Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Once again drinking and driving has been pointed to as a contributing factor in yet another car accident in Queen Anne’s County. As a Baltimore personal injury lawyer and car accident attorney, I know all too well how alcohol can play a big role in traffic collisions. The pain inflicted on others as a result of another person’s negligent behavior can be extensive and long lasting.

In this latest incident, two people died when the vehicle in which they were riding crashed along a stretch of Maryland’s Route 8. According to news accounts, the accident happened around 8am on a Sunday morning when 41-year-old Victor A. Smith of Annapolis apparently lost control of his BMW, which then crossed the center line into oncoming traffic.

The Smith had been driving his black BMW northbound along Route 8 near Great Neck Road in Stevensville when the accident occurred. As the car veered into southbound traffic, 46-year-old Agnes C. Phelps tried to avoid Smith’s BMW by pulling off to the side of the road and onto the shoulder, according to police reports. Even so, Phelps’ car was hit by the BMW, which then caused both vehicles to leave the roadway.

As a result of the collision, two of Smith’s passengers died. Based on reports, the front seat passenger, 35-year-old Reginald L. Dean, was thrown from the car, while 33-year-old Teshawn D. Parker was partially ejected from the rear seat. Police reports indicate that none of the occupants in the BMW was wearing a seatbelt.

Police arriving on the scene noted that Smith had a strong smell alcohol on his breath. Emergency crews treated the two drivers, each of whom were then flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center. In addition to alcohol, state police believe that speed was also a factor in the crash.

2 killed in accident in Queen Anne's County, BaltimoreSun.com, August 1, 2010

It’s no secret that many traffic accidents are caused by impaired drivers. A subset of this group includes individuals who cause injury and death because they are intoxicated by alcohol, prescription medicine and illegal drugs (also referred to as controlled dangerous substances or CDS). People who are not fully in control of their faculties due to taking drugs or consuming alcohol can be the source of serious traffic collisions involving passenger cars, motorcycles and commercial trucks.

As a Maryland automobile accident attorney, I know the seriousness of injuries sustained by occupants of motor vehicles caught up in these kinds of impaired driving crashes or DUI-related accidents. What may be disconcerting to many people out there is that prosecuting these DUI offenders is not as simple as it may seem.

This is a shame, because thousands of people are killed or injured every year by the thoughtlessness of these individuals. From simple cuts and bruises to broken bones and permanent disability -- even death -- there is too much suffering imposed on so many by so few who lack a social conscience. Yet recourse against these irresponsible few is difficult according to experts.

A recent article points out the there is a delicate balance between individuals who have a legitimate need for prescription medication and the public good. More and more it is becoming common for drivers to be charged with driving under the influence of drugs following a car or commercial truck accident. According to law enforcement authorities, although drunk driving deaths have reportedly been dropping, there has been an increase in accidents caused by drivers impaired due to prescription painkillers, anti-anxiety medications, sleep aids and other powerful drugs.

The situation has become increasingly worrisome for police officials nationwide because, unlike the effects of beer, wine and hard liquor, there is no agreement on what level of drugs in the blood driving impairment occurs.

Of course, the behavioral effects of legally prescribed drugs varies from one person to the next. Some drugs, such as anti-anxiety medications, can reduce driver’s level of alertness and reduce reaction time. Stimulants, on the other hand, can promote risk-taking and impair a person’s ability to judge distance. Then there is the issue of mixing prescription medication, taking these legal drugs with alcohol or even illicit drugs. All of which can make worsen a driver’s level of impairment, causing a sharp increase in the chances that a driver will cause a traffic accident.

Continue reading "Baltimore Car Accident News: Drug-impaired Drivers Injure Many, But Prosecution for DUI Difficult" »

Drinking and driving is one of the most common and most preventable causes of traffic accidents that modern society has faced. Deaths and injuries resulting from drunk drivers make the headlines of Maryland’s newspapers and local TV news programs more often than anyone would care to see.

Recently, a former high school football star from the River Hill school district was sentenced to a year and a half in jail after being convicted of a DWI-related traffic death late last year of a family friend. The accident happened in late November when now 23-year-old David Erdman was driving a 17-year-old friend, Steven Dankos, in his pickup truck in Howard County, Maryland.

A resident of Ellicott City, Edman pleaded guilty last May to negligent homicide as a result of driving while intoxicated. The charges stemmed from an early morning crash on November 30 when Erdman’s pickup hit several stone pillars. Dankos, who had been traveling in the bed of the pickup truck, was thrown from the vehicle to the ground. Police said that the vehicle was speeding at the time of the crash, which no doubt increased the severity of the accident.

According to news reports, Dankos, Erdman and Erdman's younger brother had all been out on the road following a round of post-football-game parties when the vehicle ran veered off Folly Quarter Road and hit the obstruction. Police said that Erdman's blood-alcohol content (BAC) reading following the crash was 0.21 percent -- or almost three times Maryland’s legal limit. The three occupants had been drinking at parties, according to court documents, some of which had been held in homes where the teens' parents allowed the drinking.

Erdman, who reportedly has already completed a 25-day outpatient alcohol abuse program, was sentenced to five years. However, the judge suspended all but 18 months of that sentence. Erdman will reportedly serve time in the Howard County Detention Center with the recommendation that he be considered for a work release program.

The case highlighted the fact that parents of the partiers had allowed underage teens to drink in their homes; certainly a senseless tragedy that may have been avoided if the adults in charge had been more responsible. Erdman shared the bulk of the blame as he reportedly could have accepted an offer from another friend to drive him and his friends home. , and she said the crash might not have happened at a lower speed. Police found the truck had been speeding on the rural roadway at the moment of the crash.

Former football star gets 18 months for drunk-driving death , BaltimoreSun.com, August 5, 2010

When it comes to automobile, truck and motorcycle accidents, negligence comes in many different forms. Whether a minor fender-bender or a full-blown fatal traffic collision, the responsible party should be held accountable for his or her actions. For those individuals who have caused the death of another person, no excuse should be acceptable; not to the family of the victims, nor to local law enforcement.

Drunk driving is certainly one of the more common causes of car crashes in the Baltimore area and elsewhere across our state. It’s a shame that so many people die every year due to abuse of alcohol. As Maryland car accident attorneys, I and my colleagues consider the pain and suffering of the families of victims, not to mention the costs and lost income caused by a bad automobile wreck.

A sad story caught our attention the other day involving a retired Maryland couple who died in a pointless out-of-state car crash. According to the news article, 56-year-old Thomas Cypress was charged with DUI manslaughter for the February 2009 crash that claimed the lives of Robert and Paulette Kirkpatrick. Following his trial in a Miami-Dade courtroom, Cypress was sentenced to 12 years in prison -- a negotiated deal that spared the man a possible maximum 30-year sentence.

Courtroom testimony indicated that Cypress' blood-alcohol level was triple the legal limit in February 2009 when he veered his truck into the opposing lane hitting the Kirkpatrick’s rental car head-on. According to news reports the couple, who were also grandparents to several young children, was in the area for an art show and vacation.

Police said that Cypress was driving on a suspended driver’s license (a result of a previous drunken driving charge). Prior to that, he had been arrested by police on two separate occasions for DWI.

Once his 12-year sentence is up, Cypress will be required to go into an alcohol rehabilitation program, serving 10 additional years of probation and agree never to drive a motor vehicle again. Apparently as part of the deal, Cypress must pay $120,000 to the Kirkpatricks’ family in order to fund a scholarship in the victims' names. According to reports, the survivors signed off on the deal.

Deadly driver Thomas Cypress sentenced to 12 years, MiamiHerald.com, July 1, 2010

An alleged illegal immigrant has been charged with negligent driving in connection with a fatal traffic accident on I-83 last month. The single-vehicle crash, which reportedly involved speeding and alcohol use, happened in the early morning hours of June 21. The passenger in that car was killed as a result of the wreck.

As a Baltimore personal injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, my staff has represented victims of car, SUV and truck accidents as well as their families and estates. A fatal car or truck accident leaves a huge hole in the victim’s family, both emotionally and financially. Especially in cases where the victim was the sole breadwinner, his spouse and children can be overwhelmed by the medical costs and loss of income.

Insurance companies may not be very cooperative or take a long time to pay any benefits, leaving the family to cover the mounting expenses at the risk of losing their home and other possessions during what is likely the worst time of their lives.

A recent news report shows how a person can become a victim of a car crash caused in large part by the negligence of another individual. According to reports, 22-year-old Freddy Cortez Flores of Hyattsville was allegedly driving drunk on the morning that he lost control of his vehicle, killing his passenger, Carlos O. Cardoza Portillo, as a result.

Police reports indicate that Flores was driving north along I-83 near Guilford Ave. just before one in the morning. The driver apparently lost control of the car and swerved across the right-hand lanes causing the vehicle to strike the Jersey wall. Investigators believe that Cortez Flores was traveling about 65mph in a 40mph zone.

Portillo, who was wearing a safety belt at the time, was partially ejected following the impact with the wall. He was then dragged against the Jersey wall for nearly 600 feet before the vehicle came to a stop. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers at the scene noted that Cortez Flores' speech was slurred and they also detected the distinctive smell of alcohol on the man’s breath, according to police reports. In a police interview conducted in Spanish, Cortez Flores said he had swerved to avoid an unknown vehicle that had swerved into his lane. He also admitted to police that he had consumed four beers prior to the accident -- his blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.09 percent.

Although Cortez Flores apparently had a valid Maryland driver's license, Police believe that he was in the U.S. illegally. Officers contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which placed an immigration detainer on the man.

Illegal immigrant charged in I-83 crash that killed passenger, BaltimoreSun.com, June 22, 2010

Automobile injury accidents can be severe and cause tens of thousands of dollars in medical and related costs. It’s bad enough to be saddled with these costs without having them be caused by another driver’s negligence. As Maryland auto injury attorneys, my firm helps people who have suffered injuries from cuts and bruises to closed head injuries and spinal damage.

A recent news story showed what can happen when someone fails to consider the safety and wellbeing of others as a result of their own mistake. According to reports, six people were sent to the hospital following a car crash with a man running from the police in the early morning hours of July 4th. The chase began when a Maryland State Police trooper, already at the scene of a previous accident on Route 33, observed an oncoming being driven erratically.

The officer was sitting in his vehicle when he noticed the approaching vehicle obviously weaving and crossing the roadway centerline. Pulling away from the scene of the first collision, the trooper followed and then pulled over a Ford Explorer. While interviewing the SUV’s driver, the patrolman recognized the smell of alcohol on the driver’s breath. When the officer requested the man to exit his vehicle, the driver instead drove quickly away, nearly hitting the policeman in the process.

The 19-year-old driver, later identified as Armand J. Cornish, led the patrolman on a chase from Route 33 onto the Easton bypass and then onto Route 50 eastbound. Additional traffic enforcement patrols from the Easton Police Department and Talbot County Sheriff's Office were called to assist in the pursuit.

News accounts indicate that the chase continued along Route 50 at speeds exceeding 100 mph, during which police reportedly saw beer cans being thrown from the fleeing vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the suspect using stop sticks on the eastern side of the bridge in Cambridge. The man’s Explorer rolled over the stop sticks and seconds later hit the back end of an eastbound Mustang. Cornish then apparently lost control of his sport utility vehicle, which traveled across the median and then across the westbound lanes of Route 50. It came to rest on an adjacent pedestrian sidewalk.

Continue reading "Dorchester County Man Arrested for Drunken Driving-related Injury Accident on Maryland's Route 50" »

A Maryland resident was arrested by police following an out-of-state traffic accident that left a local man severely injured in an allegedly alcohol-related auto-pedestrian accident. According to a news article, local police took 38-year-old Pamela Currie into custody after an early morning pedestrian accident that apparently resulted in serious injury to a man was only crossing the street.

As a Maryland injury lawyer, I and my colleagues hear of these types of traffic collisions numerous times each month. In this case, the accident appears to involve alcohol, which indicates that the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. Local police said that the crash happened at about 1:00 in the morning on a Thursday in front of a city hall.

While this was thankfully not a fatal traffic accident, the victim was nonetheless left with multiple injuries and will need time to recover. Based on news accounts, an eye witness said that the 46-year-old man was thrown about seven feet onto the pavement. He reportedly landed on his left side, with one of his shoes being found another 15 feet from where he landed. Police accident investigators reportedly found skid marks at the scene that indicated the driver was probably speeding at the time of the impact.

The injured man had to wait nearly 15 minutes before an ambulance service was able to attend to him. He was apparently treated at the scene and then taken to a local hospital for further treatment and observation.

According to news reports, Currie was operating her Nissan Xterra south along Washington just before the serious accident. Police indicated that a male passenger was also riding in the SUV. According to local reports, if police can determine that the passenger was sober when the crash occurred, then he could be fined for letting Currie drive an automobile while drunk.

It was apparently clear to police that the driver was intoxicated, since police reports show that Currie appeared to be inebriated when she exited her vehicle to take a field sobriety test. Investigators were still looking into the crash at the time of the report, however the driver was reportedly charged with aggravated assault by auto and refusal to submit to chemical blood-alcohol (BAC) test. Her vehicle was towed to a local municipal garage.

Update: Pedestrian Struck; Driver Arrested For DWI, HobokenPatch.com, June 3, 2010

As auto accident attorneys practicing in the Baltimore area, I and my colleagues have seen the aftermath of some of the worst of Maryland’s car and truck collisions. Traffic accidents can kill and maim the occupants of a passenger in a split second. What is tragic is that many accidents could have been avoided if it weren’t for driver negligence.

A frequent cause of traffic accidents is drunken driving. To some, driving under the influence of alcohol is the height of driver negligence because it is something that should be in every motorist’s control not to get behind the wheel in an intoxicated state. To choose to drink knowing that one will be driving in an impaired condition is at least an irresponsible act, at worst it can be a death sentence to some unknown and unsuspecting victim.

To often it seems, the people whose negligence results in the death of another individual are punished only after the fact, which is cold comfort to the families of the victims. In the conclusion of a rather sad story that began last year, a woman has finally felt the hand of justice following the fatal drinking and driving accident that led to the deaths of two men in 2009.

According to news articles, Kelli R. Loos was sentenced to 10 years, which is at the high end of the state-recommended guidelines for a case of this kind. Loos will likely not serve all that time in jail. According to reports, she will receive credit for the 10 months she has already been held in jail since the accident.

Loos will also be eligible for parole in 20 months because vehicular manslaughter is considered a nonviolent crime under state rules. Add into the equation the state's good behavior credits which could make Loos eligible for mandatory release in as little as 3 1/2 years.

Last summer, the 33-year-old Loos had rear-ended a pickup truck on the beltway, causing that vehicle to crash through a guardrail and roll down an embankment, landing on its roof 60 feet below. The accident killed 37-year-old Franklin Manzanares and 39-year-old Gradys Mendoza.

Following the crash with the pickup truck, Loos fled the scene and reportedly drove toward Virginia. She crashed her vehicle again while attempting to exit the Beltway onto Georgetown Pike, hitting a highway sign. Not long after that, police took her into custody where she subsequently registered a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.20 percent on a breathalyzer.

At sentencing in drunk driver's fatal accident, competing pleas for justice, WashingtonPost.com, May 21, 2010

Alcohol use is one of the biggest factors when it comes to traffic accidents. To say that an individual is not responsible for his actions when drunk is to ignore the fact that the very same person made a conscious decision to begin drinking in the first place. Regardless of a person’s intent when entering a bar or taking a drink at home prior to getting into a motor vehicle, the results of such actions can be long-lasting, if not permanent or even fatal.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers, I and my associates work to help victims and their families recover from tragic and life-changing car and truck collisions. Adding alcohol or prescription drug use into the equation turns an already sad event into a regrettable and heartrending experience for all of the affected parties.

Not long ago a news article caught our attention in which excessive vehicle speed and possibly alcohol consumption were likely factors in the fatal crash of an SUV along Perring Parkway. The single-vehicle accident occurred in the early evening hours on a Sunday, killing a six-year-old boy and injuring seven other passengers and the driver.

Based on police reports, the sport utility vehicle was apparently going southbound on the 6400 block of Perring Parkway around 6pm when for some reason the driver lost control of the vehicle. The truck traveled across the median and then rolled several times, ejecting all of the passengers, according to reports. The vehicle came to rest in the northbound lanes of the 6500 block of the parkway.

Baltimore City firefighters responded to the accident, including eight medic units from Baltimore County and the city of Baltimore. Crews treated eight patients who were scattered about the crash site. Police said that most of the passengers appeared to be teenagers and that many of the victims sustained varying degrees of fractures, cuts and bruises.

Victims were transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Pediatrics, Maryland Shock Trauma Center and Sinai Hospital. Six-year-old Jaeden Dulin was critically injured in the crash and died at Johns Hopkins Hospital where he being treated for his injuries.

Police investigators said initially that they believed speed and alcohol to be factors in the crash, however at the time of the article not cause had yet been established by the Baltimore City police.

Speed, alcohol possible factors in SUV crash on Perring Parkway, police say, BaltimoreSun.com, June 01, 2010

Eight hospitalized in Perring Parkway accident, BaltimoreSun.com, May 31, 2010

Injury accidents can be triggered by a variety of factors, not the least of which is driver error. The tragedy of many automobile and truck crashes is that the offending driver was drunk at the time of the wreck. Fatal car, SUV and motorcycle accidents can sometimes be traced back to alcohol use, which makes these kinds of crashes all the more avoidable.

Maryland automobile accidents can lead to serious injuries and lengthy hospital stays. The medical costs of such incidents can be a tremendous burden to the victims and their families. In cases of fatal collisions, the survivors can be left without a bread winner compounding the financial troubles at a time when the family is most vulnerable.

Not long ago a driver who was arrested for allegedly causing a multi-car accident was charged with drunk driving. Based on news articles, 28-year-old Brad Austin Wootten was driving a 2000 Ford Explorer when he rear-ended a passenger car at the end of the road closure. That collision caused a multi-car accident involving a total of four vehicles.

According to police reports, the crash occurred in the eastbound lanes of Route 50 near Baptist Street, where construction crews were conducting road repair. Traffic had been stopped for construction when the accident happened just before 2am.

Troopers from the Salisbury Barrack of the Maryland State Police responded to the scene of the accident, however Wootten reportedly had fled the scene previously. The Federalsburg resident was subsequently located not far from the accident and stopped by troopers. Wootten was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of the collision, and negligent driving.

Man charged with DUI after multi-car accident, DelMarVaNow.com, April 23, 2010

As a Maryland driver myself, I do worry about the mental and physical states of other drivers on the road. It is a matter of fact that we all take a daily risk as we share the road with hundreds and thousands of other motorists. It is impossible to know whether any one of those drivers could be drunk, overtired, impaired from prescription medication, or just plain distracted by their cellphone or mobile device.

Needless to say, any traffic wreck is one too many, and the causes are secondary to the aftermath as far as the victims are concerned. As a Baltimore auto accident lawyer and personal injury attorney, I can say that negligence takes many forms. Society has become very sensitive one form of bad behavior -- drunk driving -- with law enforcement and the court system ready and willing to prosecute offenders.

But even when an individual is convicted of vehicular homicide or injury by auto, the victims and their families must continue to deal with the emotional scars and financial costs of that negligent driver’s actions. This is why I and my colleagues try so hard to help people in need by suing to recover damages from medical costs, such as treatment for traumatic spinal injury, and lost wages due to a breadwinner’s incapacitation after a crash.

A recent accident brings the point home for everyone, as police arrested a driver suspected of drunk driving following a head-on injury accident in Ann Arundel County. According to news reports, the a pickup truck driver who was allegedly speeding the wrong way on westbound Route 100 hit a Toyota Camry and critically injured a 36-year-old Olasupo Dosunmu of Hanover, MD.

Police said Dosunmu was driving his Toyota in the slow lane of westbound Route 100 near Telegraph Road just before 3am when he was struck by the 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by 28-year-old Leon Franklin Medura Jr. of Crofton. Although an investigation was ongoing at the time of the news article, police believe that the crash was a result of driver error, excessive speed and possible alcohol use.

Dosunmu was taken by state police Medevac helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center after being cut from his crushed vehicle by emergency responders. The driver of the pickup and his passenger, 24-year-old Ashley Lauren Patterson, were taken by ambulance to Shock Trauma where they were each listed in serious condition.

Police suspect alcohol as factor after 3 hurt in head-on Arundel crash, BaltimoreSun.com, March 18, 2010

Accidents involving passenger cars, minivans and sport utility vehicles happen often and for a variety of reasons. Typically they are caused by driver error and many times can be the result of simple negligence. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, I’ve seen my share of accident scenes and the human toll that can result from a violent traffic wreck involving cars or commercial tractor-trailer rigs.

Three automobile accidents recently caused injury to three persons in Ann Arundel County, MD. On crash occurred on Route 50 when a 30-year-old driver from Annapolis apparently lost control of his Chevy Suburban near Aris T. Allen Boulevard just before 7pm on a weekday evening. The man’s SUV reportedly hit an Acura in the middle lane.

As a result of the accident, the 56-year-old female driver of the Acura and a 27-year-old male passenger riding in the Suburban were both taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center with minor injuries. The driver of the Suburban, who police said was at fault in the accident, was flown by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

The next day a 56-year-old woman became trapped in her Jeep Cherokee after she lost control of the vehicle at the Jennifer Road exit of westbound Route 50. The sport utility vehicle flipped several times before coming to rest off to the side of the roadway. The driver was taken by ambulance to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Finally, in a third accident, a Baltimore County resident reportedly hit another vehicle and then left the scene of the accident. Based on news reports, the accident happened in the early morning hours along Route 100 near Arundel Mills Boulevard.

Police arrived at the scene to find a 26-year-old woman on the side of the road attempting to flag down vehicles. The woman told officers that she was driving a 2004 Ford Escort eastbound when a red Mitsubishi apparently lost control and struck her car, sending it crashing into a guardrail. Fortunately, the woman was not injured, according to police.

Not long after, patrolmen located a 2003 red Mitsubishi with front-end damage driving north in the southbound lane of Route 3 near McKnew Road. Police stopped the vehicle and identified it as the vehicle likely involved in the Route 100 accident. The driver, 25-year-old Kim Young II of Towson, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.

2 hurt in separate Route 50 crashes, HometownAnnapolis.com, March 12, 2010

DUI hit and run, HometownAnnapolis.com, March 11, 2010

Certainly there are no guarantees in life, but as motorists we do assume risks every time we get behind the wheel of our automobiles, motorcycles and SUVs. This being said, it would be comforting to know if we could expect a modicum of safety for ourselves and our families while traveling Maryland’s highways and byways. As Baltimore car accident lawyers, I and my colleagues know first-hand the worst-case scenarios that await some people.

A recent study by the Reader’s Digest gave us some hope for drivers throughout the state. According to the report, Maryland ranks in the top one-fifth of states with the lowest chances of a fatal alcohol-related traffic accident. Furthermore, when it comes to speeding-related deaths on our roads, the state falls just below the national average fatal.

What does this mean in real figures? According to the report, Maryland has about 0.28 drunk driving-related deaths per million vehicle miles, ranking it eighth and placing it in the top ten safest states for that category. For the United States as a whole, drunk driving deaths average 0.40 per million vehicle miles traveled.

In the category of deaths caused by speeding, our state was ranked 22nd out of 50. The statistics bear this out as Maryland averages about 0.35 deaths per million vehicle miles traveled. Compare that to the national average of 0.39 deaths per million vehicle miles as a result of drunk driving.

Reader’s Digest ranked all 50 states to determine the safest, most scenic and sensible roads. While Maryland made a fair showing it should be noted that some of our neighbors did not. Included in the publication’s list of bad roads, the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 78 and Interstate 80) as well as I-95 over the George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York were among the worst.

Reader's Digest Ranks Safest, Deadliest Roads in U.S., TruckingInfo.com, March 16, 2010

Fatal traffic accidents are a sad and unfortunately common occurrence on Maryland’s rural and interstate motorways. Every day, drivers from Annapolis, D.C., Baltimore and other cities and towns around the state face multiple dangers when taking to our roadways. This is seemingly the price we pay for living in such a mobile and active society. But many fatal traffic accidents can be prevented or avoided with some luck and a little preparation.

Even so, every few days we hear of a deadly car or truck collision that has claimed yet another life. These victims can be mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, even grandparents. Fate does not discriminate when it comes to traffic accidents. As Maryland auto injury lawyers, our office understands the emotional pain and hardship that accompanies every fatal automobile wreck. Sometimes the negligent party becomes a fugitive from justice, which makes a family’s loss that much more difficult to bear.

A news reports recently called this kind of accident to mind as a man wanted in a fatal drunk driving accident was identified by U.S. Customs agents at a northern boarder crossing. According to reports, Gerald D. Barnett was arrested in March on charges linked to a deadly car crash last year in June.

State Police stated that the 56-year-old Elkton resident is wanted on a string of charges, including negligent motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol, negligent homicide while impaired by alcohol and failure to render assistance to an injured person. The suspect also is facing two additional charges related to drinking and driving, according to the Maryland State Police.

Currently also charged with being a fugitive from justice, Barnett was allegedly driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.19 percent the night of June 12, 2009, when he struck and killed a man loading a moped into the trunk of his car by the roadside. The man, 45-year-old Christopher S. Larson, was killed instantly, according to police.

Larson’s car was pushed off the road and overturned with the victim’s brother still in the vehicle. Police said that at the time Barnett was wanted in Virginia on criminal charges.

Man wanted in DWI fatality in Maryland held as fugitive, WatertownDailyTimes.com, March 3, 2010

Drunk driving kills thousands of people every year across the U.S. and Maryland is no exception to this sad statistic. Whether you live in Annapolis, Baltimore, the District or Columbia, MD, every week it is possible to read another in the steady stream of news article covering fatal traffic accidents caused by motorists impaired by alcohol, prescription narcotics and illicit drugs. Most every Maryland injury attorney has represented his or her fair share of victims and their families following a tragic car or truck wreck.

A bill making its way through the Maryland legislature may help to reduce the number of injuries, such as broken bones, head trauma and spinal cord damage, caused by repeat drunk driving offenders. According to reports, two bills are part of the state’s Drunk Driving Elimination Act, which was created in an attempt to reduce the incidence of DUI across Maryland.

One of the bills would require every convicted drunk driving offender to have an ignition interlock installed in his or her vehicle, and to remain in use for a state-mandated period of time -- possibly three months. This potential law, which would affect even first-time DUI offenders, is similar to laws on the books in other states that require the use of ignition interlock devices for people responsible for automobile and trucking-related collisions.

Even though DUI car accidents can result in death and serious, debilitating injuries some groups are against certain portions of the legislation. Not surprisingly, this bill is being opposed by the Alcohol Beverage Institute, which would prefer to have the bill be worded so that only repeat offenders or those individuals facing additional violations are required to have the interlock device attached to their vehicles.

Also going through the state legislature is another bill that would eliminate the right of a motorist to refuse a breath test when pulled over for suspicion of DUI -- or if that individual is a habitual offender. Framers of the bill are facing opposition from personal rights advocates who have a history of defending motorists’ right to lawfully refuse a breath test. Proponents of the second bill say that some defendants in drunken driving cases use their breath test refusal as part of a defense tactic, which can result in a civil penalty such as a license suspension as opposed to being subjected to a criminal trial for drunk driving.

Voicing a painful message: Don't drink and drive, HometownGlenburnie.com, February 27, 2010

Injury accidents are commonplace on almost any roadway in Maryland. Whether it’s the city streets of Annapolis or D.C., the open highways across the state, or tight country roads, a car or truck crash can occur without warning. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, I also know that drunken driving ups the ante when it comes to automobile collisions.

Not only does drinking and driving reduce a motorist’s reaction times, but it also dulls the cognitive portion of the brain, reducing a driver’s ability to make good and proper decisions. Mixing alcohol with a motor vehicle on a public road is just disaster waiting to happen. Yet this is what happens dozens of times every month. The pain and suffering that drunk drivers inflict on innocent motorists is already too high, yet police are constantly pulling these drivers over.

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s too late when a person driving under the influence of alcohol is taken into custody by law enforcement officer. A recent news report shows that as police try ever harder to limit the number of drunks on the road there is always one that gets through and causes an accident.

In this latest case, reports show that a Berlin, Maryland, driver caused a four-car accident that tied up traffic in Racetrack Road late in January. According to that report, the accident occurred just past 5pm on Route 589 near Cathell Road on a Monday afternoon.

Police reports states that a 72-year-old woman struck three other vehicles while she was allegedly driving while intoxicated in her 2003 Toyota sedan. The driver’s vehicle ended up in the southbound lane following the crash. The woman, who name was not available at the time of the news article, was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury with life-threatening injuries.

Police indicated that the driver’s name was included in a log of the week's driving under the influence arrests released to local media, however the a spokesman for the Maryland State Police said the driver had not been charged with DUI and that the police were still investigating the incident.

Pileup sends driver to PRMC, DelmarvaNow.com, January 19, 2010

Every year, hundreds of people are killed in traffic accidents across the country. Many of these automobile accidents are caused by motorists who drink and drive. Here in Maryland, it’s not uncommon to see news stories about drunk drivers who cause serious as well as fatal injuries to occupants of other vehicles due to driving under the influence of alcohol. As a personal injury lawyer in the Baltimore area, I have seen the aftermath of these kinds of alcohol-related wrecks.

It make no difference whether you drive a passenger car, pickup truck, sport utility vehicle (SUV) or minivan, a serious collision can turn your life upside down. If you are a breadwinner for your family, being injured in a car crash will impact your household income due to lost wages as well as medical costs during recovery. A fatal crash can have devastating affect on families in Annapolis, Owings Mills, the District, and other communities around the state.

Not long ago, a Maryland resident was sentenced to nine years in jail for the fatal drunk driving death of an area mom. According to the news, the crash that killed 28-year-old Cristina L. Palese occurred on March 21, 2009, during the victim’s drive home from work at the Cadillac Ranch restaurant at National Harbor, MD.

Heading to her house in Springfield, the mother of two was nearing the Van Dorn Street exit on the inner loop when her Nissan Sentra was hit head-on by a Lincoln LS sedan driven by Travis J. Isaac, 26, of Woodbridge. Palese was killed instantly, while Isaac sustained a compound fracture to his leg. When his blood alcohol level was measured it came to 0.16 percent -- which is twice the legal limit in this state.

Issac, who already had a previous drunken driving conviction, was traveling the wrong way on the Capital Beltway when he killed Palese. The jury reportedly took two hours to convict Isaac for the offense that could have sent him to jail for a maximum of 20 years. During the sentencing phase the jury took nearly three hours to impose the nine-year jail sentence. According to the news reports, Isaac will be eligible for release when he is 33.

Drunk driver gets 9 years in fatal wrong-way Beltway crash, WashingtonPost.com, January 8, 2010

The year just past was marred by hundreds of traffic accidents throughout Maryland, some of which resulted in fatalities. One of the saddest was the death of a Stephen Decatur High School sophomore who was hit by a car as he and some friends tried to cross Route 50 near Ocean City. As a Baltimore personal injury and auto accident lawyer, my office understands the terrible grief that friends, families and communities feel at the loss of any youngster.

Unfortunately, traffic accidents involving pedestrians are often fatal and almost always severe. As drivers, we all must be especially vigilant when approaching people walking along the roadside or crossing the street. Cars, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are much more massive and quicker than a person on foot. Therefore additional caution should always be exercised whenever pedestrians are nearby.

According to news articles, the driver who hit the boy last year in May had a 0.10 percent blood-alcohol content at the time of the accident. Other than the drunken driving offense police had not issued any other charges in connection with the fatal crash. The man recently received six months in jail from a Worchester County court for his part in the accident.

According to the Maryland State Police, 16-year-old Matthew Barcase of Ocean Pines had crossed the westbound lanes and made it to the median before he was struck by a vehicle traveling east toward Ocean City. Police believe Barcase might have stumbled or tripped into the path of the oncoming vehicle. Barcase was taken to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the vehicle that hit the young man, 29-year-old Luis Angel Rodriguez of Massapequa Park, N.Y., was indicted by a Worcester County grand jury in October on drunken driving charges.

In sentencing the man, Judge Theodore Eschenberg stated that he couldn’t treat the defendant’s arrest for drunk driving as a first offense. “Considering what the family wants, what the state wants, what the facts of the case suggest, I’m sentencing you to six months in the Worcester County Jail,” Eschenberg said. “No matter what sentence I give you, it’s not going to bring that young man back.”

Motorist Jailed 6 Months In Pedestrian Fatality, MdCoastDispatch.com, January 15, 2010

Decatur student struck, killed; driver charged with DUI, OceanCityToday.com, January 1, 2010

Families of victims killed in fatal traffic accidents have a hard enough time without having the death be related to drunk driving. In Baltimore, the District, Annapolis or anywhere else in Maryland, drivers and passengers alike are killed every day in senseless car, truck and SUV crashes. Recently, the person whose actions may have resulted in the death last summer of a Tall Timbers, MD, motorist has been charged with vehicular homicide.

According to news reports, a 31-year-old Hollywood, Maryland, resident was indicted on charges of manslaughter by vehicle, drunk driving and reckless driving by a St. Mary's grand jury. The incident occurred around midnight on July 25 on Route 249. The head-on collision allegedly caused by George Michael Bowes, Jr. resulted in the death of Russell Edward Wenzel, 58, and the serious injury of his wife.

Bowes was released recently on $100,000 bond after he was served the same day with an arrest warrant and the indictment from the two-vehicle collision last July.

Based on police reports, Wenzel was driving his wife home just after midnight following a hospital visit when their southbound sedan was struck by a northbound pickup truck that crossed highway's centerline.

After rescue crews arrived, Melissa Wenzel, also 58, was flown by a helicopter to a hospital in Prince George's County, where she underwent surgery for an elbow injury. Reports indicate that Bowes was treated at St. Mary's Hospital and subsequently released.

A sample of Bowes' blood was obtained during the initial investigation, according to the local sheriff office, and the case was then referred to county prosecutors after accident reconstruction apparently showed Bowes was at fault.

According to news reports, Maryland Attorney Richard D. Fritz, whose previous campaign treasurer is Bowes' mother, requested that the matter be handled by a court-appointed prosecutor, and it was assigned to Calvert County Senior Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Rappaport.

As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, my office handles numerous cases every year not unlike this one. If someone you know has been killed or injured as a result of another driver’s negligence, I highly recommend that the victim’s family contact a qualified personal injury attorney to find out what their options are.

Driver faces manslaughter, DUI charges, SoMDNews.com, December 23, 2009

Fatal car accidents are tragic enough, but when you throw in alcohol use the tragedy is even more difficult for a community to bear. There is no excuse for driving drunk, yet every day across Maryland and the rest of the country motorists from all walks of life get behind the wheel while intoxicated. The lucky ones never have a car accident, however many do and those car, turck and SUV crashes can be fatal. The saddest situations involve traffic deaths at the hands of a friend or relative.

As Maryland auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues see this kind of scenario all too often. Recently I read of a fatal single-vehicle crash that took the life of a young high school student from Howard County, MD. That young man’s choice to ride with a driver who was allegedly drunk was the worst possible decision he could have made.

Based on news articles, 17-year-old River Hill high school student Steven Dankos was riding in the bed of a pickup truck in late November with the older brother of one of his best friends at the wheel, 22-year-old David Erdman. A third passenger was also with them, Erdman’s 17-year-old brother Thomas was riding inside the pickup, police said.

According to police reports, the accident occurred just before 3am on Folly Quarter Road at Buckskin Lake Drive when Erdman lost control of the vehicle and crashed into several ornamental stone pillars along the road.

The vehicle overturned as a result fo the crash, which caused Dankos to be thrown from the truck and land some distance from the impact site. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not know where the three were coming from or where they were headed. The accident report showed that Thomas Erdman was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center and later released to recover at home.

At the time of the news article, investigators were still trying to determine whether the two teenagers had been drinking and whether or not they knew the driver was impaired, as alleged by the police.

David Erdman was charged by Howard County police with driving under the influence, negligent manslaughter by motor vehicle and negligent homicide by motor vehicle. He was arrested after being released Sunday from Howard County General Hospital.

Driver of truck charged in accident that killed River Hill football player, BaltimoreSun.com, December 1, 2009