Based on news articles, this latest study coming out of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety identifies a definite link between fatal automobile collisions and the age of a driver as well as whether or not the vehicle is carrying one or more other young passengers.
Titled “Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers,” the AAA’s report used traffic accident statistics from 2007 to 2010. In general, researchers determined that odds for a fatal accident involving a vehicle driven by a 16 to 17-year-old motorist increased with the addition of each young occupant. As study authors reminded, the report reconfirmed what safety advocates have apparently known for quite some time.
]]> As automobile, truck and motorcycle accident lawyers, we can see how adding multiple teenage passengers to a vehicle already being operated by a teenage driver can make for a particularly dangerous scenario. Based on news article, the objective of AAA researchers was to zero in and shine a light on the importance of passenger restrictions, something that many states like Maryland are already doing with the institution of graduated licensing laws.Pulling from statistics available in the national Fatality Analysis Reporting System (better known as FARS), as well as the National Household Travel Survey, researchers determined that on a per-mile basis the risk of death for a 16 to 17-year-old driver rose almost 45 percent with only one additional passenger under 21 years old (versus no occupants other than the driver himself).
That risk doubled when a teen-driven vehicle had two other passengers under 21. Add another under-21-year-old and the risk, according to researchers, jumped to four-times that of just the teen driving by himself.
The study qualified these finding by adding that these risk were all without a 21-year-old or older adult riding in the car as well. To this end, statistics showed that if a teen driver carried at least one passenger aged 35 or older, the risk of a fatal crash was actually reduced by more than 60 percent, while risk of any police-reported roadway incident was similarly decreased -- down by about 45 percent, when compared to a teen driving without adult supervision.
This latest study adds ammunition to safety advocates arguments that teenage drivers are at higher risk for serious and fatal accidents than the rest of the driving public. It comes as a welcome addition to a previous, landmark study conducted back in 2000. Proponents of graduated driver’s license programs and teen driver safety no doubt will be pleased at the findings, which reinforce the now well-founded belief that adult passengers have a positive influence on the driving behaviors of younger, teenage motorists.
If anything, this study serves to remind people that auto and truck accidents involving teenagers can be reduced, hopefully even prevented in some cases, through the active involvement of parents and other adults. According to the news article, AAA recommends that driving-age teens and their families familiarize themselves their state’s graduated driver licensing systems and even sign a parent-teenager pact that outlines the terms of a teenagers driving privileges vis-à-vis his or her family.
Teenage Driver Study Reconfirms Link Between Young Passengers and Chances of a Fatal Crash, NYTimes.com, May 8, 2012
As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff represent individuals hurt in all manner of accidents throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. When it comes to automobile, commercial truck and even motorcycle accidents, we have heard the horror stories of victims and their families. One common thread is likely to be heard from most anyone hurt or seriously injured in a car or trucking-related wreck: “We never saw it coming.”
While this may be true in many instances, there are likely those individuals who may have realized, albeit all too late, that a collision was impending. One thing is certain; most anyone who has avoided being involved in a traffic accident most likely was keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding vehicles. This is not to say that being aware of one’s surrounding is a fool-proof method for staying out of harm’s way, but it could help.
]]> With the stakes so high, anything we do as drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bystanders would be well worth the extra effort. A stay in the hospital is not something most people would like to experience. But with common injuries like severe lacerations, compound fractures, internal injuries and closed-head trauma, a hospital stay is quite often inevitable following a bad car, truck or motorcycle accident.If there was any one word that described most of the traffic collisions that happen every day in cities like Baltimore, Annapolis, Rockville and even the District, it would likely be “unpredictability.” A news article from a little while back pointed out the random way in which various individuals are thrown together by a traffic wreck. According to news reports, this particular accident took place in Salisbury, MD, when a FedEx semi rig collided with a Federated Auto Parts delivery truck afternoon a stretch of N.Salisbury Blvd.
The crash, which also involved a local driving school vehicle carrying an instructor and student driver, happened on a Tuesday afternoon. Although no serious injuries were reported, an ambulance was dispatched to the scene of the crash just in case. Based on police reports, the collision occurred just after 2pm near a Pep Boys store adjacent to Northwood Dr.
Apparently, the auto parts delivery vehicle had what sounds like a low-speed head-on collision with the 18-wheeler, which then resulted in the driving school vehicle colliding with the delivery truck. In the aftermath, the tractor-trailer was facing east along the roadway, while the delivery truck (a light-duty pickup truck from the sound of it) and the driving school vehicle were facing west in the street.
Whatever the cause, this could have been a much worse accident had speeds been higher, such as on one of Maryland’s interstate highways. At the time of the new article, accident investigators from the Salisbury PD were still going over the evidence to determine the exact cause and whether any charges would be pressed against one or more of the drivers.
3-vehicle wreck in Salisbury involves driver-training car, DelmarvaNow.com, March 27, 2012
Now, it goes without saying that any approach to reducing traffic accidents, and by association related fatalities and severe, sometimes life-altering personal injuries, would be met with at least some acceptance. Red-light cameras are supposed to accomplish their job, in part, by being “advertised” by local law enforcement agencies.
Being injury attorneys based in the Baltimore area and serving residents of Maryland and Washington, D.C., we can appreciate the efforts of safety advocates to encourage increased adherence to traffic laws. According to a report from a TV station in Florida, very few drivers will admit to liking these red-light cameras. But since more than 150,000 men, women and children are hurt annually as a result of another driver running or otherwise ignoring a red traffic signal, there is certainly some merit to these traffic control devices.
]]> Based on the study from the Sunshine State, critics of red-light cameras support the notion that any reduction in accidents is only offset by a similar increase in rear-end collisions caused by motorists who may slam on the brakes to avoid a citation. This argument could be sound, but it also assumes that the number of scofflaws who tend to run red lights equal or outnumber those motorists who driver defensively and allow proper following distances.Based on the study, which included traffic statistics from five different cities, the rear-ending argument was essentially dismissed as not valid. Researchers also determined that red-light cameras actually do promote a reduction in roadway intersection collisions. There was no mention of whether the accidents reduced involved car, truck, motorcycle crashes or a combination of all of these; we can assume that it was a decent snapshot of that state’s vehicular traffic.
In pure numbers, the study found that rear-end collisions were reduced by more than 50 percent. What’s more encouraging is that side impact wrecks, which represent some of the more fatal car and trucking-related accidents, were cut by even more as a result of red-light camera installations.
Naturally, the general understanding is that motorists are more apt to brake for a yellow light, rather than accelerate in an attempt to “beat” the red, thus avoiding a potential ticket for not stopping for a red light.
Similarly, a number of more scientific studies have indicated that these conclusions are valid. Back in 2005, one federally-funded study showed that read-light cameras help decrease right-angle (or T-bone) crashes by up to 25 percent; although the same research turned up a 15-percent increase in rear-end crashes.
However, another related study found that there wasn’t a statistically significant change in rear-end injury crashes following the installation of red-light cameras. Researchers in that particular study noted that there appeared to be a 13 to 29 percent reduction in all kinds of injury accidents, as well as nearly a 25 percent reduction in right-angle accidents.
Florida TV Station Busts Red-Light Camera Myths, MSN.com, May 7, 2012
Related Story:
Red Light, Speed Cameras Remain Controversial Even as Numbers Grow, SoMd.com, December 15, 2011
]]>Any traffic accident that can be prevented is one that parents and family members would surely want to avoid. With the number of severe injury accidents and fatal car, truck and motorcycle collisions across our state, there is much to be said about saving our young people from possible injury or death as a result of a bad traffic wreck.
Whether one lives in Gaithersburg, Annapolis, Rockville or Washington, D.C., no doubt you or someone you know has a family member who may have been hurt in a car or commercial trucking-related roadway accident. In the best of cases, a few minor bumps or bruises may be all that the victim suffered; others may not have been that lucky. With closed-head injuries, compound fractures and spinal cord damage all potential injuries resulting from a car crash, anyone would be happy to avoid a hospital stay and subsequent physical therapy.
]]> It’s been documented that Maryland's graduated driver license law (also known as GDL) has contributed to a notable reduction in teenage fatalities across the state. According to reports, the Maryland GDL has been credited with limiting the number of teenagers and minors injured or killed in accidents. Based on a study coming out of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (and in cooperation with State Farm Insurance) nationwide statistics showed a marked decrease in Maryland traffic accidents involving teenagers over the past five years.Experts point to “robust GDL laws” in states like Maryland as one of the key factors in the decrease in teenager-involved car accidents over the past several years. Here in Maryland, the GDL law known as the “Rookie Driver” program provides for a three-stage issue program. Initially a new driver can apply for a learner’s permit three months before his or her 16th birthday. During this time, the teen can only drive with a licensed driver 21 or older (who has held a full license for at least three years).
The next stage is a provisional license, followed by a full driver’s license. Maryland’s provisional license is available to qualifying drivers after nine months their learner’s permit; as well as successful completion of a driver’s ed class. (Driver’s ed includes a 60-hour practice driving component taken under the instruction of a qualified supervising driver.) With Maryland’s provisional driver’s license, anyone under the age of 18 is restricted to driving between the hours of 5am and midnight.
After driving with a provisional license (for a minimum of 18 months), the driver must be at least 18 years to qualify for his or her full license. It’s important to note that should the teen driver violate any of the stipulations in the GDL law, he or she may have their license suspended or even revoked. There may even be additional restrictions at the time of upgrading to the next level.
This graduated approach, which requires new drivers to earn their driving privilege in a stepped manner, appears to have a significant correlation to the markedly lower rates of injury and fatal car collisions among teenage drivers; something every parent should appreciate as their pre-teens approach their driving years.
]]>As Baltimore car and trucking accident attorneys, I and my legal staff find it difficult to reconcile the possibly thoughtless act of driving while intoxicated with the deaths of innocent individuals. Whatever the reason, a preventable car accident -- fatal or otherwise -- is a tragedy. As occupants in another person’s vehicle, we as passengers assume a fair amount of risk. Trust is a precious commodity; sometimes one that is spent all too quickly on the wrong person.
As personal injury lawyers in Maryland, we see numerous stories of men, women and children who are injured or killed in traffic accidents that might have been avoided had a passenger spoken up or the driver exercised some discretion. Driving under the influence of alcohol is not only illegal, it is dangerous and can be life-altering. For those who survive a car or truck crash, whether here in Maryland or over in Washington, D.C., the road to recovery can be long and hard.
]]> Aside from the usual cuts and deep-tissue bruising, victims of auto wrecks can suffer broken bones, internal injuries and closed-head trauma as a result. Traumatic brain injury and spinal cord damage are a couple of the more serious and long-term injuries that can lay a person up for months, with years of recuperation ahead for some just to get back to some sense of a normal life before the accident.For those who are killed outright, there are no days or weeks in the hospital; only misery and potential hardship for their families and loved ones. We were reminded of this kind of scenario just the other day when we came across a news article about two Mechanicsville, MD, residents who died in what police believe was an alcohol-related fatal car crash in Leonardtown.
According to news reports, the single-car wreck happened late on a Tuesday afternoon along a stretch of Maypole Rd. Based on police reports, a call came in a little after 4pm describing a bad vehicle accident where the victims were trapped in the car. Emergency responders arriving on the scene found the vehicle on fire. Officers were apparently able to quell the flames, however the 45-year-old driver, David Quade was pronounced dead at the scene.
The vehicle’s passenger, 52-year-old Joseph Morgan, survived the initial crash but was trapped in the vehicle. After firefighters extricated the man, he was taken by chopper to Baltimore Shock Trauma. However, doctors could not save the victim and he died a short time after being admitted to the emergency room.
Sadly, the second victim lost his life in a single-vehicle accident that possibly could have been prevented. It is scenarios such as this one that should serve as a reminder to everyone that life is too fleeting to rely on the potentially faulty judgement of another driver; and a message to those who choose to drink and drive that there are few second chances when it comes to mixing alcohol and cars.
Police Believe Speed and Alcohol Contributed to Fatal in Leonardtown, SoMd.com, March 01, 2012
]]>Whether one is injured in Baltimore, Bowie, Annapolis or the District, there is nothing enjoyable about being hurt, laid up in the hospital and then having to foot the bill for another person’s thoughtless or negligent act. More than one family has been hurt physically, emotionally and financially by a reckless or inattentive driver. With medical treatment costs going through the roof, it only makes sense to choose the right attorney when planning one’s strategy to recover medical, rehabilitation and other costs following a roadway accident.
As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we have seen enough post-accident carnage to know how shaken a victim of a car or truck collision must feel in the aftermath of a serious highway wreck. The same goes for cyclists and pedestrians who are hurt as a result of being struck by a car or commercial delivery truck. In cases where a victim is incapacitated or even killed, the family may need to bring a suit on their behalf to compensate for possible long-term care costs brought on by a careless driver.
]]> A recent court decision (Schwering v. TRW Vehicle Safety Sys., Inc.) in Ohio points up the importance of finding the right attorney to represent you in a personal injury or wrongful death case. In the particular instance an older couple was involved in a car accident, which caused the death of the wife, although both individuals were wearing their safety belts. Based on court records, the husband filed a suit against Ford Motor Company, the manufacturer of the car, as well as TRW Safety Systems. In the suit, the plaintiff asserted certain products-liability and negligence claims.Once the case went to trial, the presiding judge declared a mistrial, but before a second trial could be arranged, the plaintiff reportedly filed a notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice pursuant to that state’s legal statutes. Following the voluntary dismissal, the plaintiff filed a new suit in U.S. district court, asserting essentially the same claims against both Ford and TRW.
The defendants attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit basing their argument on the fact that the voluntary dismissal of a state action had not taken place prior to the commencement of new trial, which was apparently required by state law. In doing so, the defendants stated that the dismissal could not have been "without prejudice."
Ultimately, this case was elevated to the Ohio Supreme Court, which after accepting certification from the U.S. district court ruled in favor of the defendants. That state’s supreme court held that a plaintiff may not voluntarily dismiss, without prejudice, a lawsuit against another party when a trial court declares a mistrial after the jury has been empaneled and the trial has, in fact, begun.
While this case took place in another state, the lesson learned is that the law in any state can be complex. Without the best possible representation, a client may be taking a chance with the potential outcome of a case simply by choosing an attorney who may not be completely familiar with the ins and outs of that state’s laws and legal statutes. What may have turned out to be a successful products liability lawsuit instead became a non-starter due to a technical misstep on the plaintiff's part.
]]>As Maryland personal injury lawyers, as well as auto and trucking accident attorneys, I and my colleagues are painfully aware of the odds that an individual, perhaps someone’s mother, father, spouse or child, will be killed as a result of a highway collision caused by a negligent driver. If this wasn’t sobering enough, the shear randomness of some traffic accidents can be very nerve-wracking to some people.
Here in Baltimore, as in other cities like Gaithersburg, Howie and even Washington, D.C., car, truck and motorcycle accidents take place on a shockingly frequent basis. Protecting one’s family from a potentially life-altering and sometimes deadly occurrence can weight heavily on some parents. With not rhyme or reason to many automobile and trucking-related wrecks, all one can say is be aware of the potential dangers and drive defensively.
]]> Car and commercial truck accidents are probably two of the most common roadway incidents that can happen to an individual; although pedestrians are also at risk in more densely packed urban environments. While it may seem indelicate to some, it’s definitely a truism that accidents, whatever their cause, can happen -- almost anywhere and anytime.The news of a spike in traffic deaths this past February may not seem too amazing, but when one reads that this short month represented almost a third of Harford County’s annual fatalities; well, that gets one’s attention very, very quickly. According to police traffic figures, from February 7 through February 20 -- less than 30 days -- fatalities in Harford Co. totaled seven individuals killed in automobile traffic accidents. While this figure is more than 30 percent of the county’s annual traffic death total, it is important to remember that only one crash occurred in January, which may have been a blessing in disguise.
According to police, the most well-known accident in Harford involved two brothers and their sister, all from Falston, MD, when the vehicle they were in crossed the centerline and collided with oncoming traffic along a stretch of Rte 543 on February 20th. In what has been called one of the worst accident scenes in recent memory, the family members’ car sideswiped an oncoming car, then spun around in the oncoming lane before being T-boned by another vehicle.
The two brothers were ejected from the vehicle, which was literally cut in half by the force of the impact, according to police reports. Two other people who were occupants of one of the other vehicle involved in the accident were taken to the hospital with reportedly serious injuries.
According to news reports, despite February’s unusually high number of fatal roadway accidents, the number of yearly auto and trucking accident deaths in Harford County has been relatively stable over the past half-dozen years. This comment was based, reportedly on a 2010 NHTSA report which pulled on accident statistics from Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration.
Harford highway deaths took huge spike in February, BaltimoreSun.com, March 5, 2012
In a perfect world there would be no single-vehicle, multi-vehicle or commuter-related wrecks anywhere in our state or across the nation. But enough dreaming, because in the real world people make mistakes and others pay for those mistakes by being injured or killed as a result.
As Maryland personal injury lawyers, my firm sees first-hand the effects of senseless car and truck collisions on a weekly basis. Not a day goes by that somewhere across the state, someone innocent bystander or vehicle occupant has been hurt by the actions of another individual. In cases where a death has resulted from a negligent act, it’s not uncommon for the family of the victim to file a wrongful death suit against the person responsible for that fatality.
]]> For those lucky enough to survive, the road to recovery is not always the smoothest, but hopefully it has few bumps and curves to delay them from getting back to a more healthy condition. A recent news item pointed out the callousness with which some drivers can carry on following a serious collision; in this case a hit-and-run pedestrian crash.According to reports, a person on foot in Laurel, MD, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition following an afternoon traffic accident. Police reports indicate that a man was hit by a vehicle along a stretch of eastbound Rte 198 while he was walking on an adjacent sidewalk. At the time of the news article, police did not know with any certainty if the vehicle that struck the man went out of control or if the driver specifically targeted the victim.
Regardless of whether the crash was due to a mechanical problem or a deliberate act, the driver of the vehicle allegedly drove away from the scene following the impact. Based on news stories at the time, the Laurel PD was actively searching for what witnesses described as a white pickup truck.
The incident reportedly occurred just after 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon near the Crossroad Shopping Center in Laurel. The force of the impact apparently sent the victim down a 30-foot embankment and into a nearby parking lot, where police and EMS personnel found the unnamed man shortly thereafter.
Following the collision, eyewitnesses, including the driver of a Metrobus that was following behind the pickup at the time of the crash, told police that the driver of the pickup truck left the accident scene. Emergency responders transported the victim to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where he was admitted in critical condition with head injuries, broken femur and crushed pelvis.
According to police investigators, the Metrobus was fitted with a camera. Initial news reports indicated that the video captured the truck leaving the roadway, going onto the sidewalk, then running into the man on foot. Police stated that they had identified the type of vehicle -- a Ford F-250 SuperCab with an extended pickup bed; however there was no additional information on whether the footage revealed additional information that could help locate and arrest the driver.
At the time of the news reports, the only other additional information police had to go on was that the suspect continued to head eastbound on Rte 198 toward Anne Arundel County.
Man critically injured in Wednesday afternoon hit-and-run in Laurel, Gazette.net, February 29, 2012
Laurel Police Seek Driver In Hit-And-Run Crash, CBSLocal.com, March 2, 2012
]]>We take no pleasure in suggesting that many traffic collisions are caused by thoughtless or negligent actions on someone’s part. This is why we, as Maryland personal injury attorneys, offer our services to victims and their families to help recover the costs related to a severe and sometimes debilitating roadway accident.
We have seen it played out time and time again; an innocent driver and/or his passengers receive serious bodily injury following a bad car crash, which then necessitates days or weeks of hospital treatment followed by many more weeks or months of physical rehabilitation (especially in cases of severe closed-head trauma or spinal cord damage); and that’s just to get back to some level of mobility for a person to try to go on with their daily life. Naturally, there will be more challenges once the physical scars have healed, such as returning to work or trying to get along with a potentially permanent physical handicap.
]]> For those who don’t survive a terrible automobile or commercial truck accident, the family of the victim may decide to file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the victim’s estate. Such a claim can name one or more negligent parties, which in some cases can be the manufacturer of a possibly defective component or safety device that did not function correctly and may have contributed to the victim’s death.Whatever the situation, one thing is certain: these kinds of car and truck accidents will be with us so long as motor vehicles, large and small, share the road. A recent news article caught our attention as it mention not one, but several personal injury traffic accidents this past month. It is just one example of the many ways in which roadway incidents happen and the frequency and randomness with which they occur every day across Maryland.
According to news reports, these collisions all took place in Anne Arundel County within a 24-hour period. The first, in Gambrills, resulted in two injuries when two vehicle collided late on a Friday afternoon along a portion of the Rte 3 near Saint Stephens Church Rd. According to police reports, a man and a woman were both hurt in the wreck, which happened around 5pm in the afternoon.
Firefighters and other emergency personnel responded to the crash, stabilizing the victims and then transporting them to Baltimore Washington Medical Center. Anne Arundel County fire officials described the female victim as being seriously injured as a result of the crash. No mention was made as to the extent of the male victim’s condition.
About 10 hours later, a car crash in the vicinity of Crain Hwy. and Fourth Ave. in Glen Burnie sent four people to the hospital. Based on news reports, the accident occurred just before two in the morning on Saturday. Officers from the Maryland Transit Administration responded to reports of a multi-vehicle accident.
Arriving on the scene with fire department personnel, officers apparently found a man and woman, both in their 40s, hurt with serious injuries. Those two victims were taken to Baltimore’s Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment. The other two victims had minor injuries; they were transported to Baltimore Washington Medical Center.
Later that same day, an elderly man was hurt when his vehicle crashed along a stretch of Baltimore Annapolis Blvd in Linthicum. The apparent single-vehicle accident happened, based on news reports, close to noon on a Saturday. Emergency responders arrived on the scene to find the driver with serious, yet non-life-threatening injuries. The victim was transported to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. There was no mention of whether the wreck was caused by a mechanical problem with the man’s vehicle or if it was possibly due to driver error.
Police Beat for April 1, HometownAnnapolis.com, April 1, 2012
As Baltimore auto and trucking accident lawyers, we have been witness to numerous individual victims of passenger car, commercial truck and motorcycle collisions. What never ceases to amaze is how these victims manage to press on with their lives following what are typically violent and painful incidents that interrupt and sometimes permanently change the course of these individuals’ lives. Despite the pain and discomfort, victims of bike, truck and motorcycle accidents must persevere if they are to have a hope of returning to a normal semblance of life, at least as they knew it before the tragedy of a serious roadway wreck.
The other side of the coin is, of course, the negligent individuals whose actions placed their victims in a particular physical or medical situation. Many of these people do, in fact, own up to their mistakes or negligent acts that cause injury to another person. But there are certainly others who fail to admit fault and who, through the legal system, must be forced to account for their deeds. Of these individuals, there are some who run from their responsibility as well as the law. A few are never caught; others are arrested, eventually.
]]> One recent story we caught in the news covered a man who tried to evade police and his responsibility apparently after a series of hit-and-run automobile accidents on the same day. According to reports, police in Anne Arundel County ended up arresting a suspect who law enforcement officials say was responsible for four hit-and-run traffic incidents prior to allegedly driving his vehicle into a residence in Annapolis.Based on news articles at the time, officers eventually caught 29-year-old Eric Castronova following a collision between the man’s vehicle and a house on Bywater Rd. Police reports indicate that the man tried unsuccessfully to evade authorities by fleeing on foot from the scene of the final accident; however, that was only the end of the story.
Based on various sources, the initial incident took place around 2pm, which resulted in police being called to the scene of an apparent hit-and-run traffic collision in the vicinity of Boxwood Rd. and Hilltop Ln. Officers responding to the crash were told by the driver of a second vehicle that a green SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer, had apparently driven off following the traffic accident.
The same officers also responded to another accident, this time at Gemini and Forest Drives. Witnesses at that particular accident site described what seemed to be the same green Ford sport utility vehicle driving away from the scene. During that accident investigation, police were called to yet another crash, this time at Forest and South. Cherry Grove Road; same vehicle description as well.
The crash into the home on Bywater was the last stop for the driver, who was eventually taken into custody and charged with numerous offenses including 1st and 2nd degree assault; four separate counts of leaving the scene of a road accident, driving while impaired by alcohol, plus a number of other traffic violations.
Drunk drivers can inflict serious harm, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries and closed-head trauma. Although there was no mention of injuries during this driver's entire escapade, the home he ran into on Bywater was subsequently deemed unsafe by local authorities and the family living there had to be relocated until repairs could be made to rectify the structural problems caused by the collision.
Police: Man Causes 4 Accidents, Hits House While Intoxicated; Patch.com, April 6, 2012
Man arrested for leaving 5 crash scenes, ABC2News.com, April 6, 2012
]]>It must be said that road rage incidents fall into this area of preventable accidents. Unlike a situation where a car or truck has a mechanical problem that prevents a driver from avoiding a potentially deadly crash, a person who is bent on causing injury through threatening or unadvised driving behavior has it within their power NOT to carry out a possibly life-threatening act on the highway.
Of course, this is not a perfect world and there are, sadly, individuals who for no other reason than personal anger or lack of emotional control can turn on fellow motorists who they perceive as “the problem.” While many road rage incidents do not result in bodily harm, there are a percentage of occurrences involving “driving while angry” that do result in injuries and sometimes roadway deaths.
]]> As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues truly understand that innocent victims hardly ever ask to be seriously injured by another driver. Yet, every year, dozens upon dozens of people -- whose only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time -- end up recuperating in a hospital room as a result of a roadway confrontation with a bad driver.Injuries ranging from simple bumps and bruises to compound fractures, spinal cord injury and closed-head trauma can accompany a violent road rage incident that culminates in a traffic wreck. Combine an angry individual operating a car on a busy expressway, with multiple passenger cars and a few commercial trucks, and you have a recipe for a potentially bad accident with injuries or even a fatality or two.
We mention this today after being reminded of the mayhem that ensues when just one bad actor decides to show another driver who has the right to rule the road. According to a recent news article, three people were sent to the hospital following what Anne Arundel police are calling a possible road rage-related traffic accident.
Based on police reports, the accident in question occurred on a Monday afternoon when two vehicles were involved in a crash along a stretch of Maryland Rte 3 in Gambrills, MD. Police noted that a following the crash one of the individuals involved was stabbed at the scene by another. In all, three men traveling in two vehicles were involved in the incident. Based on news articles, a 22-year-old man was treated at the scene and then transported by ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore. A second man, as well as that person’s son, was transported to Baltimore’s Washington Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries.
According to Anne Arundel County police, the vehicles involved in the alleged altercation included a Chrysler PT Cruiser and a sport utility vehicle, make unknown. Both vehicles ended up in a ditch alongside Rte 3 just before 5pm that afternoon. Police stated that the juxtaposition of the passenger vehicles was odd from the perspective of a car crash, and investigators were trying to piece together any events that may have precipitated the final collision and subsequent stabbing incident.
3 Hospitalized in Possible Road Rage Incident, Patch.com, February 20, 2012
As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff have seen the effects that car and trucking-related wrecks have had on the old and infirm. It’s one thing to have a slip and fall accident at a nursing home; it’s a something quite different when an elderly man or woman receives a traumatic blow in an auto wreck. Roadway collisions can take a toll on these individuals and may send them to the hospital for the rest of their lives, depending on the victim’s age and the seriousness of their injuries.
Older individuals are hurt in all types of accidents every week in Baltimore, Rockville, the District and Annapolis. Those who are sent to the emergency room following a traffic accident may face an uncertain future, with broken bones and head injuries that may never heal sufficiently for that person to return home.
]]> Because elderly car accident victims tend to mend much slower than their younger counterparts, it shouldn’t be surprising that extended hospital stays are commonplace, with the corresponding potential for complications, such as infection, pneumonia, cognitive issues and other life-threatening problems. Once out of the hospital, family members may not be able to help an older relative due to their own economic or work situation.Spending time in a rehabilitation facility can introduce its own complications for an older patient, some of whom may lack the recuperative powers that will get them back home and back to a normal life before the car accident that caused the trouble in the first place. If they were injured in a road accident caused by a negligent driver, a qualified automobile accident lawyer should be consulted to better know what options are open to the victim and his or her family.
Not too long ago, three people were hurt in a two-car accident in Anne Arundel County. According to news reports the crash occurred along a stretch of Rte 2 in Edgewater, MD, on a Friday afternoon. Police reports indicate that two of the victims, a man and a woman who were apparently riding in one of the cars, were both in their 80s. The third victim, a 43-year-old female was operating a second car.
Information from the news articles was sketchy at best, however the reports indicate that the head-on collision occurred a little past 1pm. The force of the impact essentially destroyed both vehicles; a convertible Toyota and a Ford station wagon. Emergency responders arriving on the scene had to cut the roof off of the Ford in order to extract the victims from the damaged vehicle.
All three victims were flown by helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment. The elderly female reportedly received the worst of the injuries, with fire officials stating that her injuries were life-threatening. The man in the same vehicle was hurt, however his injuries were said to be non-life-threatening. There was no information provide about the younger victim.
At the time of the news article, police were still in the process of investigating the crash. There was no mention of whether the accident may have been caused by human error or possibly some kind of mechanical problem with one of the cars involved.
3 injured in Route 2 wreck in Edgewater, HometownAnnapolis.com, January 14, 2012
Of course, one doesn’t have to live in the East to know that teenager drivers, at least as a group, are more prone to being involved in traffic accidents than other age groups. This may sound somewhat pejorative, but statistics from across the U.S. tend to bear this out, which is why parents all over the country tend to dread the day when their kids become drivers, if only because the family’s auto insurance premiums take a big jump up.
While nobody looks forward to a car or truck accident, parents especially can spend sleepless nights worrying about their teen sons and daughters borrowing the family car to drive friends to a movie or to go out to eat after high school sporting event. A phone call from the local police is a nightmare scenario that any mother or father would rather not consider, but they do occur, usually at the most unexpected times.
]]> Case in point, a recent traffic collisions in Ellicott City, MD, resulted in a number of teenagers being sent to University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center after the vehicle in which they were riding hit a school bus. According to news articles, Maryland State Police responded to reports of a traffic wreck in the vicinity of Baltimore National Pike and Pebble Beach Dr.News reports indicate that three teenagers were traveling east along a stretch of the Pike just after 2:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. Based on police reports it appears that the 2009 Honda SUV in which the three victims were riding turned into the path of a Howard County school bus. An initial police investigation at the time of the news article indicated that the bus, which was reportedly empty of passengers at the time of the accident, had the right of way at the intersection when the wreck occurred.
Based on news reports, the driver and the rear-seat passenger were critically injured as a result of the collision. The driver, whose name had yet to be released pending a completed investigation, and 16-year-old Patrick Moore, who was riding in the back seat, were both choppered out to Shock Trauma with life-threatening injuries.
Seventeen-year-old Thomas Drago was taken by ambulance to Shock Trauma with non-life threatening injuries, according to police reports. The two people on board the bus, 52-year-old Anne Mullinix of Sykesville, MD, and 53-year-old Ruth Mathis of West Friendship, were reportedly uninjured as a result of the traffic crash.
If the police investigation were to turn up fault on the part of the driver, then it is certainly possible that charges could be lodged against the teen in relation to the accident. As stated previously, the bus had the green light at the time of the crash, and therefore had the right of way prior to the collision.
Ellicott City Teens Go to Shock Trauma After Collision with School Bus, Patch.com, February 21, 2012
As personal injury attorneys serving individuals in Baltimore, Annapolis, Gaithersburg and the District, I and my colleagues travel on streets and highway along with thousands of other motorists every day; any danger to one’s health and well-being is a legitimate concern.
Of course, passenger car and motorcycle accidents can occur any time without notice, but those crashes caused by a poorly designed roadway or badly regulated speed zone could potentially be avoided given the proper amount of attention. Sometimes all it takes is public outrage to bring the topic to the fore.
]]> This is not to say that every car or commercial truck accident is the result of bad planning or poor road conditions; more than a few traffic collisions are simply a result of one or more drivers being inattentive, inappropriately distracted or just plain aggressive in their actions or driving style. In cases like those, it is not unusual to see one or more of the injured parties bring a personal injury lawsuit against the allegedly negligent driver.But it is true that many people believe, whether based on facts, hearsay or simple suspicion, that a certain geographical area or portion of roadway is a danger to them and their families. More often than not, there is a logical reason for the cause of a traffic accident, be it a single-vehicle crash or a multi-vehicle wreck.
As we have said before, sometimes it takes a string of injury accidents or fatal car or truck crashes to raise awareness to the level needed for state road authorities to step in and make changes to improve the safety of a roadway. Local governments are also caught in the middle, as budgets have been squeezed so much, there is little in the way of funds to take on larger roadway modifications.
We bring this up since running across yet another news story of a fatal car crash, this time in Baltimore County along a stretch of Belair Road in not far from Perry Hall Rd. According to news articles, the crash occurred on a Wednesday when a Honda Accord, driven by a 30-year-old woman, apparently crossed over the centerline of the road from the south-bound lane and into oncoming traffic.
Based on police reports, the Honda grazed, or sideswiped, the first vehicle and then rammed head-on into a second northbound car. The driver of the Accord, Amy Thiess, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, according to a spokesperson for the Baltimore County Police Department. Another victim, a 42-year old female resident of Nottingham, reportedly survived the wreck; she was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center with severe injuries.
While this is certainly a devastating event for the family of the deceased driver, this latest crash points up what local resident have apparently known for quite some time. This stretch of Belair Road, also known as Rte 1, has a bad reputation according to the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). Based on data collected by the SHA over the past three years, the portion of this roadway from Forge Rd. to Miller Rd. has seen more than 30 traffic accidents.
It should not be surprising following this latest event that any safety-related changes to this road will come none to soon for some residents. One man, who reportedly has a home nearby the scene of this latest accident, voiced his concern to reporters essentially stating that he feels he could be T-boned every time he enters the roadway from his driveway, which is apparently right at the crest of a blind corner on Belair. “I can't count the number of accidents we've had, especially when it gets icy or it gets snowy,” he said.
Fatal crash underscores danger of Belair Road, ABC2News.com, February 9, 2012
There is no manual or instruction booklet that can prepare a person to cope with a debilitating roadway collision; the injuries can sometimes be too extensive to leave any hope for a total recovery; yet, every once in a while, we read of an individual who has beaten the odds.
While these all-too-rare stories of near-miraculous recoveries from auto accidents are uplifting, they can also be instructive from the standpoint of understanding how a severe traffic collision can also be a life-altering event in anyone's life. With spinal damage, closed-head trauma, ruptured internal organs and abdominal bleeding all being possible results of a high-speed car or truck crash, the odds can be stacked against a car wreck victim before he or she even reaches a shock trauma center.
]]> As an injury lawyer, I know that just getting through the first critical days at a hospital following a bar roadway incident is a challenge for some people. Elderly patients clinging to life, as well as infants and toddlers fighting to survive a deadly car crash, can be some of the most at-risk patients in the intensive care unit of any hospital. Regardless of whether an accident happens in Carroll, Frederick, or Prince George’s County, or even in Washington, D.C., there are no guarantees of recovery.But many do survive, and that’s a testament to modern medicine and the human spirit. According to news reports, an out-of-state man was critically injured in a December 2007 car accident to the point that doctors gave him a three-percent chance of survival. The aftermath of that terrible high-speed accident that sent John Ulsh to the trauma unit at a local hospital was horrendous.
Based on news reports, the family vehicle was literally a crumpled hulk when police and emergency crews arrived. The crash was caused, according to police reports, by another driver whose vehicle veered into the oncoming lane hitting Ulsh’s vehicle head-on. The man, his wife Tonia and their two children, James (then 4) and Katie (8 at the time), were on the way home from their daughter’s swim meet on a Saturday afternoon when the unimaginable happened.
Ulsh and his young son were both transported by helicopter to the hospital, whiles Tonia and her daughter were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Hagerstown, MD. Although the entire family survived that violent automobile accident, each had his or her own hurdles to overcome medically. John Ulsh was the worst off, yet his wife and daughter each had a number of broken bones. The couple's young son also suffered injuries, such as broken bones and some internal injuries that had to be corrected with surgery.
Ulsh himself was given a three-percent chance of living, with nobody even suggesting that he might walk again on his own. Surprisingly, after apparently a great amount of frustration with his hospital rehab program, not to mention a reportedly unsustainable reliance on pain meds, Ulsh left the rehab program and moved to his local YMCA facility.
Following this move, Ulsh graduated from being wheelchair-bound to using a cane; then from a cane to a walker. Now, four years after that horrendous traffic wreck that nearly killed him, John Ulsh is walking on his own. The road has not been easy, according to news reports, as he has had to endure nearly 30 separate surgical procedures and a great deal of physical effort and determination; but apparently it has paid off for a man who was literally on the verge of death back in 2007.
Car accident left him with a 3% chance to live, PennLive.com, January 12, 2012