3 years is the usual Maryland deadline for a car or pedestrian injury claim, measured from the crash date. If the collision in Frederick only made a pre-existing back condition worse, that does not cancel your claim. The common myth is "I had back problems already, so I have no case." The reality is Maryland law allows recovery for an aggravation of a pre-existing condition. But there is a major exception: if a Frederick city, county, or school bus vehicle was involved, or a local government's road condition is part of the claim, you may need written notice within 1 year under the Local Government Tort Claims Act.

Why this matters: insurers often use your old MRI, prior treatment, or degenerative findings to argue everything was "already there." That is not the legal test. The question is whether the new crash caused a measurable worsening - more pain, new symptoms, more treatment, missed work, injections, surgery, or limits you did not have before.

That is especially common in back-to-school crashes around bus stops, school-zone crosswalks, and distracted-parent traffic in Frederick. A low-speed impact can still turn manageable back issues into something much worse.

What usually helps prove the difference:

• records showing your baseline before the crash
• ER, urgent care, or orthopedic records after the crash
• imaging or exams showing new findings or worsened symptoms
• a timeline of work limits, medications, therapy, and daily restrictions

If this is not a crash but a failure to diagnose a stroke, Maryland has a different medical malpractice deadline: generally 3 years from when you discovered the injury, but no more than 5 years from the malpractice, whichever comes first.

The deadline issue is real. The "pre-existing condition means no claim" part is the myth.