In Maryland, serious commercial truck crash cases often land in the low to mid six figures, and the worst ones can go much higher. So yes - if FedEx's insurer is dragging this out, you probably do need a lawyer. That delay is usually not confusion. It is a tactic.

The better question is: what kind of lawyer is worth hiring, and when is hiring one a waste of money?

If your crash was on I-270, MD-355, or near a Gaithersburg construction zone with lane shifts, flaggers, steel plates, or work trucks, this is not a simple fender-bender. A lawyer matters when there are multiple defendants, disputed fault, commercial insurance, serious injuries, lost wages, or a paper trail split between VA care and civilian treatment. Those systems do not talk to each other. If your lawyer cannot handle both sets of records, that is a problem.

In Maryland, most injury lawyers charge a contingency fee of about 33% if the case settles and often 40% if suit is filed. Ask that up front. Ask who pays for records, experts, and filing fees. Ask whether they will sue before the 3-year Maryland deadline runs under Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-101.

Red flags:

• They push a fast settlement before you finish treatment
• They cannot explain how VA benefits interact with your injury claim
• They never talk about preserving evidence from FedEx, road crews, or dashcams
• They dodge questions about fees, costs, or trial experience in Montgomery County Circuit Court

When not to hire one: minor property damage, a sore neck that cleared in a week, no missed work, and no fight over fault.

If you already hired the wrong lawyer, you can fire them mid-case. In Maryland, they may still claim a fee lien for work already done, but you are not trapped. If the insurer is stalling, you should also be asking whether your lawyer is ready to force the issue with a lawsuit instead of babysitting an adjuster.