury lawyers who handle car accident cases, most would choose Allstate as the “worst of the worst” among insurance companies to deal with on accident claims.

Personally, while I would not put Allstate at the top of my list of insurance companies I want to draw, I would not put them last, either. Don’t get me wrong. They are awful, and I hate them. Our lawyers sue them and their insureds all the time. But we are speaking in relative terms? Who are the worst three insurance companies to deal with in Maryland? Allstate is not on my list.

This post gives practical thoughts about Allstate claims in Maryland and includes a plug of why you should – in serious injury cases, anyway – hire a lawyer for your Allstate injury claim.

New School Bus Camera Law in Maryland

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 16:37:46 +0000

Local municipalities may now use cameras to catch motorists speeding past stopped school buses. Violators will get a ticket with a penalty of up to a $250 fine but no points on their driving records. Montgomery County has had cameras in a place for a while. But they were just giving out warning tickets. This bill has some teeth, albeit little baby teeth, with no points attached.

This Law in Action in PG County in 2021
Anne Arundel in 2022
Ron DeSantis signs school bus camera law in 2023
Baltimore County puts in new school bus cameras in 2024

History of School Bus Cameras

School bus cameras have been around for several decades. In the early 1990s, a school district in San Antonio, Texas, introduced a pilot program that installed video cameras on the exterior of school buses to capture motorists who passed stopped buses. The program was successful, and other districts began to follow suit.

By the mid-2000s, school bus camera systems had become more advanced, with cameras installed inside buses to capture footage of student behavior and to aid in investigations of accidents or incidents on buses. Today, school bus camera systems are standard in many districts across the United States, including Maryland. There are privacy concerns, sure. But no one doubts that they have improved safety for students and bus drivers.

History of School Bus Cameras in Maryland

In 2011, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law allowing local jurisdictions to install automated cameras on school buses to capture images of drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. The goal of the law was to protect school children who are often endangered by drivers who fail to stop for the flashing lights and extended stop arm of school buses.

The cameras are mounted on the outside of the bus and activate when the bus comes to a stop, and the red lights begin flashing. They capture images of the license plates of cars that pass the bus illegally, and the drivers of those cars are issued citations.

Maryland’s first school bus camera program was launched in Montgomery County, and other counties soon followed suit. Since then, the use of school bus cameras has expanded throughout the state and has been credited with improving safety for school children.

In 2019, the Maryland General Assembly passed a law that increased the fines for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. Under the new law, drivers caught on camera passing a stopped school bus can be fined up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for a second offense. The law also allows local jurisdictions to impose additional fines and penalties for repeat offenders.

Maryland School Bus Camera Timeline

2025: Maryland establishes the “Workgroup to Study School Bus Safety” with HB200, tasked with enhancing school bus safety by identifying issues related to the behavior and safety of students and bus drivers. The group is directed to provide a detailed report with findings and recommendations to local and state governing bodies by June 30, 2026.
2024: The Maryland State Department of Education begins releasing quarterly reports on the school bus camera program data, enhancing transparency and providing stakeholders with more frequent updates. These reports show a significant decrease in violations, indicating the effectiveness of the surveillance measures.
2023: Maryland advances its school bus safety program by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology into the bus cameras, allowing for automatic detection of traffic violations and improving the accuracy of citations. Additional funding is allocated to support technological upgrades and the expansion of this initiative.
2022: After overcoming initial resistance, Anne Arundel County begins to actively cite vehicles that illegally pass public school buses, marking a significant enforcement step within the region.
2020: Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signs legislation that increases fines for drivers who pass stopped school buses illegally. The new law mandates that school bus cameras capture clear images of the vehicle’s license plate, and allows for the reinvestment of collected fines into school bus safety programs.
2019: The Maryland General Assembly responds to ongoing safety concerns by significantly increasing fines for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. The new legislation sets fines up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for subsequent offenses, with local jurisdictions empowered to impose additional penalties on repeat offenders.
2018: The Maryland State Department of Education distributes $3.6 million in grants to local school systems to facilitate the installation and operation of school bus camera programs, significantly bolstering the state’s commitment to student safety.
2017: An annual report released by the Maryland State Department of Education confirms the efficacy of school bus cameras in enhancing student safety, helping to build public confidence in the technology.
2016: The Maryland State Police initiate a pilot program utilizing body cameras to capture images of drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. This program aims to complement the existing external bus camera system.
2015: Comprehensive guidelines for the operation of school bus camera programs are issued by the Maryland State Department of Education, covering aspects such as motorist notification, video review, analysis, and data reporting procedures.
2014: Statewide operation of school bus camera programs is authorized through new legislation, which requires adherence to specific operational guidelines set by the Maryland State Department of Education.
2012: Montgomery County becomes the first in Maryland to implement a school bus camera program, using external cameras mounted on buses to capture images of vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses.
2011: Maryland enacts initial legislation permitting local school boards to install and operate automated cameras on school buses, aimed at capturing images of vehicles that illegally pass stopped buses, laying the groundwork for subsequent enhancements in student transportation safety.

Drivers Ignore Buses

This bill was precipitated partly by a Maryland State Department of Education study that found that thousands of drivers are passing school buses with their stop arms extended and red lights flashing. A total of 7,028 violations were recorded on a single day last month, with most drivers ignoring school bus stop signs.

Nearly 4,000 (3,997) of those motorists were oncoming drivers who ignored the stop arm, 2,665 drivers moved past a stopped bus on the bus driver’s side of the vehicle, and 366 drivers passed a stopped bus on the door side, right where you would expect a child to be walking. Baltimore County drivers are the worst offenders, followed by Montgomery County, Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, and Prince George’s.

(Now keep in mind, all of this data comes from school bus drivers who, as a breed, think we are all idiots and don’t belong on the road. So let’s say they are exaggerating by a factor of 10. It is still a staggering number.)

Updated Statistics

According to data from NASDPTS, there are an estimated 17 million stop-arm violations each school year in the United States. Good golly. In Maryland, school bus drivers recorded 3,194 violations in a single day in 2019. Every time a driver illegally passes a stopped school bus, they put a child at risk.

Maryland Transportation Code § 21-706 (2024)

This is the Maryland law in 2023 regarding passing school buses that are flashing red lights.

(a) Driver to stop on meeting or overtaking stopped school vehicle — In general. — If a school vehicle has stopped on a roadway and is operating the alternately flashing red lights specified in § 22-228 of this article, the driver of any other vehicle meeting or overtaking the school vehicle shall stop at least 20 feet from the rear of the school vehicle, if approaching the school vehicle from its rear, or at least 20 feet from the front of the school vehicle, if approaching the school vehicle from its front.

(b) Driver to stop on meeting or overtaking stopped school vehicle — When vehicles may proceed. — If a school vehicle has stopped on a roadway and is operating the alternately flashing red lights specified in § 22-228 of this article, the driver of any other vehicle meeting or overtaking the school vehicle may not proceed until the school vehicle resumes motion or the alternately flashing red lights are deactivated.

(c) Exceptions. — This section does not apply to the driver of a vehicle on a divided highway if the school vehicle is on a different roadway.

(d) Penalty for violation of section. — A person convicted of violating this section is subject to a fine not exceeding $ 1,000.

Maryland Transportation Code § 21-706 has not been addressed by Maryland appellate courts in nearly 60 years, but it was updated in 2019.

Cases Interpreting Maryland Transportation Code § 21-706

There have been two Maryland cases interpreting this law. In Chackness v. Board of Education of Harford County, 120 A.2d 392 (1956), a guy driving a Cadillac convertible passed a bus and hit a child on Route 1 in Bel Air. Awful. I have a black-and-white image of the whole thing in my head.

Anyway, this Caddy driver tries to bring in the bus driver (who Google tells me died in 2010 and has a son who is a lawyer) and a 14-year-old school bus safety, claiming they were also negligent. The argument? The ole “sudden stop” claim. The court dismissed the claim pretty quickly. The bus driver was defended by William B. Somerville of Smith Somerville & Case fame.

The second case, Jubb v. Ford, 157 A.2d 422 (1960), is an odd case involving a “sort of” school bus that was not large enough to be a school bus and did not have flashing red lights. The court found that it did not seat 10 or more kids because there was no evidence that its carrying capacity was more significant than eight and would violate the law if the vehicle used red flashing lights. This case also had Smith, Somerville & Case defending the case and Judge Frank Cicone representing the plaintiff. These old cases feel like a who’s who of Maryland legal history.

Modern School Bus Cameras

Of course, artificial intelligence is all the rage, and that is driving advancements in school bus camera technology to detect and enforce violations of stop-arm laws. Modern systems now incorporate artificial intelligence to automatically detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses. These AI-enabled cameras can analyze vehicle movement in real time, reducing the need for manual review and increasing the accuracy of violations. Many systems also include high-definition video capabilities, allowing for clear capture of license plates and vehicle details even in low-light conditions or adverse weather, ensuring reliable evidence for citations.

Some jurisdictions have integrated real-time alerts into their camera systems, notifying law enforcement immediately when a violation occurs. This rapid communication enables quicker responses and reinforces the seriousness of these infractions. By streamlining enforcement, these technological advancements reduce administrative burdens on school districts and law enforcement, allowing them to focus resources on prevention and education. This technology improves citation accuracy and also acts as a deterrent, sending a strong message to drivers about the importance of obeying school bus safety laws.

Of course, not every is happy with the technology. The use of AI in school bus cameras has raised concerns among some about privacy and surveillance. Critics worry that increased reliance on AI and constant video recording could lead to overreach, with fears of “Big Brother” watching drivers’ every move.

So despite the clear benefits, the use of school bus cameras has stirred debate among residents and policymakers alike. Concerns primarily focus on privacy implications and the extent of surveillance. Critics argue that while the cameras significantly enhance safety, they also increase the potential for privacy invasion. Proponents, like us, say put this stuff aside and let’s try to protect children.

Even more thoughts on speeding ticket cameras
In 2025, school bus camera tickets are all the rage. This article discusses Howard County’s efforts to put cameras on the back of buses to prosecute violations of this law.

Depo-Provera Lawsuits

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 10:08:44 +0000

Depo-Provera is a contraceptive injection, often referred to as the “birth control shot,” that has been available for many years. Recent scientific research has linked Depo-Provera to an increased risk of brain tumors.

Women who used Depo-Provera and later developed a brain tumor may be eligible to file product liability lawsuits and seek financial compensation from the drug’s manufacturer, Pfizer. This new evidence is expected to trigger a surge in Depo-Provera lawsuits nationwide.

This page will discuss the Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits, including information on potential settlement values.

How to Admit Photographs Into Evidence

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:11:49 +0000

Pictures often become pivotal pieces of evidence in personal injury cases, especially in car and truck accident litigation. But how those photos are used—and whether they can be tied to the plaintiff’s injuries—can significantly sway a case.

This page is a guide to admitting photos into evidence. Our focus here is admitting property damage photographs into evidence. But you lay the foundation the same way for any photographs.

Admitting a photograph may seem straightforward, but the foundation must be carefully laid. Questions must confirm the photograph’s authenticity and accuracy, as well as rule out alterations or misleading representations. From the initial, “Are you familiar with this photograph?” to the final request to admit the image as evidence, this process is all about laying the proper foundation and ensuring the jury can trust what they see.

Truck Wreck Settlement Value Statistics

Ronald V. Miller, Jr. — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 02:47:30 +0000

On this page, we will look at the settlement payout value of truck accident personal injury cases.

Truck Accident Settlement Statistics

A recent Jury Verdict Research study of trucking accidents found that truck accident victims recover damages in 60% of personal injury trials and receive a median compensatory award of $90,000. I find the 60% number a surprise. With all the weapons plaintiffs’ lawyers have now to prove a case — and figure out if we have one in the first place — it is hard to fathom how we can lose 40% of these cases.