Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Every so often a life-altering event occurs that makes people think: What would I do in a similar situation? The death of a family member is always a shock to the survivors and everyone involved can be affected a different way. As a Baltimore automobile accident attorney and Maryland personal injury lawyer, I understand that reaching a settlement that will best help the victim’s family is one of the most important goals in a wrongful death suit.

Not only medical costs, but lost wages and other financial matters left in the wake of an untimely death are all concerns for the surviving family members. A recent wrongful death suit was settled, according to news reports, leaving the family of the victim with only $100,000 for the apparent loss of a husband and provider.

Based on court records, the family of 57-year-old John Short accepted the $100,000 limit payable by another driver’s insurance company in the case of a fatal crash on the Bay Bridge back a couple of years ago. According to reports, Short died on August 10, 2008, when he steered his semi tractor-trailer rig off the bridge as he tried to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle driven by 19-year-old Candy Baldwin.

Baldwin had admitted to police that she fell asleep at the wheel. A photo on the young woman’s MySpace page allegedly showed her with a bottle of liquor behind the wheel of a car, which apparently prompted police to look into whether or not the woman was drunk at the time of crash.

However, after a lengthy police investigation, Baldwin was ultimately charged only with lesser traffic offenses. Two years later, she is married and living in Alaska. The recent death of her father, according to the woman’s attorney, left her with no inheritance and no independent assets.

According to news reports, that 2008 crash raised new concerns about the stability of the safety barriers along the four-mile scenic bridge, which is a critical connection between Maryland's eastern and western shores. Although attorneys for Short’s family claimed that the bolts supporting the bridge's protective barriers failed to function correctly, that suit was eventually dropped.

100K settlement reached in fatal Bay Bridge crash, WTOP.com, September 22, 2010

Defective vehicle equipment is not the only cause of single-car, truck and motorcycle crashes, but it is one of many reasons for these kinds of traffic accidents. As a Maryland auto and trucking accident attorney, I know how a simple problem or event can escalate into a major collision with life-threatening consequences. Elderly adults, teens and toddlers are all potential victims of automobile accidents here in Baltimore, over in the District and all across the state.

Children are the most innocent of victims when it comes to car and truck collisions. They have little control over anything that happens in a vehicle, yet they can be the ones who suffer the most from violent auto accident. This is why we, as parents and relatives, must all do our part to protect young children from the dangers that are always present on our roadways.

Despite how much we try, accidents will likely always occur and jeopardize the happiness of our children. According to a news report, a one-year-old baby was injured not long ago in a single-car wreck that happened in Prince George's County. Based on police reports, the accident took place on a Monday around 4pm along Floral Park Road when a ’93 Ford Probe went out of control and hit a tree or some other kind of stationary obstacle by the roadside.

The car was carrying five persons at the time of the accident and police were not sure at the time of the news report why the 21-year-old driver apparently lost control of the car. As a result, the driver and other adults as well as two of the three children riding in the vehicle were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The one-year-old was taken by medivac helicopter with life-threatening injuries. Police were still investigating the cause of the crash when the news reports were filed.

1-year-old critically hurt in Pr. George's crash, WashingtonPost.com, September 28, 2010

Baby in critical condition after Monday Brandywine crash, Gazette.net, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010

Across the nation, more than 4,000 people annually are injured by motor vehicles while walking on or near public roadways. Seeing that figure, it’s important to remember that Maryland has its share of pedestrian accidents involving cars, buses and commercial deliver vehicles. As Baltimore personal injury lawyers, I and my staff are experienced in the law and able to represent victims and their families in cases of severe or critical injury and even wrongful death.

While every person who ventures out in public must be cautious when crossing busy streets and intersections, drivers have an equal responsibility to look out for persons on foot as well as those riding on bicycles. Children are especially at risk, since they can be easily distracted when crossing roadways.

Sadly, accidents continue to occur, even with public awareness campaigns and traffic safety local enforcement. Not long ago, a youngster was hit by a car in Frederick County and severely hurt. According to local news reports, the 16-year-old boy was struck on a Friday evening along a stretch of Route 85 near Executive Way in Frederick.

According to police reports, the accident happened around 9:30pm when a car, driven by 22-year-old Anthony Thewes of Laurel,MD, clipped the boy who reportedly was walking in the middle of the right-hand lane. The driver told police at the scene that he did not see the boy, who allegedly was wearing dark clothes, when the right front of his ‘05 Chevy Cobalt crashed into the kid. Maryland State Police reports indicate that the teen had a reported skull fracture.

Following the crash, the boy was flown by medivac helicopter to Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he was admitted into the center’s trauma unit. According to reports, the force of the impact threw the boy close to 50 feet through the air resulting in various injuries including multiple fractures and broken bones. At the time of the news report, police said they did not know why the boy was walking in the street at the time of the crash.

Teen injured in pedestrian accident facing surgery, FrederickNewspost.com, September 28, 2010

Having represented numerous auto accident victims as a Maryland personal injury attorney, nothing much surprises me or my colleagues and staff. While news of a single-vehicle crash these days might make people think of claims against Toyota for issues of mechanical problems and unexpected acceleration, not all individual car crashes can be pinned on defective vehicle equipment.

Driver error or simple negligence can also be a cause of many accidents, not only here in Baltimore, but in Washington, D.C., Annapolis and Frederick, MD. In cases where an individual is hurt or killed as a passenger of a vehicle may open the door for a civil suit against the driver, depending on possible negligent behavior prior to a traffic accident.

Drunk driving, driving while distracted (such as texting), or driving under the influence (DUI) of prescription medication can all be contributing factors in a car, truck or motorcycle accident. A recent news article pointed out the dangers of motor vehicle collisions, even single-car accidents.

According to reports, an Ocean City woman narrowly escaped certain death when she apparently lost control of her vehicle, which left the roadway and crashed into a farmer’s field busting into flames as a result of the impact. The accident occurred a little after 3am early on a Saturday morning. Based on Maryland State Police reports, 40-year-old Kristina Lynn Wenger was traveling along Rte 610 near Whaleyville when the vehicle went our of control.

As a result, the car crashed into a roadside ditch and then overturned in a nearby field. The accident caused the vehicle to catch fire and soon the entire vehicle was covered in flames. Fortunately, the driver was able to free herself from the car and get a way without critical injuries. EMS crews arriving on the scene likely administered medical aid before the woman was taken by an MSP helicopter to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

Emergency responders from the Showell Volunteer Fire Department were able to put out the fire after the driver had been rescued from the site of the burning vehicle. Wenger, who was listed in stable condition at the hospital, was charged by police with driving under the influence and other, related traffic offenses.

WORCESTER: Woman charged with DUI after accident, DelmarvaNow.com, September 25, 2010

Driver negligence comes in many forms. Causing an accident because one is drowsy, hung over, or worse, drunk are all potential negligence suits waiting to happen. Add to that the possibility of maiming or killing another individual and a driver could be facing prison time and other civil penalties. But these are but several of the numerous causes of automobile and trucking-related crashes.

One hot button issue, which is now part of Maryland state law, is the use of cell phones in a moving vehicle. As a Maryland auto and trucking accident attorney and a Washington, D.C., personal injury lawyer, I have seen the result of distracted driving for years. Cell phone use is high on everybody’s list of major distractions -- texting being one of the biggest distracters of all and one of the most likely causes of traffic collisions across the country.

Finally the state of Maryland has a new law on the books that prohibits talking on a hand-held cell phone when operating a motor vehicle. The Maryland General Assembly approved legislation last spring and now it is illegal for motorists across the state to use a hand-held cell phone while driving.

Of course, lawmakers had already approved a similar bill that banned texting while driving, so a ban on hand-held cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle made complete sense, according to many supporters. As written, the new law prohibits all drivers in the state from using a non-hands-free device while driving on any street or highway in the state.

Violation of the new law is a secondary offense, which means that a driver must initially be pulled over for another, primary traffic offense such as speeding or negligent driving. According to the new law, first offenders will receive a citation and fine for $40. Second and subsequent offenses will get the offender a $100 fine.

Based on the law, no points will be assessed on a first-time offender’s record, however one (1) point will be assessed on subsequent violations. In addition, it possible that three (3) points may be assessed if the violation is found to have been a contributing factor in a traffic accident.

Drivers in Md. risk cell tickets, WashingtonPost.com, September 25, 2010

We hear about it all of the time; people being hurt in accidents by another driver who is either under-insured or carries no insurance whatsoever on their vehicle. Of course, by law, every driver must maintain insurance coverage on their vehicle. This not only a good idea, but it can protect you from difficult financial times if you cannot afford to pay for extensive vehicle repairs following an accident.

As a Maryland automobile accident lawyer, I know that car crashes happen with alarming frequency. As drivers, we may not expect to be caught in a highway collision with an 18-wheeler, but it could happen. Similarly, nobody wants to think about having their car stolen or vandalized, but in dense urban centers such as Baltimore, Annapolis and the District, this is always a concern.

From time to time it’s a good idea to look at auto insurance and reacquaint oneself with the available policies and coverages. We ran into an article on choosing the right car insurance and it had several important points to make. In general, however, automobile insurance boils down to deciding how much one is willing to pay out-of-pocket for possible repairs versus how much the insurance company may have to pay.

Many car owners feel that purchasing car insurance to be a bit confusing. The first step is to figure out your needs and then examine available policies in order to understand what your potential risk will be and how much you will be willing to take on yourself. There as a number of factors to consider, such as understanding your specific needs, knowing which discounts you may qualify for, being aware of Maryland’s specific legal requirements, among others.

One key is picking a policy with a balanced deductible. This is the key to choosing a policy because it states the amount that you, the owner, are willing to pay to have the vehicle made right after a crash. The deductible you choose will usually have a direct bearing on the size of the premium you end up paying for you car insurance policy.

Continue reading " Maryland Auto Injury News: Every Vehicle Driven on Maryland Roadways Must have the Proper Insurance " »

Residents of Maryland and other cold-weather states may find that they have a problem with that aging Ford minivan in the driveway. According to news reports, Ford Motor Company has issued a statement naming the Ford Windstar in a recall involving more than one-half million vehicles across several model years.

As a Baltimore auto accident attorney and Washington, D.C., injury lawyer, I understand the potential for injury resulting from a defective equipment problem in a motor vehicle or heavy commercial truck. Critical components found in such important vehicle systems such as the steering and suspension must operate correctly if a vehicle is to remain safe.

Whether a design error, incorrect material specification or maintenance issue, safety problems can lead to highway accidents, which may or may not involve injury or death to the occupants. According to the recent news reports, up to 575,000 Windstar minivans in the cold weather states could have a problem with their rear axle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had started its own investigation earlier this year and found that certain areas of the Windstar’s rear axle apparently can collect road slush, which can then lead to rusting of the component.

Based on reports, prior to its investigation, the NHTSA had received more than 200 complaints of rear axle fractures, plus two cases of minor accidents reportedly caused by the problem. Since beginning its study, the number of complaints has risen to just under 1,000.

Specifically, the Ford recall affects those Windstars made between 1998 and 2003. The action involves 463,000 vehicles in the U.S., including Maryland. The rest are being recalled in Canada. According to news reports, vehicle owners will be asked to bring their minivan to a Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealership, where an inspection of the axle can be carried out. If any cracking is detected, the owner will reportedly be provided with a repair, or offered an alternative vehicle until parts are available.

Ford Recalls 575,000 Windstars, Zacks.com, August 30, 2010

Defective vehicle equipment can be one cause of fatal or near-fatal automobile accidents. As a Maryland car accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, the potential for injury in a highway collision is quiet high when a critical vehicle system, such as steering or brakes, fails to function properly. As drivers, we rely on our vehicles to be not only trouble free, but remain safe for long periods of time and over tens of thousands of miles.

While many car and truck accidents are caused by another person’s negligence, instances of defective equipment can and do occur raising the question of product liability in the minds of victims and their attorneys. Not long ago, a Baltimore County resident was tragically killed when her vehicle was struck by another car whose driver apparently lost control of it.

According to news reports, the accident happened along a stretch of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Anne Arundel County at about 8:30pm on a Wednesday evening. Maryland State Troopers arriving at the scene determined that a ‘98 Toyota Camry traveling south crossed the median and hit a northbound ‘96 Chevrolet Metro driven by Stacy Alvater.

Police reports show that the Camry’s driver, 52-year-old Francois Verleysen of Ellicott City, lost control of the vehicle, which then struck the Chevy. Altvater was declared dead at the scene and a passenger who was riding with her was injured in the crash.

According to reports, both Verleysen and Altvater’s unidentified passenger were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and subsequently released. At the time of the news article, the Maryland State Police were planning on conducting an investigation into the crash, which may or may not indicate that someone was negligent in regard to this awful collision.

Ellicott City driver involved in fatal crash on B-W parkway, ExploreHoward.com, September 17, 2010

It would be nice to think that highly trained professionals, such as police officers, never have accidents, however this is not the case. Even professional truck drivers who are seasoned veterans in a career dedicated to driving on public roads can and do get into traffic accidents involving drivers of cars, minivans and light trucks, even with motorcyclists who can be seriously injured as a result.

As a Baltimore car accident lawyer, I see news reports every week of motor vehicle accidents that injure or take the lives of innocent people. Pedestrians are not immune to these tragic collisions and can usually be hurt far more seriously than occupants of cars and trucks.

Not long ago, a postal employee and Washington, D.C., resident was hit by a police car driven by an off-duty patrolman. The accident occurred in Prince George's County just after 6am on a Tuesday morning. According to reports, a county policeman was traveling to work along Garrett A. Morgan Boulevard when 62-year-old Ronald Burgess apparently attempted to cross the street near FedEx Field.

According to police reports, the pedestrian was outside the crosswalk area approximately 100 feet from the intersection and wearing dark work clothes when he was hit. Although an investigation was pending at the time of the crash, a police spokesman said that there was nothing to indicate that the patrolman was at fault.

Burgess was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 2pm in the afternoon. The daughter of the victim said she questioned the police account of the accident. She told a reporter that her father suffered "severe" injuries during the accident, which suggests to her that the police car might have been going over the 35mph speed limit on that stretch of road.

According to reports, the impact was not strong enough to cause the car's airbags to deploy nor trigger the in-car camera or event-data recorder to automatically begin to operate. Police did say that the car's grill was knocked loose and the driver's side of the windshield was damaged -- consistent with a slower-speed crash, according to police.

Postal worker hit by police cruiser in Pr. George's dies, WashingtonPost.com, September 15, 2010

As a Baltimore automobile and trucking accident attorney, I know how mixing alcohol and motor vehicles leads to bad results. Some people might argue that drinking and driving leads to unintended consequences, but at some point we must draw the line and consider personal responsibility. Every year tens of thousands of people are unnecessarily injured or killed in alcohol-related car, truck and motorcycle collisions. I won’t call these kinds of crashes “accidents” because drinking beer, wine or hard liquor is a conscious decision.

Sadly, even with strict anti-drunken driving laws and heavy police enforcement, night after night many Maryland drivers get behind the wheel of their automobiles and drive while intoxicated. Some of them will cause a car crash. Some will be hurt as a result. Others will either injure or kill another innocent person. Those victims and their families are the direct recipients of a drinker’s negligent decision to operate that vehicle while impaired.

Not long ago, an Anne Arundel County man was critically injured during a car crash in Arnold, MD. Police claim that a variety of factors may have been to blame, including excessive speed and possibly alcohol consumption. According to news reports, the driver and two other occupants of a 2010 Cadillac were all injured in the early hours on a Sunday morning when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, which then hit a tree on the side of the road.

Police reports indicate that 20-year-old Dolan Emmit Watson was operating the Cadillac southbound on Old County Road near Wroxeter Avenue just after midnight. Somehow losing control of the vehicle, the car began to spin counterclockwise, according to Anne Arundel County Police. Watson then apparently overcorrected, which caused the vehicle to spin in the opposite direction. Police reports show that the vehicle smashed into the tree head-on.

News reports stated that Watson was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition. Andrew Augustus Gayle and Jessica Meaghan Whyland, both 19 years old, were both listed in serious but stable condition at Shock Trauma.

Man critically injured in Arnold car accident, BaltimoreSun.com, September 12, 2010

Some auto collisions are preventable, others are not. When a driver becomes disoriented whether due to drug or alcohol impairment, or even from old age, the results can be devastating. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, my firm helps people recover the sometimes debilitating costs of a serious traffic accident, especially when another person’s negligence is found to be the cause.

Not long ago a Reisterstown resident died in a fatal head-on crash along Interstate 795 just south of Owings Mills. According to police, witnesses claimed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Corolla, was traveling against traffic with no headlights on.

According to a news article, Maryland State police were alerted to the situation by several early morning 911 calls reporting that a car was going south in the northbound lanes of I-795. Unfortunately, MSP troopers could not turn around quickly enough to catch up with the Toyota and try to flag down the driver.

Based on reports the first 911 call came in just before 3am. That call fixed the Toyota at Franklin Boulevard, but by the time MSP officers had found the car it already south of Owings Mills Boulevard. Not long after that, police received calls reporting a collision.

According to news reports, the Toyota, driven by 33-year-old David Earl Patterson of Reisterstown, hit a northbound Volvo station wagon head-on. Police said that the driver of the Volvo likely had no time to when the Corolla running without headlights appeared directly in front of the driver.

Police reports indicate that the vehicles hit at about 60mph, with both cars coming to rest in the roadway. When police and emergency rescue personnel arrived the drivers of each vehicle were both in critical condition.

Paramedics rushed Patterson to Northwest Hospital, but he apparently died before doctors could save him. The Volvo’s driver, 28-year-old Mary Christina Medicus of Westminster, survived the accident and was taken to Shock Trauma Center. Police suspect that alcohol was involved, but were still investigating the crash at the time of the article.

Coincidentally, a second wrong-way vehicle was also seen traveling along I-795 earlier that same night. That vehicle was involved in a single-vehicle crash, according to Maryland State Police, and the female driver was subsequently arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

Reisterstown man dies in head on collision on Interstate 795, ABC2news.com, September 10, 2010

Well, it's the time of the year when more and more deer are out and about on Maryland's rural and county roads. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, I know that this time of year drivers must be ever vigilant when it comes to bucks and does frolicking near the roadside.

Hitting an animal as large as a full-grown deer can cause a great deal of damage to a passenger car; such can and truck crashes are certainly sad for the animal, but can be extremely dangerous for the driver and passengers of a car or light truck. While many deer hits only result in property damage, the risk still exists for consequential damage or bodily injury, especially if the driver loses control of the vehicle and hits another object such as a tree or roadside guardrail.

In such collisions, one can expect injuries ranging from simple bruises and minor cuts to even more serious bodily harm like head trauma or spinal fracture, not to mention back internal injuries.

Rare yet potential serious accidents, such as rollovers and multiple-car collisions can also be caused by a driver either striking the deer or swerving to avoid the animal. As evening comes earlier every day as we approach the winter season, seeing a deer in the dark with just your headlights to illuminate a more or less camouflaged animal only complicates matters.

According to a recent news article, the mating season for deer coincides with the highest rate of motor vehicle-deer collisions. And that rate can be quite surprising. Based on data from State Farm Insurance, there were more than two million deer-related auto accidents in 2009 across the U.S.

Also interesting is the fact that nearly half of all the crashes happen between October and December. Most of these collisions are likely to occur on two-lane roads between dawn and dusk. Based on what is known about the frequency, condition and opportunity for car-deer crashes, the following tips (from the Battle Creek Enquirer) may be helpful:

1) Stay alert especially from dawn and dusk
2) Watch for deer along the side of the road
3) Whenever you see one deer, expect two or more to follow
4) Don't expect that flashing your headlights or honking the horn will stop deer from crossing the roadway
5) Don’t swerve to avoid a deer. Instead, brake firmly and grip the steering wheel tightly
6) After a crash, pull off the road when possible; don’t approach the animal as it may not be dead; call the police immediately

Deer Season--And Car Crash Time--Is Here, TheCarConnection.com, October 4th, 2010