Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

It’s true that even with extensive training, police officers can be taken by surprise by a traffic situation that results in bodily injury to that patrolman. Over the past several years police departments and law enforcement agencies have put in place safety-related policies for officers whose work is conducted almost exclusively on roadways, not far from high volumes of traffic.

But even with safety training and procedures, the potential still exists for an officer to be hit by a passing car, commercial truck or motorcycle. The message here, for those in the general public, would be to use extreme caution whenever you or a family member is stranded by the roadside with a car-related mechanical problem or other event. Fatal or severe injury is just a step away on Maryland’s highways and surface streets, where pedestrians and motor vehicles are in close proximity.

As Baltimore automobile and commercial truck accident lawyers, we represent individuals who have been hurt in a traffic accident or other kind of personal injury accident in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Whether a person is hurt in a roadway collision injuries can range from mild to severe, with some people being laid up in the hospital for weeks or months recovering from such problems as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, or trauma to internal organs.

Not long ago, a police officer was critically injured when she was thrown off an elevated roadway after her patrol car was struck by another passenger vehicle along a northbound stretch of Interstate 83 in the Baltimore area. According to reports, 27-year-old Officer Teresa Rigby fell more than 25 feet, landing on the hard concrete surface of a parking area below the highway. Eye witnesses said that they looked up after hearing screeching tires just in time to see the officer fall from the upper roadway.

Continue reading " Maryland Traffic Injury News: Baltimore Police Officer Sent to Hospital with Life-threatening Injuries Following Wreck " »

All manner of individuals travel Maryland’s roadways every day, each of them trusting in their own way that the drivers of all the other vehicles with whom they share the road are each paying attention and doing the right thing. As Baltimore personal injury lawyers and auto/trucking accident attorneys, we know of what we speak; traffic accidents do occur frequently on Maryland highways and surface streets. And these crashes, both minor and serious, happen to young and old, men and women; a traffic wreck is, in a word, indiscriminate when it comes to choosing its victims.

Of course, this does not mean that accidents happen without cause, it’s simply that the causes, which vary widely, can be the result of human error, poor roadway design, or even through mechanical defect. In cases where negligence is potentially the reason, that is when litigation is sometimes called for. Whether a car, truck or motorcycle wreck results in property damage, serious injury, or the death of another individual depends on the circumstances and occasionally the luck or lack thereof on the part of the various victims.

When a person operates a vehicle in a negligent or uncaring manner -- due to impairment, distraction, or reckless and aggressive driving -- that individual risks setting into motion events that can affect many innocent lives. There are countless news articles printed every day that detail the results of bad driving habits or just plain thoughtlessness. Whatever the cause, be it here in Baltimore, Rockville or the District, people are bound to be hurt or killed. The results can rock families and communities to their core, and cause the victims a lifetime of pain and discomfort.

Continue reading " Baltimore Automobile Injury Accident News: Charles County Driver Killed in Fatal Three-Car Traffic Wreck " »

It is sometimes hard to believe that thousands of people are killed in pedestrian accidents every year across this country. And the sad fact is that many of these deaths, at least those that were the result of another person’s negligence, could likely have been prevented. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff provide representation for the victims of automobile accidents and their families.

Pedestrian injury cases can arise when the driver of a motor vehicle hurts or fatally injures an individual on foot who may be traversing a roadway in a marked crosswalk, walking through a parking lot or occupying an area where cars and people share a common space.

Although individuals walking, running or jogging on sidewalks, park paths or marked pedestrian crosswalks must take proper precautions to insure their own safety, people can and are hit by commercial trucks and passenger cars at an alarming rate, especially in densely populated areas, such as Gaithersburg, Frederick and Washington, D.C.

While some people are killed outright in pedestrian-related traffic accidents, the majority of incidents result in a variety of injuries. These can range from “simple” cuts and bruises to more serious bodily injuries, such as broken arms, cracked ribs and compound fractures of the leg. In very severe cases, a victim of a car- or truck-pedestrian accident may suffer closed-head trauma or spinal damage, which may require months or years of rehabilitation at great cost.

A tragic pedestrian accident occurred in Baltimore not long ago, which sent two teenage girls to the hospital where they both subsequently died from their injuries. These sad deaths were precipitated by a hit-and-run driver who struck the two girls as they attempted to cross four of the southbound lanes of Baltimore’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. late on a Monday night. According to police reports, the girls were in a marked crosswalk a little before midnight when the two were hit by a passing motorist.

Based on new reports, the two teens and long-time friends were on their way to meet another friend just before 12am when a southbound vehicle hit the 16 and 17 year olds in the crosswalk at W. Pratt St. Police stated that the car then left the scene without stopping.

Continue reading " Maryland Pedestrian Accident Report: Two Teens Die in Hospital Following Fatal Baltimore Street Accident " »

Almost anyone can be hurt or killed in a traffic accident. That’s a sad fact of life in a densely populated state such as Maryland. Throw in the usual, and mostly preventable causes -- such as drinking and driving, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of prescription medication, driving while distracted, and even drowsy driving -- and you will find that more and more people are hurt or fatally injured in traffic accidents every day.

It’s unfortunate that most of the injuries caused by drunken drivers are usually sustained by the other victims, not the suspect. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues have seen the more tragic results of DWI and DUI accident cases, inlcuding serious traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and internal organ damage have been known to occur. The recovery time for individuals who receive serious or critical injuries in car, truck and motorcycle crashes can range from weeks to months, with full recovery not always achieved until years later for an unlucky few.

Just last month, a Harford County sheriff's deputy was seriously injured in the line of duty along a stretch of Rte 40 out in Joppa, MD. The accident, according to police reports, happened in the early morning hours on a Wednesday when an allegedly drunk driver went out of control and hit the Deputy Brad Sives who was stopped in his patrol car at the intersection of Routes 40 and 152.

Based on reports, the four-year sheriff's department veteran was waiting for the green signal when the collision occurred. According to news article, the accident happened after 2am when a late model Nissan 350Z driven by 21-year-old Kevin Johnstone of Edgewood, Maryland, was turning right onto westbound Rte 40 at what police described as a high rate of speed.

The driver of the sports car apparently lost control and hit the roadway’s median, which sent the vehicle into the air and impacting the left side of the patrol car. The force of the impact caused severely damaged the deputy’s vehicle which was shoved across the southbound travel lanes and onto the shoulder of Rte 152. The officer was reportedly trapped in his vehicle for nearly 45 minutes.

Emergency responders from Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company arrived on the scene and were able to extricate the Sives from the damage patrol car. After likely being treated at the crash site, the patrolman was flown via medevac helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore where he was admitted for treatment of apparently minor injuries. News reports indicate that the officer was released from the hospital later that same morning.

According to police reports, Johnstone had one passenger with him at the time of the crash. Police stated that both occupants of the Nissan were wearing safety belts and were apparently uninjured in the accident.

At the time of the news articles, Johnstone was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence per se, reckless and negligent driving, as well as failure to control his vehicle’s speed in order to avoid a collision. The suspect was still being held in Harford County’s Inter Agency Processing Center at the time of the reports.

Accident investigation and cleanup was still underway at the Rte 152/40 intersection several hours following the two-vehicle wreck. The roadway was reportedly reopened to vehicle traffic by 7:45am that same morning.

Suspected drunk driver crashes, injures Harford deputy, BaltimoreSun.com, June 15, 2011

Harford County Deputy Hit by Alleged Drunk Driver, Patch.com, June 15, 2011

As citizens of this state, we rely on our police, fire and other emergency responders to provide safety and security to the public as a whole. To us, even as Maryland personal injury lawyers, it is difficult to reconcile any connection of a public servant with a negligent act that injures or kills another individual. Being sworn to serve and protect is the basis of a police officer’s duty to the local citizenry.

With that said, however, we understand that human beings can and do make errors in judgment that impact the safety of others around them. As automobile, trucking and motorcycle accident attorneys, we understand how a potentially deadly scenario can develop quickly to the point that someone is seriously or fatally injured in a car or trucking-related wreck. Drinking and driving is one such instance when a supposedly competent and law-abiding individual can cause the death of another person without reason.

Not long ago, an off-duty Annapolis police officer was apparently involved in a fatal drunken driving accident, although the officer’s potential responsibility regarding the collision was still an open issue even months after the accident. According to police reports, 52-year-old Officer James Salyers allegedly had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.19 percent following a motor vehicle accident that killed a teenager from Glen Burnie.

The crash occurred on Potee Street in Brooklyn, MD, last October when a Cadillac CTS that Salyers was driving hit a Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle driven by 19-year-old Philip Dornberger III of Pasadena. The officer’s vehicle was reportedly traveling southbound at 71mph in a 40 zone and the force of the traffic accident caused the westbound Durango to spin out; during the event, 19-year-old Andrew Arnold-McCoy of Glen Burnie was thrown out of the left rear passenger window and onto the pavement.

Emergency rescue personnel arriving on the scene treated Arnold-McCoy who was then transported via ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Unfortunately, the man was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.

Continue reading " Maryland Car Accident News: Off-duty Annapolis Patrolman Implicated in Fatal Baltimore Drunken Driving Wreck " »

Reckless driving is one of the many causes of car and truck accidents throughout Maryland and the United States as a whole. Call it what you will; road rage, street racing, driving while angry, or just plain aggressive driving, this kind of behavior on public roads is the main ingredient of a recipe that can only serve up injury and potential death.

As personal injury lawyers serving the residents of Frederick, Baltimore, Hagerstown and Washington, D.C., we represent the victims of automobile accidents from all across the state. Besides so-called minor injuries such as superficial cuts, abrasions and bruises, many victims of traffic accidents can suffer more serious and life-threatening injuries like closed head trauma, damage to internal organs and spinal cord injuries.

Sadly, some victims die from their injuries even after they have reached a hospital. These people usually did nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and for that indiscretion they and their families pay the ultimate price. In such cases, a wrongful death claim against the negligent party is not out of the ordinary.

A little while ago, a Maryland teenager from Halethorpe, MD, was the subject of scrutiny when police indicated that the young man was allegedly racing with another vehicle along a southbound stretch of Ridge Rd in Anne Arundel County. According to police, 16-year-old Buck J. Benny ignored the pleas of his passengers to slow down during a Wednesday night drive home from Patapsco Valley State Park. The vehicle, a Plymouth Acclaim, was filled with a number of the teen’s friends and relatives, including a three-year-old toddler sitting on the lap of one occupant.

Continue reading " Anne Arundel Accident News: Reckless Driving Blamed in Single-Car Crash that Killed 3-Year-Old " »

It is understandable to think that personal responsibility is sadly lacking when we read of hit-and-run accidents in Rockville, the District, Hagerstown and Frederick. It is an unfortunate fact that some drivers do not take civic responsibility very seriously when they are the cause of an injury-related car wreck or commercial delivery truck accident. Raise the stakes, such as a fatal car, truck or motorcycle crash, and the likelihood of the same person running from the law increases substantially.

As Maryland auto and trucking accident lawyers, we hear about all kinds of serious traffic collisions in which the alleged negligent party leaves the scene of the crash. From the police department’s standpoint, this makes the charges against that driver all the more significant once that person is found and brought to justice.

In cases where a driver has caused harm to another individual, the victims or their families may seek to recover damages for injuries incurred as a result of the automobile or trucking-related roadway crash. In cases of death, it is not uncommon for the victim’s family to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible party. Of course, if that individual is still at large following a fatal or injury-related hit-and-run wreck, it is all the more difficult to gain restitution for a loss.

A news article a while back illustrated one of the possible scenarios that can occur following an automobile, commercial truck or motorcycle injury accident. In this particular case, the driver apparently fled the scene of the collision on foot, leaving his car and passengers to wait for police to arrive. According to reports, the Anne Arundel police department was searching for the suspect in Glen Burnie hit-and-run incident that left a female driver sustained serious injuries following a Sunday morning traffic accident.

Continue reading " Baltimore Auto Accident News: Driver Flees Scene of Serious Injury Accident in Glen Burnie, MD " »

There is nothing more wrenching for a family than to find out that a loved one has died in a tragic and fatal traffic accident. Individuals who lose their lives on Maryland roadways more often than not have died in vain and the surviving family members have little with which to console themselves save their memories of happier times. As Baltimore personal injury attorneys and automobile/truck accident lawyers, our thoughts go out to the victims and their families of these senseless and sometimes violent motor vehicle crashes.

Whether you live in Rockville, Annapolis, Gaithersburg or the District, you probably know a family who has been touched by tragedy. For some relative, the death of a close relative is sometimes not known for a day or two, and while this may be a rare occurrence for some, the interval between which a husband or wife last saw their spouse and when the authorities inform that family of the devastating news can be an eternity.

Depending on the circumstances of a fatal car, truck or motorcycle wreck, there is sometimes a chance that a wrongful death lawsuit may be brought against the negligent party. In cases where a person has died wrongfully at the hands of another motorist, the family can claim damages in the form of compensation for pain and suffering, not only for themselves but for the deceased relative, who may have suffered for days or weeks before dying from from injuries, such as life-threatening internal organ damage, severe head trauma or spinal cord damage, sustained as a direct result of the crash.

Continue reading " Maryland Personal Injury News: One Driver Dies in Fatal Baltimore-Washington Pkwy Two-car Collision " »

A head-on traffic accident can be one of the most severe roadway collisions that can happen to a family sedan or minivan. The deadly effects of this kind of car wreck is that the force of the impact is usually about twice what it would be if one moving car or truck hit another stationary vehicle.

The effective speed of the crash is the combined speeds of both vehicles -- that is, if two vehicles traveling at 50mph in opposite directions collide head-on, the force of the collision would be similar to one vehicle hitting a parked car at 100mph. This is significant in anybody’s book.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues have experience representing the victims of traffic accidents here in Baltimore and elsewhere, including Washington, D.C. Head-on collisions are so violent that they can typically be fatal to one or more occupants of either vehicle.

In the case of a semi tractor-trailer running head-on into a passenger car, it is almost like the car hits a brick wall, due to the huge amount of mass represented by a commercial truck. And, we won’t even talk about the deadly results of a commercial delivery truck hitting a motorcycle, as bikers have very little protection to begin with and even a helmet cannot ensure one’s survival in a head-on collision along a country road.

Continue reading " Two People Sent to Maryland Shock Trauma following Head-on Traffic Accident in Bel Air " »

These days parents entrust the safety and well-being of their kids to friends and family with the understanding that these people will whatever necessary precautions are required to ensure that the children will the well cared for during trips to and from school and other extracurricular events. Unfortunately, automobile, trucking and motorcycle accidents do happen when least expected.

It can be a parent’s worst nightmare when the phone rings and they hear the news that their child has been taken to the hospital with serious or even life-threatening injuries. And no one is prepared when a police officer walks up to their door to notify a family that their son or daughter has been killed in a traffic wreck.

Here in Baltimore, and in other cities such as Annapolis, Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C., minor children are hurt in roadway collisions more than many people might imagine. While these car, bike and commercial truck collisions are usually caused by another negligent driver, occasionally the person responsible for the accident is the same individual charged with keeping that child safe -- friend or relative is found to be at fault for the traffic accident.

As Maryland automobile accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, it is our job to represent the victims of such accidents and to help these individuals, or their families, recover the costs related to such traffic collisions. Sadly, with the cost of medical care rising every day, hospital stays can total tens of thousands of dollars just to start. If the injuries are serious enough -- such as damage to internal organ, spinal cord injury or closed-head trauma -- the costs associated with treatment can sometimes skyrocket.

If a car crash has hurt a family’s breadwinner, the additional hit due to lost wages can be a severe strain on the household budget, which makes day-to-day living difficult, exclusive of the father or mother’s medical bills. When a child is harmed due to the negligent actions of another person, the family may be able to file a personal injury suit on the minor’s behalf.

And, as difficult as it can be to imagine such as scenario, a child who dies tragically because of the careless actions of another individual is also entitled to be compensated for his or her pain and suffering, as are the child's parents or legal guardians.

Continue reading " Maryland Car Accident News: Harford County Motorist Hits Tree; Two Teenagers Sent to Hospital " »

It's time again to remind drivers in Annapolis, Rockville, Baltimore and the District to be alert when approaching police patrol cars and other emergency vehicles stopped on the roadside; this is because injury accidents do happen to law enforcement officers and emergency personnel while doing their jobs on Maryland’s highways and surface streets.

While this may seem like an obvious warning, believe us when we say highway and urban automobile and commercial truck crashes happen with alarming frequency, even to patrolmen, firefighters and EMS personnel while helping others on public roads.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys, we represent all manner of individuals hurt in traffic accidents while driving in their cars, SUVs and motorcycles. Now that the summer is in full swing, more and more people are enjoying outings with family and friends, all the while not realizing that a serious accident could be just around the next bend.

High-speed car, truck or motorcycle crashes can injure or kill drivers and passengers inside a motor vehicle, as well as bystanders and other individuals near the crash site. Highway patrol officers are one of the groups at higher risk for injury due to a traffic accident. Once an officer is outside his or her police cruiser, they are as vulnerable as any pedestrian to an impact from a passenger car or semi tractor-trailer rig.

Of course, law enforcement officers are also trained to manage this added risk and they know to be aware of their surroundings so that they might avoid becoming a statistic. Not long ago, an officer from the Anne Arundel County police department was critically injured when another vehicle struck the patrolmen’s unmarked police SUV.

The crash occurred during a routine traffic stop on a Friday night a little after 11pm in Glen Burnie, MD; The incident took place along a stretch of Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. not far from Castle Harbour Way.

According to news reports, an older GMC pickup being operated by 32-year-old Steven Parsons from Millersville, struck the back end of the police car as the officer was conducting the traffic stop. And while the police vehicle was reportedly unmarked and only partially on the shoulder of the roadway, it did have its emergency lights activated, according to police reports.

Continue reading " Maryland Pedestrian Injury Accident News: Police Officer among People Injured in Anne Arundel Car Crash " »

Charges of drunken driving were apparently not pressed against an Anne Arundel driver who allegedly caused a fatal pedestrian-car crash in the Annapolis area on New Year’s Day, 2010. According to police reports, the driver left the scene and when he turned himself in he refused a breathalyzer test to check for blood-alcohol content (BAC). Because of that fact, police could not substantiate the man’s alleged drunkenness at the time of the traffic accident.

As Maryland injury attorneys, I and my colleagues understand the anguish that a family feels for the death of a relative at the hands of a negligent driver. Any fatal car accident is tragic, not simply because that crash may have been avoided, but also because of the great distress to the victim’s family that such an event can cause. Wrongful death suits can be one avenue for a victim’s relatives to recover damages, including those for pain and suffering that the victim may have experienced prior to his or her death.

In the case of that fatal hit-and-run accident, the Anne Arundel prosecutor’s office decided to drop the charge of drunk driving against 22-year-old Thomas Judge following the collision that killed a 40-year-old Maryland resident, Alfred Byrd as he traversed Bay Ridge Road in the early morning hours of January 1, 2010.

The defense argued that Judge was not drunk at the time of the fatal crash and that the victim himself had contributed to his own death by wearing dark clothing and apparently having used some amount of cocaine prior to the accident as he staggered across the road, according to court records. The prosecution alleged that Judge and some friends drank boilermakers during a New Year’s Eve party before going downtown around 10pm to continue celebrating at several bars along West and Main streets.

Continue reading " No Drunken Driving Charges for Annapolis Motorist in Fatal New Years Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident " »