Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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

Drunk driving can and does cause tragic results. It’s amazing, then, that an 84-year-old Maryland motorist who police believe was driving under the influence of alcohol, did not kill anyone when he unknowingly drove the wrong way on Interstate 70 recently. As auto and truck accident attorneys, I and my colleagues have seen first-hand the results of similar events. This one, thank goodness, did not result in any fatalities or serious injuries, for that matter.

According to reports, Carroll Wayne Broome of Hagerstown was apparently intoxicated when he entered I-70 just after noontime on Monday, November 16, and drove eastbound through opposing traffic. Police say that Broome caused two separate accidents near exit 28 (near Maryland’s Route 632) and exit 29 (near route 65).

Surprisingly, no serious injuries were reported, according to reports. Law enforcement officials said that the first accident occurred when two other vehicles collided after Broome’s vehicle caused the other drivers to swerve to avoid the man near exit 28. The second accident occurred when a car, which was grazed by the man’s blue passenger vehicle, rear-ended another car that had slowed down to avoid a collision.

Reports indicate that Peter Nicklas Jr., 36, of Hagerstown -- involved in the second accident -- was taken by the Halfway Volunteer Fire Department to Washington County Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released. According to police, no one else suffered injuries that were serious enough to warrant a hospital visit.

News articles stated that a Maryland Department of Natural Resources officer found Broome’s car stopped in the median and facing the wrong was along the westbound lanes of I-70 just east of exit 29.

Troopers arriving at the scene gave Broome several field sobriety tests. They reportedly arrested the man and took him to the Maryland State Police barrack south of Hagerstown for processing. He was released pending a mandatory appearance in court.

Man charged with DUI after allegedly causing two accidents on I-70, Hearld-Mail.com, November 16, 2009

An Upperco, MD, woman was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for a fatal drunk driving-related traffic accident that occurred in 2008. According to reports, 65-year-old Mary Ann Farevagg received the sentence in a Baltimore County court. I and my firm, Lebowitz & Mzhen, LLC, have handled dozens of wrongful death cases stemming from car collisions. Drunk driving is one of the more common causes of on-road fatalities, something that police and legislators have bee trying to combat over the years.

In this instance, Ms. Farevaag apparently entered a guilty plea in Baltimore County Circuit Court for the December 16, 2008, car crash that killed 47-year-old Richard Daniel of Hampstead, Maryland. According to news reports, Daniel was riding in a second vehicle driven by his mother Sara Daniel, 72, who was critically injured in the head-on collision. Court records show that Sara Daniel sustained life-threatening injuries that required extensive in-hospital treatment.

The accident occurred on Black Rock Road near Trenton Road in Baltimore County, about a mile from Farevagg’s home. Prosecutors said that the vehicle Farevaag was driving crossed the center line at 8:40am and struck the Daniel’s car first, then hit several other vehicles before ending up in a nearby field.

Police reports indicated that Farevaag’s blood alcohol level, which was tested two hours after the accident, was at 0.25 percent -- more than three times the legal limit in Maryland.

After pleading guilty to one count of automobile manslaughter and one count of causing a life-threatening injury while under the influence of alcohol, Farevaag was sentenced by Judge Susan Souder to 10 years in prison with all but five suspended on the manslaughter charge. She was also sentenced to an additional three years in jail on the charge of causing life-threatening injuries. The court ordered the sentences to be served consecutively.

Upperco woman sentenced to eight years for auto manslaughter, ExploreBaltimoreCounty.com, September 22, 2009

Drunk driving in Baltimore and other parts of Maryland contribute substantially to annual traffic deaths. Many innocent people are killed or injured every year by drivers operating cars, trucks and SUVs under the influence of alcohol. This negligent behavior by these motorists causes much pain and suffering to individuals and families affected by their actions. As Maryland automobile accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen LLC is dedicated to helping those injured by drunk drivers.

A recent article mentioned a sobriety checkpoint near the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, that was dedicated to the memory of a young college coed who lost her life to the senselessness of a drunk driving accident. Traveling north on Maryland’s Route 1 the evening of September 24, motorists would have noticed an odd sight: a large photo of a smiling college-age girl.

The photo of Amanda Moore, a UMBC student who was killed by a drunk driver four years ago when she was 22, was placed at the front of a sobriety checkpoint set up by University Police.

According to the news article, Moore’s family and friends watched as police arrested nine people for driving under the influence between 11pm and 3am that evening. Her parents even drove eight hours from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to observe the checkpoint. The family, it was reported, felt every arrest was a personal victory, cheering as drivers were walked in handcuffs to the police station.

If you, a family member, or a friend is injured as a result of a drunk driving accident, we highly recommend that you contact a qualified automotive accident lawyer. You deserve to be compensated for the medical costs, lost wages and emotional costs of a drunk driving accident.

Drunken driving checkpoint yields 9 DUI arrests Thursday, DiamondbackOnline.com, September 28, 2009