ALAN J. BELSKY · MARYLAND ATTORNEY
Maryland Personal Injury
and Malpractice Attorney
Careful preparation. Direct communication. Personal attention to your case.
Request a Case ReviewCall (410) 234-0100Auto & Truck Accidents · Medical Malpractice · Legal Malpractice · Workers’ Compensation · Consumer Bankruptcy
Practice Areas
Auto & Truck Accidents
After a collision, the questions go beyond vehicle repairs. Your health, ability to work, and available insurance coverage all deserve careful attention.
Explore accident representation →Medical Malpractice
When you are concerned that medical care caused a serious injury, a careful review of what happened and the relevant records is the starting point.
Explore medical malpractice →Legal Malpractice
A review starts with the underlying claim, the attorney’s alleged mistake, and its effect on your ability to recover damages.
Explore legal malpractice →Workers’ Compensation
A workplace injury can interrupt both your recovery and your income. Start by discussing what happened, your treatment, and the status of your claim.
Explore workers’ compensation →Consumer Bankruptcy
If debt has become difficult to manage, a conversation about your finances can help identify the questions to address before deciding whether bankruptcy is right for you.
Explore consumer bankruptcy →Clear Communication.
Careful Preparation.
Alan personally conducts the preliminary review of potential medical malpractice claims. His lifelong interest in medicine and anatomy informs a meticulous examination of medical records and a one-on-one discussion of what happened, prior conditions, and the providers involved. Nursing, anesthesia, and progress notes often reveal details that the principal medical reports leave out.
Meet your attorney →- Tell Me What HappenedShare the basic circumstances and what concerns you most.
- Identify What Needs ReviewThe relevant records depend on your matter—from insurance documents and medical records to workplace information or a picture of your finances.
- Discuss the Next StepReview the information needed to assess representation and the questions that should be addressed before moving forward.
Selected Verdicts & Settlements
These selected matters reflect Alan J. Belsky’s work in legal malpractice, medical negligence, and serious injury litigation.
$525,000
Confidential settlement involving attorneys’ failure to timely name a health care defendant in a federal prison suicide case and to file the required health claims action before initiating litigation.
$1.35 million
Confidential settlement involving removal of the wrong, noncancerous kidney during kidney cancer surgery.
$750,000
Confidential settlement involving nerve injury during biceps tendon surgery.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every matter depends on its individual facts and circumstances.
Read selected results and reported court opinions →
Request a Case ReviewLEGAL LIBRARYA Comprehensive Guide to
Personal Injury Claims and Litigation
Based on More Than 35 Years
of Maryland PracticeAJB
The Maryland Legal Library
The Maryland Legal Library
A comprehensive guide to personal injury claims and litigation, based on more than 35 years of Maryland practice.
Explore 126 guides by Alan J. Belsky, Esq., with a searchable index and pages you can turn as you read.
Open the Legal Library →Understand Your Rights.
Explore Legal Resources.
Explore case-search tools, reliable legal information, and guides to the issues that can affect your recovery.
Browse the Maryland Legal Library →
127 guides to Maryland legal questions.
For attorneys: Marquez / Charles Citrin motions and transcripts →
PIP: Help With Medical Expenses and Lost Income
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is a motor vehicle insurance benefit. Maryland law generally requires it unless it is validly waived or rejected. Covered benefits include reasonable, necessary medical expenses and 85% of qualifying lost income, subject to the policy limit. The statutory minimum benefit is $2,500, with qualifying expenses and losses arising within three years after the accident.
Coverage can extend to certain passengers, household members, and pedestrians. Waivers and exclusions matter, so the policy and the circumstances need review. The three-year expense period is not a reason to delay reporting a claim.
Source: Maryland Insurance Article §19–505.
UM/UIM: When the Other Driver’s Coverage Falls Short
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage addresses covered losses caused by a driver without applicable insurance. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage may become relevant when the available liability coverage does not meet the applicable coverage requirements and your damages exceed what that insurance pays.
Maryland’s standard UIM and enhanced UIM (EUIM) work differently. Standard UIM limits are generally reduced by qualifying payments exhausting the responsible party’s liability coverage. EUIM does not apply that same reduction to its limit. That distinction can materially affect available coverage, but neither guarantees a particular recovery.
For new Maryland private passenger policies issued on or after July 1, 2024, EUIM is generally the default unless waived. Older renewal policies are treated differently. Review the actual declarations, endorsements, and coverage election. A liability settlement can also involve statutory notice and consent procedures; review those before signing a release.
Sources: Maryland Insurance Article §19–509, §19–509.1, and §19–511.
The Collateral Source Rule: Why Outside Payments Matter
Maryland’s collateral source rule generally prevents a person responsible for an injury from reducing tort damages simply because the injured person received benefits from an independent source, such as health insurance. The rule has both a damages component and an evidence component.
It does not mean that every billed amount is automatically recoverable or that every insurance payment can be ignored. The proof of damages and the type of claim still matter. Whether a payer has a separate reimbursement claim is a different question from whether the defendant receives a credit.
Source: Maryland high court discussion of the collateral source rule (2022).
Filing Deadlines Matter
Different claims have different filing and notice requirements. These are starting points for Maryland matters, not a calculation of your deadline. Request a review promptly, even if you think a deadline has passed.
Personal Injury: Auto and Truck Accident Deadlines
Maryland’s general civil limitations period is three years from the date a claim accrues, unless a different rule applies. In many accident cases, that is the accident date. Accrual and any exception require review of the facts.
Claims involving minors, legal disability, or governmental defendants can involve additional rules. Insurance reporting requirements and government notice deadlines may arrive before the lawsuit deadline. Do not assume that reporting a claim or negotiating a settlement satisfies the filing requirement.
Medical Malpractice: Injury and Discovery Deadlines
For an adult’s Maryland medical malpractice injury claim, the general statutory rule is the earlier of five years from when the injury was committed or three years from when the injury was discovered. The relevant dates require careful review; the treatment date alone may not answer the question.
Claims involving children, disability, concealment, or a patient’s death need separate analysis. Court decisions affect how the statute applies to minors. Maryland also has a specialized claim-filing process; filing with the Health Care Alternative Dispute Resolution Office in accordance with the statute is deemed filing an action. A request for records or a consultation does not itself constitute that filing.
Sources: Courts and Judicial Proceedings §5–109; Maryland high court discussion of medical malpractice limitations and minors.
Workers’ Compensation: Notice and Claim Filing
For a typical Maryland accidental workplace injury, the statute requires notice to the employer within ten days and filing a claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission within sixty days. These are separate steps.
The Commission may excuse certain late filings, but the statute generally bars an accidental injury claim not filed within two years. Special rules, including fraud or estoppel provisions, require review. Occupational diseases, hernias, radiation injuries, and death claims can have different requirements. Telling an employer or speaking with an insurer is not the same as filing a Commission claim.
Consumer Bankruptcy: Debt Deadlines and Filing Timing
Bankruptcy filing timing is different from the deadline for a creditor to sue on a debt. There is no single personal-injury-style limitations period governing every consumer bankruptcy filing. Eligibility, prior filings, and court requirements need individual review.
A debt’s age does not by itself establish that it disappeared. Limitations defenses and existing judgments are different issues; Maryland judgments generally last twelve years and may be renewed. If you receive collection lawsuit papers, a garnishment, or a foreclosure notice, have the actual documents and their deadlines reviewed promptly.
Sources: U.S. Courts Bankruptcy Basics; Maryland Courts: Judgments and Debt Collection.
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Before you describe your legal malpractice claim
We review attorney errors or omissions that caused the loss of a monetary recovery, usually in a personal injury case. We do not pursue matters involving only nonmonetary rights or ethical complaints.
Learn about the cases we pursue
Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission
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