Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Faulty brakes, poorly designed suspension systems and incorrectly maintained running gear are just a few of the potential causes of fatal car or truck crashes. And, the odds of having a deadly single-vehicle traffic accident typically increases as the car, truck or motorcycle speed rises. While many one-car wrecks can be the result of driver error, police crash investigators typically consider the possibility of defective vehicle equipment when reconstructing a motor vehicle accident.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys and Baltimore auto accident lawyers, each of our staff works to represent the victims of car collisions and the families of individual killed as a result of another person’s negligence. Whether an accident occurs in the District, Hagerstown, Frederick, Salisbury, or any of the dozens of towns and cities across the state, the human toll of a commercial truck wreck or passenger car collision can be just as devastating.

A story not long ago described a crash that involved only one car, but claimed the life of the driver. Although police were still investigating the incident at the time of the news story, authorities had already ruled out drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash. Defective equipment, such as a broken steering linkage or blown-out tire could have contributed to such an accident, but there was nothing stated in the article to indicate that this was the case.

According to news reports, a driver apparently lost control of his 2005 Nissan along a stretch of Interstate 95 in Beltsville, MD, which then led to a fatal Saturday morning wreck. Information provided by the Maryland State Police indicated that 30-year-old Davon Cruz died just after 8am when he reportedly lost control of his Maxima sedan.

The car was traveling south on I-95 near Powder Mill Road in Beltsville when for some reason it overturned and hit a light pole next to the highway. While it is more common to hear of sport utility vehicles, minivans and other passenger vehicles with high centers of gravity to experience a rollover situation, the results can be just as serious for the occupants of a sedan or economy car.

Head trauma, neck and spine injury, and broken bones are common injuries resulting from rollover crashes. In this case there was no reason stated for the events that precipitated the reported loss of control and subsequent rollover of the man’s vehicle.

When emergency rescue crews from Prince George’s County arrived at the crash site, police reports indicate that the driver had to be cut out of his crumpled vehicle. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other passengers in the car at the time of the accident, said police.

Fairfax man killed in crash on I-95 in Beltsville, Gazette.net, January 3, 2011

Most every family with small children has experienced the fear of seeing their child injured by an automobile. As kids grow up, and depending on the proximity of the public roads in the neighborhood, the chances of a youngster running or riding their bike into the street increases as those children become more mobile and curious.

As parents and grandparents, our job becomes even more serious when we leave the confines of our homes to take the kids on walks and other family outings. The danger of a pedestrian accident involving a small child is ever present once we step outside. As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, we hear about traffic collisions that involve grownups and youngsters alike.

A while back, a news article talked about a grandmother and her young grandson were hurt in a pedestrian-car accident while crossing a street near home. This type of traffic accident can easily result in death, and so this story has somewhat of a happy ending. But many survivors of pedestrian or bicycle traffic accidents can be months or years away from a full recovery.

Head, neck and spinal cord injuries are common, as are simple and compound fractures or internal injuries. Many times the cost of recovery can place extreme stress on a young family, especially if the victim was a primary breadwinner. In any case, it’s important to remember that crossing the street, even a so-called quiet neighborhood road can lead to tragic consequences if precautions are not taken in advance.

According to reports, that grandmother and young charge were crossing a street in Rockville, MD, around 7pm when they were hit by a passing car. Police reports indicate that the accident happened near the in intersection of Veirs Mill Rd and Atlantic Ave. The 60-year-old woman was reportedly pushing her 4-year-old grandson in a carriage but the two were apparently not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash.

The nearby intersection has a traffic light, which police said was green for the westbound vehicle that struck the two individuals. An eye witness sitting in her car in an adjacent parking lot said that she heard a noise, turned and saw the baby and its stroller being thrown into the air. Police said that the grandmother was also hit by the car during the crash.

The witness reportedly came to the aid of the victims, stating that the grandmother’s head was bleeding form the impact. According to the news article at the time, both the woman and her grandbaby were in stable condition having been taken to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries.

Grandmother and Grandchild Struck By Car in Rockville, MyFoxDC.com, December 14, 2010

Negligence comes in many guises. Most people usually think of a faceless driver who causes a car, pedestrian or motorcycle accident and hurts another individual. But sometimes a negligent act can come someone other than a stranger. As personal injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys for Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area, I and my colleagues work to help victims of traffic wrecks and other types of serious injury accidents.

A negligent driver can be one who drinks and drives, or while speeding hits another car or commercial vehicle and kills or injures the occupants of the second vehicle; similarly, negligence can take the form of a driver who is responsible for the safety of his passengers and fails to exercise proper precautions and in doing so causes an auto accident that injures the occupants of his or her own vehicle.

Not long ago, a minivan was hit by a Norfolk and Southern freight train at a Fruitland railroad crossing in Wicomico County. According to a news article, three of the van’s passengers were seriously hurt when the collision occurred at the Rte 13 and Cedar Ln crossing just prior to 7pm. The motor vehicle was caught and dragged nearly 500 yards down the tracks before coming to rest.

In the wake of the crash, emergency responders arrived from the Fruitland Volunteer and Salisbury 16 fire companies to lend aid to the victims, all of who survived the ordeal -- lucky for all since such train-auto accidents have been known to kill the driver and/or passengers of the smaller motor vehicle. The force of the train-car accident trapped the occupants in the Chrysler minivan until rescue personnel could cut them out of the damaged vehicle.

Police reports indicated that nobody was injured on the freight train, which was reportedly pulling about a dozen railcars, including a couple propane tankers and several carloads of stone. At the time of the article, police and railroad officials were still conducting an investigation of the collision. There was no indication at the time whether or not the accident was a result of driver error, outright negligence or defective vehicle or railroad safety equipment, however, investigators were trying to discern whether or not there was a malfunction in the caution signals at railroad crossing prior to the accident.

3 injured in Fruitland train, car collision, DelmarvaNow.com, January 7, 2011

Tragedies still abound in our modern world and despite our desire to be in control of our destiny from one day to the next there are situations that arise -- traffic crashes, for example -- that seem beyond our ability to avoid certain fateful events. As Maryland auto accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we empathize with those whose lives are interrupted, sometimes violently as a result of another person’s negligence or thoughtless actions.

Highway collisions and rural road mishaps between automobiles or commercial vehicles can turn a normal day into a milestone of pain and suffering. Fatal car, truck and motorcycle wrecks do not discriminate between young or old, rich or poor. These events are random, yet not unusual. But one common thread is the havoc these accidents can wreck on an individual’s life and that of his or her family.

Not long ago, a 52-year-old father and his six-year-old boy were killed in a crash along a darkened stretch of Rte 50 in Bowie, MD, when their 2002 Hyundai smashed into an abandoned vehicle apparently sitting in the roadway. According to news reports, Joseph Hein and his young son, Mikey, were headed eastbound on a Friday evening around 9:30pm when the accident occurred. Based on police reports, as the Hyundai was approaching Rte 301, it ran into a 2004 Cadillac SRX that had no headlamps or taillamps operating.

Police said that the Caddy was a reportedly stolen vehicle out of Prince George's County. At the time of the news report, it was unclear if anyone was in the Cadillac when the collision happened, however State Troopers reportedly picked up two men walking not far from the scene of the crash site and took them into custody.

When emergency responders arrived at the site of the car crash, both the father and son were apparently in critical condition. The father was transported to the trauma unit at Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly, but the man was pronounced dead a short time later. The little boy was taken to Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he died two days later after doctors took the child off of life support. According to the news article, the boy’s various organs, including his heart, were donated to 14 other children in need of life-saving transplants.

Kent Island father, son killed in crash, HometownAnnapolis.com, January 11, 2011

A head-on collision and subsequent multi-car crash along Marley Neck Boulevard in Glen Burnie sent four individuals to the hospital in what police believe was a case of reckless driving. As a Maryland personal injury attorney, even I am shocked at the number of highway accidents and traffic deaths attributed to reckless or aggressive driving. Not only are the actions of the motorists who cause such crashes appalling, but these kinds of incidents should never happen in the first place.

In situations where a person has been killed due to thoughtlessness or outright negligence on the part of another driver, my heart goes out to the family of the victim. Any time someone dies due to careless or reckless operation of a passenger car, commercial truck or motorcycle, motor vehicle, there is a possibility of a wrongful death lawsuit. In such cases, consideration must be made for the emotional suffering of the victim’s family, as well as financially, especially when the victim may have been the sole breadwinner for a young family.

In a recent news article, we saw that a 21-year-old motorist was apparently driving recklessly prior to a terrible car collision in Anne Arundel County. According to police reports, Patrick Ryan Galliher was driving a Mercury Cougar in what police described as a reckless manner when his vehicle crossed the centerline and hit a Toyota Corolla head-on.

Prior to the wreck, which occurred on a Saturday afternoon, Galliher’s vehicle had been observed passing other vehicles in the moments leading up to the head-on crash with the car of Saulius Kasiulionis, 36. In a chain reaction, the Corolla was struck by a Nissan Murano following behind, as well as a Mercedes sport utility vehicle.

The force of the crash caused Galliher to be ejected from the Mercury; police said that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. Emergency responders arriving on the scene transported him to Maryland Shock Trauma where he was listed in serious but stable condition at the time of the news report.

Continue reading " Baltimore Car Injury News: Reckless Driving Suspected Injury Accident in Anne Arundel County " »

Driver error appears to be the cause of a fatal traffic accident in Waldorf, MD, when a local woman turned left in front of another passenger car on a stretch of Rte 5. According to Maryland State Police, 80-year-old Mary Gertrude Wade Chandler was reportedly attempting to turn her Chevy Cavalier from the southbound side of Rte 5 onto Gallant Green Rd just after 4pm in the afternoon.

In the process, Chandler apparently failed to yield right-of-way to an oncoming northbound Olds Aurora carrying four individuals. Chandler was critically injured as a result of the car crash and was taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center where she later died of her injuries.

The other people in the Oldsmobile received injuries that were not life-threatening. The driver, 37-year-old Jennifer Rae Snyder of St. Mary’s County, MD, and her three passengers were likely treated by emergency responders at the scene before they were taken by ambulance to Civista Medical Center. All three were minors were riding in the rear seat of the Olds at the time of the wreck. They included two boys -- 10- and 14-years-old -- and a 13-year-old girl, all riding in the back seat, according to police reports.

While the elderly driver in this instance appears to have made some sort of judgment error, which caused the crash, there are times where a mechanical problem has been known to have resulted in collision. In such cases, a products liability suit has sometimes been brought against a third party, but this must be based on the facts coming out of a traffic accident and subsequent police investigation of the potential cause or causes.

Woman, 80, dies in car accident, SoMDNews.com, December 31, 2010

Automobile-pedestrian accidents can happen to almost anyone on foot near vehicle traffic. Every year thousands of people are injured or killed all around the country by passenger cars, commercial delivery trucks and other motor vehicles. Being related to famous or well-known individuals apparently are not immune to the tragic results of a pedestrian traffic accidents.

Just yesterday the nephew of Tibet’s Dalai Lama was struck and killed in an out-of-state pedestrian accident. Such collisions can result in serious and, as in this case, fatal injuries such as broken bones, internal injuries and bleeding, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage.

As Maryland and Washington, D.C., personal injury attorneys, we know that even in incidents where a victim survives a deadly car, truck or motorcycle crash, there can be weeks or months of medical treatment, corrective surgeries and physical therapy needed to return the person back to something close to normal functioning. Sadly, only a lucky few escape such violent accidents with little or no medical complications.

In the case of, 45-year-old Jigme Norbu, emergency responders arriving at the site of the Monday night crash pronounced the Tibetan rights advocate dead at the scene. According to news reports, the Valentine’s Day accident happened along a stretch of Florida highway during one of Norbu’s numerous long walks organized to raise awareness of the Tibetan struggle for independence from neighboring China.

Norbu was reportedly walking south with his back to traffic along the highway’s white line. The walk was part of “Walk for Tibet” that was to cover 300 miles from St. Augustine south to West Palm Beach. The activist was hit from behind by a passenger vehicle driven by 31-year-old Keith O'Dell. O’Dell had his five-year-old sin riding with him in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Reports indicate that the area in which the fatal accident occurred was not well lit; there was no mention of whether Norbu was wearing reflective clothing but according to a local resident, that area is pitch black after dark.

At the time of the news reports, police had not charged O’Dell with any violations in connection with the crash. Both the driver and his young son were uninjured as a result of the traffic accident.

Tibetan center prays for Dalai Lama nephew, OrlandoSentinel.com, February 15, 2011

As of the New Year, the minimum liability coverage required by Maryland law for bodily injury in case of a traffic collision has been increased for every Maryland vehicle owners. The rise in bodily injury liability coverage coincides with the ever-increasing cost of medical treatment. As Baltimore auto accident attorneys, we can understand how the price of medical care has continued to rise year after year.

According to news reports, 2011 sees the minimum levels of liability protection, which automobile insurance policies sold in Maryland must have for bodily injury, rise by 50 percent. New policies written in 2011, as well as current policies renewed going forward, must now provide for at least a minimum of $30,000 for bodily injury liability for one person injured as a result of a car crash; and a minimum of $60,000 for two or more individuals injured in a traffic collision. This minimum bodily injury liability requirement will be known as “30/60 coverage.” The previous minimums were $20,000 and $40,000, respectively.

While the newly raised minimum coverage requirements might be expected to hit every Maryland policy holder in the form of increased insurance premiums, according to reports not all motorists will be see an increase in monthly payments. According to news articles, only those drivers with so-called “barebones” police coverage should expect to feel an increase in premiums.

Apparently, for the average auto accident policy holder the cost of these higher coverage minimum tends to be relatively low, this according to in order to National Association of Insurance Commissioners. As a comparison, the state of Texas raised its minimums from 25/50 to 30/60 -- a smaller percentage increase than Maryland motorists will see -- however, that state’s insurance commissioners say policy holders will likely only see a two to three percent increase in their premiums.

Maryland Auto Insurance Minimums Increase, OnlinePRNews.com, January 12, 2011

Responsibility for injury accidents can take many forms. For traffic collisions, automobile and trucking-related wrecks the focus is usually on the driver who allegedly caused the accident to occur in the first place. But as many have noticed, news articles and television stories abound with references to bars and restaurants that may have over-served a patron prior to that person getting into a drunken driving-related car crash.

As a Maryland auto accident lawyer and Washington, D.C. personal injury attorney, I have seen instances where a third party may have contributed in some way to a car, commercial truck or motorcycle collision. While personal responsibility is certainly a laudable trait, as consumers and patients we rely on and expect other professionals to provide us with safe products and advice.

A news article that we ran across recently speaks to the growing problem of medications being over-prescribed by some healthcare professionals. Based on that article, doctors who prescribe frequently-abused drugs are facing more and more scrutiny. Considering the number of drug DUI arrests that take place every year, this sounds like a good idea.

The article in question describes one case in which a 30-year-old patient apparently told his physician that he lost his prescriptions for Valium and Percocet on more than one occasion. One time, according to the author, the man said that his pills were scattered across the roadway following a car accident. On another, the same patient was apparently re-prescribed the identical medication after he told his doctor that his initial prescription was “no good” and that he had “returned” the defective meds to the pharmacy. In another instance, the man’s wife called the doctor saying that the couple’s home had been searched by “the authorities” hnd that the medication turned up missing following the visit.

Continue reading " Baltimore Auto Injury News: State and Local Authorities Focus on Over-prescribing of Medication " »

As we have said numerous times before, auto, truck and motorcycle accidents can happen almost anywhere, anytime. Car-pedestrian accidents while generally fewer can also occur randomly, although fatal crosswalk and bus stop accidents are probably the most common. But people have been hit by cars while standing on the sidewalk, walking through a parking lot or even while visiting a local business.

As a Maryland personal injury attorney, I fully understand the severity of such pedestrian accidents and how they can impact a family, not only in cases of tragic and fatal automobile wrecks, but also in terms of pedestrian-car injury accidents where the victim is left with multiple medical complications due as a result of another individual’s negligence.

Broken bones can be the least of one’s problems following a collision between a car or truck and a pedestrian. Spinal damage and brain trauma can cause long-term physical and cognitive issues, with loss of motor skills and trouble with memory that can make an independent and so-called normal life virtually impossible.

Not long ago, an employee at the Flagship Carwash in Rockville was killed when a customer’s 1998 Jeep driven by another attendant, Julio Cesar Coreas-Portillo, reportedly went out of control and crushed the man to death. The accident took the life of Gavino Euseda, 48, and critically injured a second employee, Oscar Eusebio, 44.

The accident happened on a Wednesday afternoon around 5:30pm. At the time of the news articles, it was still unknown if the accident was caused by driver error, mechanical defect, or some other factor; and Rockville Police had yet to press any charges against the 27-year-old Coreas-Portillo in connection with the tragic crash.

According to news reports, the crash was somewhat similar to another incident that occurred at the same location back in August 2009. At that time, according to reports, a customer’s Ford SUV apparently needed $10,000 in repairs after one of the carwash’s employees drove it out the facility’s rear exit and up an embankment all without braking or coming to a stop. The customer told a reporter that the vehicle left the carwash lot, sped across an adjoining vacant lot and almost ended up on some nearby train tracks following the episode.

Incident At Flagship Carwash Not The First, MyFoxDC.com, December 30, 2010

Police Search For Cause of Fatal Carwash Accident, MyFoxDC.com, December 31, 2010

A head-on traffic accident with a semi tractor-trailer along Interstate 70 killed a Damascus, MD, woman early on a Wednesday morning. Police investigating the car-truck collision believe that drinking and driving may have been the cause of the woman using the wrong exit and allegedly driving against traffic on the highway.

The accident reportedly occurred sometime before 3am shortly after Jennifer Shankle Owen’s 2005 Acura entered the interstate from Md. 85 via and exit ramp. The 49-year-old’s vehicle then traveled in an easterly direction in the westbound lanes, this according to eye witness reports provided by police. The Acura was eventually hit head-on by an 18-wheeler operated by 53-year-old Gregory Heavener.

Police and emergency personnel responded to the crash scene at around 2:45am. Based on news articles, Owen was pronounced dead at the scene; her body was transported to the Baltimore medical examiner’s office to undergo autopsy. According to police, the trucker was unhurt following the crash.

Drinking and driving was apparently a factor in the fatal accident, according to police. This particular collision was reportedly the second fatal wreck to have occurred in Frederick County over a three-day period in which alcohol allegedly played a part, said police. The previous accident involved a 31-year-old man who died on Md. 80 after his vehicle crossed the centerline of the roadway and collided with another passenger vehicle.

Damascus woman killed in I-70 crash, FrederickNewspost.com, December 9, 2010

A 20-year-old Maryland man died after he apparently lost control of the vehicle he was driving and then crashing into a house along a stretch of Rte 103. Although there was no specific cause given by police at the time of news report, accidents like this can sometimes be the result of defective vehicle equipment such as a faulty steering or braking system.

As Maryland auto accident lawyers, I and my colleagues represent victims of car and motorcycle accidents, as well as victims’ families in cases where a collision results in the death of the driver or occupants. Single-car accidents like the one discussed here can range from minor injuries, such as cuts and bruises, to serious injuries, like compound fractures, internal injuries and spine/head trauma.

According to police, the man who died was a resident of Elkridge, MD. Bryan Thomas Bolster, who apparenlty died at the scene of the accident, was reportedly the only occupant of a BMW he was operating, which left the roadway a little before 11pm and hit a house. The force of the wreck caused the car to burst into flames, which then spread to the house, catching the structure on fire as well.

Based on news reports, eye witnesses described the crash to police saying that Bolster’s vehicle was apparently going at a high rate of speed along Montgomery Rd, also known as Rte 103. Once it left the road, the BMW hit the front porch of the home, in which there were two occupants. Those people and their pets were able to exit the building safely following the crash.

Local residents reportedly stated that accidents in that particular area were not so uncommon. According to authorities, Bolster had pleaded guilty to speeding violations twice in the past.

Driver Killed in Crash Friday Was 20-Year-Old From Elkridge, Patch.com, December 12, 2010