Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

As a Baltimore automobile and trucking accident lawyer, I understand how easily a car crash can happen. Whether one is traveling on a city street in Annapolis, Washington, D.C., or Rockville, or if you are on the Beltway, even the simplest of mistakes or driving errors can result in a serious injury accident. As a motorist myself, I know that obeying our traffic laws is one way to help avoid the effects of a tragic car wreck.

Unfortunately, there are drivers among us who for one reason or another choose to tempt fate and drive in a less than safe manner. Exceeding the posted speed limit, weaving in and out of traffic, or driving without regard to the safety of other motorists can lead to a bad traffic wreck involving one or many vehicles. An aside here, some motorists are at higher risk when they become caught up in a traffic accident, namely motorcycle riders, due to less protection against bodily injury.

In any event, aggressive driving of almost any kind can not only precipitate a serious collision, but can also exacerbate the effects of a crash. From compound fractures of the arms and legs, to internal bleeding and closed-head injuries, a high-speed accident can surely result in serious medical complications, and sometimes even death. Some argue that surviving a motor vehicle accident may be worse, especially in cases where spinal cord damage occurs, leaving the victim paralyzed sometimes for life.

A news article pointed out the extreme downside of aggressive driving. Sadly for one Dundalk resident, her haste one evening on the Beltway apparently resulted in her own death. The only fortunate thing that can be said is nobody else was seriously injured as a result of that woman’s actions.

Continue reading " Maryland Injury News: Aggressive Driving Cited in Fatal Car Crash that Killed Baltimore County Woman " »

You won’t find any argument from us; when it come to aggressive driving -- whether its road rage, joy riding or illegal midnight drag races on public roads -- fatal accidents resulting from unlawful driving behavior can only be viewed is negligence of the worst kind. Willful disregard for the safety of ones passengers, other motorists and innocent bystanders cannot be tolerated in a civil society.

Traffic laws are put in place primarily for the safety and well-being of all those who share the road. Whether one drives a passenger car, motorcycle, delivery truck or 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig, it’s all to easy under normal circumstances to become involved in a highway collision or rural traffic wreck. Injecting high-speed, sometimes alcohol-related street racing or other illegal vehicle operation only invites disaster.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues know that tragedy is just one mistake away when motor vehicles are involved. Even under “normal” driving conditions a typical crash can lead to serious injuries for the driver and passenger. Add to that highway speeds and heavier vehicles, like a commercial truck, and you’re looking at the potential for traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage and possibly death.

A recent news article showed that there is justice, even though nothing can ever bring back a loved one killed in a senseless auto wreck. Such was the situation when a court pronounced a verdict of guilty in the case of the fatal drag-racing deaths of two spectators back in 2009.

According to court records, 27-year-old Donneil Raeburn was found guilty of two counts of vehicular homicide, as well as reckless driving, failure to control his vehicle’s speed and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Raeburn was also injured when he lost control of his Chevy and struck two pedestrians and during an illegal early-morning drag race along a stretch of I-70.

Police reports had indicated that the defendant’s blood-alcohol content (BAC) was over two times the legal limit in Maryland; the measurement was made several hours after the incident. The man could get up to 20 years in prison for his part in the fatal crash.

The victims, 20-year-old Jonathan Henderson, and 21-year-old Mary-Kathryn Abernathy were reportedly struck from behind by Raeburn’s Impala. The force of the crash caused terrible bodily injuries to both pedestrians, inflicting a range of wounds including massive head injuries and internal bleeding from torn aortas. No date for final sentencing was given at the time of the news article.

Guilty verdict in drag-racing deaths of two people, BaltimoreSun.com, April 1, 2011

We’ve stated in this space before that Maryland’s pedestrians and bicyclists are typically put in dangerous circumstances when crossing roadways in major metropolitan areas such as Frederick, the District, Bowie and Hagerstown. Given the densely populated nature of our state and surrounding cities and towns, it should come as no surprise that persons on foot or cycling tend to be hit by cars and delivery trucks more often than people in other states.

As Baltimore personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, we frequently read of innocent victims being killed or maimed by vehicular traffic across our state. Similarly, pedestrians in the Washington, D.C., areas are no strangers to traffic collisions, many of which can cause serious injuries including broken arms and legs, cuts and deep lacerations, internal bleeding and closed head trauma.

What’s heartening is that more and more people are waking up to the inherent dangers that confront citizens on a daily basis. According to a news article, a campaign was initiated not long ago that seeks to protect pedestrians and cyclists from automobile and trucking-related accidents in D.C. We can certainly hope that such an effort will also net positive results here in Baltimore and elsewhere across the state.

The statistics are staggering. As reported, on average three people every day are hit by a car or commercial truck in our nation’s capital. Also alarming is that more than 80 pedestrians and bicycle riders were killed in car-pedestrian traffic collisions on D.C., Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland roads during 2010. A sobering thought the next time you find yourself crossing the street in this part of the country.

The campaign now afoot to help protect pedestrians and bicycle riders is apparently in reaction to the distressing rise in pedestrian accidents. According to news articles, the total number of bicyclists and walkers who where hit by motor vehicles in 2010 was up by a shocking 25 percent over 2009 figures.

Continue reading " Maryland Auto Accident News: Efforts in Washington, D.C., May Improve Traffic Safety of Pedestrians, Cyclists " »

Although a person’s chances of being killed in a car crash are less than the odds of an individual being severely injured as a result of an automobile collision, it’s a fact that thousands of people die in traffic accidents every year in the U.S. In cities like Annapolis, Rockville, Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C., fatal motor vehicle wrecks make up a definite percentage of all highway accidents.

While being injured or killed in a multi-car pileup is not uncommon, there are situations where a driver or passenger can die in a single-vehicle crash. When a passenger dies in a one-car wreck, the circumstances may call for an investigation, which can ultimately lead to a wrongful death lawsuit on the victim’s behalf.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers and practicing auto accident attorneys, we understand the heartache associated with a fatal traffic accident. Families of victims experience a huge loss, emotionally and financially, when the main breadwinner is killed as a result of another driver’s negligence. Nothing can truly make a family whole after such a devastating loss, but with medical bills and lost wages, a grieving family needs all of the help it can get.

Alcohol use is one of the possible factors in car, motorcycle and commercial trucking accidents. Not long ago, a resident of Middle River, MD, died as a result of a single-vehicle wreck that police believe was caused, at least in part, by drinking and driving. Based on news reports, the crash occurred in Baltimore County near the intersection of Honeygo and Ebenezer in Perry Hall.

According to police reports, two men where traveling in an Audi TT just before 2am when for some reason the vehicle left the roadway and struck a light post. Baltimore County police officers arriving on the scene found the victim, 23-year-old Greg Fuller, dead on the ground -- he apparently had been thrown from the car on impact.

The driver, 23-year-old Jonathan Henry, a Perry Hall resident, had received a head injury as a result of the collisions and was transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. No other cars were involved in the crash and police were still investigating the accident at the time of the news article.

Based on police reports at the time, the crash may have been caused by a combination of drunken driving and speeds exceeding the posted limit for that stretch of road. As a result, the driver was charged with several drunk driving-related offenses, according to one of Baltimore County’s police detectives.

Middle River Man Killed in Accident at Ebenezer and Honeygo in Perry Hall, Patch.com, March 18, 2011

If it seems that there have been a lot of auto-pedestrian traffic accidents these days, you wouldn’t be wrong. And for anyone living in Baltimore, Annapolis, the District or Rockville, it should come as no surprise at all that our city streets are veritable killing fields when it comes to persons on foot or riding bicycles. This is only a guess, but these serious and sometimes deadly pedestrian collisions are only going to get worse before people really sit up and take notice.

As Maryland automobile and trucking accident attorneys, we’re continually dismayed by the number of fatal and near-fatal car, truck and motorcycle accidents in this state. Folks hurt or killed while traveling on foot have sadly become just another column in the sad tally of traffic wrecks across Maryland. A smaller, but no less important group, would be those individuals struck by hit-and-run drivers.

Scanning the various news sources recently, we saw an article detailing yet another in a string of these hit-and-run accidents that have killed another of Maryland’s residents. This particular incident took place in Charles County, where a 57-year-old LaPlata man lost his life to an apparently thoughtless and negligent driver.

According to reports, police were still looking for a late 1990s full-size Ford pickup truck or SUV with a gray-colored front grille that has been damaged along with the vehicle’s passenger-side headlamp area. The crash occurred along a stretch of Rte 6, not far from Perry Rd., as the victim, Darrel Sallie, was walking westbound and apparently struck from behind by an unknown vehicle. Police reports indicated that the driver of the suspect vehicle did not remain at the scene nor did anyone report a pedestrian crash at that location.

Charles County sheriff’s department officials carrying out the investigation were unsure as to the exact time of the deadly traffic collision, but stated that the victim was last seen around 8pm on a Thursday evening. Police found the man’s body just after 11am the next morning after receiving a report of a man lying near the roadway.

Pronounced dead at the scene, Sallie’s body was transported to Maryland’s Medical Examiner’s office in Baltimore for an autopsy, according to police reports.

Cops seeking driver in pedestrian killing, SoMDNews.com, March 30, 2011

Vehicular homicide is a very serious charge, compounded in some cases by a additional charges of drinking and driving or driving under the influence of prescription medication or illegal drugs. In such cases, it’s conceivable that the family of the victim may bring a wrongful death civil suit against the individual for their negligent actions in the death of the family’s loved one.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we have seen the progression of litigation, from the initial traffic accident to courtroom. With the cost of medical care these days, a tragic automobile or trucking wreck can place extreme financial stress on the victim’s family, especially in cases of long-term physical injury, permanent disability and other life-long and life-altering conditions.

Last month, a U.S. District Court jury found 23-year-old motorist guilty of killing her friend, Ashley Roberta, and injuring Washington, D.C., soccer player Charlie Davies in an October 2009 single-vehicle traffic accident. According to news articles, Maria A. Espinoza pled guilty late last year to charges of involuntary manslaughter as well as maiming while driving in an intoxicated state prior to the deadly crash.

The accident occurred in the early morning hours after the three friends left a nightclub in the District. Based on court records, the three individuals got into an Infiniti FX35 with Espinoza at the wheel and headed south along the George Washington Memorial Pkwy. Espinoza was reportedly unfamiliar with the area and apparently wasn’t certain how to get to the road and how to get to Davies’s hotel in Crystal City, according to court documents.

Using a GPS device to find the hotel, Espinoza missed an exit; while looking away from the road to recalculate their route, the defendant apparently lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and hit a guardrail. The force of the collision reportedly split the vehicle in two; the rear of the Infiniti rolled down a 17-foot embankment, fatally injuring Roberta who died at the scene.

Continue reading " Baltimore Injury News: Maryland Woman Gets 2 Years in Prison for Fatal Drunken Driving Crash " »

Roadside traffic accidents. If they can happen to a state trooper, you’d better believe the same can happen to any one of us. While police and emergency responders put their lives on the line when answering emergency calls following an automobile or commercial truck accident, it's important to remember that the biggest threat they face is the other vehicles traveling past the scene of the collision.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know how extensive a car-pedestrian traffic collision can be. The human body is no match for a 3000-pound sedan or minivan, not to mention a commercial delivery truck or city bus. That’s why many people hit by a motor vehicle end up either dying or being critically injured and facing months or even years of physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Concussions, closed-head injuries, spinal cord damage and broken bones are a few of the more serious injuries experienced by victims of pedestrian traffic accidents. As we mentioned above, police and fire department rescue personnel are exposed to these dangers on a fairly regular basis. Whether you live in Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Rockville or the District, pedestrian accidents are a common occurrence in this area.

According to a news article, one law enforcement officer narrowly escaped certain injury and possible death when he realized a vehicle was about to crash into him during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 95. Based on news accounts, a 27-year-old rookie trooper jumped over barrier to avoid being hit by an allegedly drunk driver who unexpectedly veered onto the shoulder and hit the officer’s cruiser.

Trooper Thaddeus Allen, who served two tours in Iraq as an Army infantryman, was on duty in the early morning hours of a Friday when the accident occurred. Taught that a police officer’s most dangerous enemy is the traffic on the road, Allen was with a field training officer, Trooper Elix Gerber, when the automobile crash took place.

According to reports, the driver who nearly hit Allen was 27-year-old Scott Schawrtz from Baltimore who was operating a Ford Taurus at a little after 1am when the collision happened.

Continue reading " Baltimore Accident News: State Trooper Avoids Being Hit by Drunken Driver in Prince George’s County " »

Any time a vehicle rolls over following a multiple-vehicle traffic collision or single-car wreck, the occupants of that car, minivan or SUV could be injured in a number of ways. Besides being thrown against numerous hard surfaces within the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle as it rolls, occupants have been known to be ejected during such a crash event.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers representing victims of serious traffic accidents, I and my colleagues know that half of all deaths in rollover vehicle crashes are the result of a person being thrown from the vehicle. Rollovers are rather common with sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) as well as large, 15-passenger vans, mainly due to these vehicles’ higher centers of gravity. But even smaller passenger cars have been known to roll over given the right circumstances.

In any case, it is well known that a vehicle’s occupants are much more likely to be killed or seriously injured if they are ejected from the car or truck during a crash. This is because of the much higher chances that a person will come in contact with a hard object, which can result in traumatic brain or spinal injuries, paralysis, internal bleeding and multiple fractures.

A recent news article described a two-car traffic wreck along a stretch of Interstate 95 that sent two people to the hospital. According to reports, a Honda Accord and a Mazda collided together near the I-895 interchange around the border of Baltimore and Howard counties. According to Maryland State Police, the accident was reported at a little before noon on a Thursday morning.

Based on police reports, the cause of the crash was not known at the time of the news article, however, initial reports indicated that one of the vehicles overturned as a result of the crash. The driver and passenger riding in the Honda were attended to by emergency responders before being taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after a Thursday morning collision near the Baltimore-Howard County line. The Mazda’s driver was reportedly uninjured, according to state police.

No mention was made of whether the accident was caused by human error or as a result of defective vehicle equipment, such as faulty steering system components or a blown tire. Police investigators were apparently still looking into the crash at the time fo the news article.

Vehicle Overturns on I-95, Sends Two to Shock Trauma, Patch.com, March 3, 2011

Many vehicle accidents happen for reasons not initially understood. Although driver error is many times to blame, other factors such as bad weather conditions, improper signage or a poorly-designed roadway can contribute to a serious car, truck or motorcycle accident. When fault is found with a driver, numerous reasons are possible including impairment due to alcohol or improper prescription drug use, drowsy driving, distracted driving due to cellphone operation, or medical emergency, as well as others.

As Baltimore car accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, our job is to find evidence of negligence on a driver’s part that may have led to a collision that injured another individual. In instances of a fatal wreck, there is always the possibility of a wrongful death lawsuit depending on the circumstances and facts specific to that case. Occasionally, an accident is caused by failure of a critical automotive component, such as a steering tierod, brake system part, poorly maintained tires, or a damaged suspension component, among others.

Not long ago, 69-year-old Ray S. Linebaugh died in a collision with a Megabus parked on the shoulder along a stretch of I-70. Linebaugh, a Hagerstown resident and former head of the Joint Veterans Council of Washington County, was reportedly driving westbound on the freeway when for some reason his pickup truck veered across the median and entered the opposing traffic lanes near the Big Pool exit.

Based on police reports, Linebaugh’s vehicle careened into the disabled bus as it was parked on the roadside awaiting for a repair vehicle and second bus to transfer the passengers. Linebaugh was declared dead at the scene, while several other people who were passengers on the bus received minor injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Police reported that another vehicle carrying a woman and her two children crashed as the driver attempted to avoid the out-of-control pickup truck as it crossed the eastbound lanes. The mother and kids also received injuries as a result of the incident and were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Continue reading " Washington County, MD, Accident News: Hagerstown Man Killed in Multi-car Crash on Interstate 70 " »

Car accidents take the lives of pedestrians and bicyclists all too frequently on Maryland roadways. Compared to accidents between passenger cars and commercial vehicles, a person on foot has little defense against a two-ton motor vehicle. Pedestrian accidents, a common occurrence in cities like Frederick, Rockville and Hagerstown, can result in broken bones, internal injuries and head trauma.

As Maryland injury lawyers, I and my colleagues have seen the heartbreaking results of a serious pedestrian-car crash. Sadly, Maryland cities may be some of the more dangerous metropolitan areas for persons on foot. As alluded to previously, occupants of passenger cars have much more protection available to them, which can make a big difference in cases of collisions with larger motor vehicles.

When it comes to pedestrian safety, one Maryland columnist feels that Vegas is a better bet than most any city in this state. Based on an article in the Baltimore Sun, a visitor to “Sin City” saw that drivers out west may make more of an effort to give folks in crosswalks the right of way. On the flip side, jaywalkers are not tolerated in the gambling capital of the U.S. In fact, it’s rare to see a local resident crossing against a light, which may indicate how aggressively the local police enforce pedestrian traffic laws.

According to the author, Maryland just may be “anti-Vegas.” In what the writer refers to as a dysfunctional relationship between drivers and people on foot, crosswalks in Baltimore and other cities offer pedestrians some of the most dangerous places to walk in a metro area.

For those who question the author’s feeling on this subject, he cites a safety report that indicates Maryland is one of a handful of states that has the highest percentage of pedestrian fatalities -- of all fatal traffic accidents, over 20 percent of those deaths involve pedestrians. Not surprisingly, the District also ranks in the top four, which show a pedestrian fatality rate of greater than two deaths per 100,000 residents annually.

Based on traffic accident statistics, in the years since 1999, between 91 and 116 persons on foot have died annually in this state. Some argue that Maryland's excessively high death rate among pedestrians due to this state’s dense and highly urbanized geography. Experts also agree that cultural factors are also to blame. Comparing our state to California, these experts indicate that a person stepping off of a curb and into the roadway is more likely to see traffic come to a stop rather than whiz by.

Maryland has a pedestrian problem, BaltimoreSun.com, January 23, 2011

If you think that you and your family are safer on Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, D.C, streets -- thanks in part to those “eyes in the sky,” otherwise known as speed cameras -- you may be riding on false hope. Traffic safety takes many different guises and what our state and others legislate in the way of safety doesn’t always pan out. For anyone who has been involved in a serious car, motorcycle or trucking accident, the time for increased road safety is woefully late in coming.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my staff daily see the headlines and nightly news stories of drivers and passengers injured by the negligence of other motorists. From minor cuts and bruises to life-threatening head, neck and spinal trauma, a traffic collision can be devastating not only in terms of physical pain and life-long disability, but it also can destroy a family’s finances and its economic future.

Especially in these difficult times, the cost of medical care following a tragic car or motorcycle wreck can strip a family of its monetary safety net. Any rehabilitation after discharge from the hospital can also whittle away at a young family’s savings, causing the physical injures to be compounded by emotional ones.

All around the country, towns and cities have been placing speed cameras at intersections to catch motorists who flout the law. Unfortunately, while some may feel that these cameras reduce auto accidents by placing drivers in the spotlight, their effectiveness has been called into question. According to a recent news article, these remote video cameras have resulted in less speeding, but not reduced the number of automobile and truck accidents.

Here in Baltimore County, authorities placed 15 speed cameras around the area in 2009; locating them in school zones in an attempt to cut speeding and reduce accidents at the same time. However, a study released not long ago found that the in the first five months that the units were in operation, there was a dramatic drop in speeding tickets issued to drivers via these cameras -- for anyone who wonders, the cameras were programmed to detect and identify drivers who exceeded the speed limit by 12mph.

Continue reading " Maryland Traffic Safety and Automobile Accident News: Speed Cameras Not Effective in Reducing Car Crashes " »

Almost anyone who drives a car, SUV or commercial truck will have to admit that the safe operation of a motor vehicle is only complicated by the use of a cell phone. While texting has become a nationwide problem when it comes to traffic accidents, just holding a phone while trying to drive can easily cause a wreck. As Maryland personal injury lawyers and automobile accident attorneys, we understand how a moment’s lapse in concentration can lead to disaster.

Serious injuries can result from a collision between two cars, much less an accident involving a commercial delivery truck or 18-wheeler. Depending on the speed at the time of the accident, fatalities can also happen. So why invite disaster by using a cell phone and increasing the odds of being distracted at an inopportune moment? That is apparently what the Maryland state legislature has been mulling this year.

According to news articles covering the state’s General Assembly, a bill introduced a short while ago would punish those drivers who do not use the hands-free function on their cell phones any time that a vehicle is in motion on a public roadway. That includes sitting still in traffic or just waiting for a red light to change.

Based on reports, the bills aim to create as a primary offense the use of hand-held cellphones in a moving motor vehicle and make stoplight use illegal as well. This action is another in a string of legislation that seeks to close the large “loopholes” in current cellphone use laws and make it easier for police to enforcement prohibitions on cellphone use by motorists.

Hoping to amend laws that went into effect last October banning hand-held cell phone use while a vehicle is in motion, the new bill stipulates that cellphone use be illegal any time a car is in a “travel portion of a road.” It makes no distinction between talking while driving a moving vehicle or talking while a car is stopped at a traffic signal or stuck in traffic.

Continue reading " Maryland Traffic Safety News: Future Cell Phone Law Hopes to Reduce Car and Truck Accidents " »