Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Some automobile, truck and motorcycle collisions are completely avoidable, while others are simply bad luck. Almost every time however, someone’s negligence leads to a serious injury or even a motor vehicle fatality. Occasionally, however, there are incidents that arise following a traffic accident which make no sense, are completely unexpected and due to aggressive and uncontrolled belligerence.

As a Maryland auto accident attorney, I understand how tempers can flare after a bad car or truck accident. What is rare, yet sometimes very real, is a physical attack on another individual based on anger and lack of self control. As drivers, we all must be aware of others on the road. To blame another person for one’s own error is petty and uncivilized. Yet a story out of the Baltimore Sun shows that these kinds of situations arise from time to time with tragic consequences.

According to news articles the rider of the allegedly-illegal dirt bike rider crashed into another vehicle, following which a passenger on the bike assault the driver of the passenger car involved in the accident. The traffic incident happened during the work week in West Baltimore at the intersection of South Monroe and West Pratt. The dirt bike rider apparently ran a red light and hit the sedan broadside. The traffic collision reportedly caused the operator of the bike to be thrown from the vehicle onto the roadway.

According to authorities, the worst of the bodily injuries sustained by the passenger car driver came not from the motor vehicle accident itself, but from the ensuing attack by the passenger and several others. The driver was hurt so badly that he needed urgent care at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

The teenager who was driving the bike suffered broken bones and was also admitted to the Shock Trauma Center. That individual was arrested and faces charges of assault, not to mention related motor vehicle infractions and charges associated with driving an illegal dirt bike.

Sadly, this isn’t an isolated incident involving illegal dirt bike operation. According to the news, teenagers and riders of other ages are known by police to ride in packs through city streets. Their activities threaten the safety and well-being of pedestrians and other motorists due to risky riding practices such as racing and doing wheelies and other stunts while in traffic.

Dirt bike rider crashes into car; assaults driver, BaltimoreSun.com, June 2, 2010

Separate traffic accidents occurred earlier this month in Anne Arundel County. Emergency responders helped five individuals who were hurt in Davidsonville and Glen Burnie, according to the county’s fire department. As Maryland car accident attorneys, the lawyers at Lebowitz-Mzhen, LLC are experienced in representing victims of fatal and non-fatal automobile accidents across the state. A news story coming out of Millersville, MD, reminds that one person’s negligence can cause much pain and suffering to many others.

According to reports, emergency personnel responded to a motorcycle crash in Davidsonville at 10:30am on September 7. In what appears to have been a single-vehicle crash, a 47-year-old motorcycle rider was found injured on the side of Patuxent River Road near Doublegate Road. It is not certain if this accident was a result of rider error or because of defective equipment, however rescuers aided and transported the man to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Just after noon that same day, responders were called to the scene of a two-vehicle crash in Glen Burnie. The force of the collision, which occurred at the intersection of Ritchie Highway and Maryland Avenue, caused an occupant in one of the vehicles to become entrapped before firefighters were able to free the victim.

According to news reports, rescuers found a woman trapped in her car, with three other people suffering from minor injuries. Those three were treated at the scene and taken to area hospitals for evaluation. The woman, a 39-year-old resident, was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

In cases like these, although minor injuries can seem non-life-threatening, there is still a chance that they may cause life-long discomfort or, worse, chronic and painful recurrences. Never assume that a minor injury is something to be dismissed. If you have any concerns about the seriousness of an injury as a result of a traffic accident caused by the negligence of another person, we highly recommend that you contact a qualified auto injury accident lawyer to review your options.

5 hurt in separate traffic accidents, hometownannapolis.com, September 8, 2009

Police and emergency medical personnel from Howard County, Maryland, responded to the scene of a motorcycle injury accident recently on the southbound side of Maryland Route 29 near Seneca Drive. According to police reports, a married couple riding double on a BMW R75/6 bike collided with a guardrail on the afternoon of June 8 near Columbia. They were both taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment.

Howard County police reported that Timothy Danaher, 55, was operating the couple’s BMW motorcycle while his wife, Diana Danaher, 55, rode as a passenger. Reports indicate that the bike veered to the left for an as yet unknown reason, resulting in the vehicle striking a roadside guardrail. Both people were thrown from the motorcycle. At the hospital, the wife was listed as in fair condition, although the husband’s condition was listed as critical.

Motorcycle accidents can result in some of the most serious injuries for the operator and passenger. As Maryland automobile and motorcycle accident lawyers, we have vast experience in this type of injury accident case. Although the Howard County police department’s traffic enforcement section was still investigating the crash, from the sound of it, this accident may have happened due to a defective part or perhaps improper maintenance. Regardless of the cause, the husband’s injuries could be severe, and may include traumatic brain injury or damage to the spinal cord.

Continue reading "Husband and Wife Injured in Columbia, MD, Motorcycle Accident" »

An off-duty Annapolis, Maryland, patrolman was seriously injured last week when he crashed his motorcycle into the back end of a construction vehicle on I-95, near Route 216 in Scaggsville, MD. The two-vehicle accident occurred around 11 p.m. on May 31 and shut down the interstate for nearly an hour.

Edwin Caraballo, a 28-year-old Pikesville resident who has been working one year with the Annapolis Police Department, received multiple injuries and was knocked unconscious after he apparently drove his 2004 Suzuki 600 motorcycle into the rear of a construction truck at a high rate of speed, according to Maryland State Police.

The police investigation revealed that Caraballo was riding along I-95 when he changed lanes suddenly apparently not knowing that the lane was in the process of being shut down for construction. The man hit the rear of a Chevrolet work truck belonging to DW Miller Inc., a Pennsylvania firm.

When police arrived, they found Caraballo unconscious in the roadway. Howard County Fire and Rescue personnel attempted to revive him and he was subsequently flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he was listed in serious but stable condition. Reports indicate that the man only had knee and arm injuries, which makes him lucky because incidents like this can easily result in traumatic brain injuries or worse.

According to reports, the off-duty officer was not riding with the proper documentation for his bike or himself. State police charged him with negligent driving, driving an uninsured vehicle, and driving without current registration and a proper driver's license for a motorcycle.

Continue reading "Off-duty Annapolis Cop Injured in I-95 Motorcycle Accident" »

A 19-year-old driver who caused a fatal motorcycle crash that killed a Maryland man has been fined $115 for the accident, but investigators found she was otherwise not negligent in the case of this traffic death. The rider, Harry D. Catts, of Smithsburg, MD, died from injuries suffered on Route 11 in Pennsylvania in late April.

Despite the gravity of the incident, police investigators and the local prosecutor’s office said that Samantha J. Young was not grossly negligent when she turned left in front of the 72-yeal-old Catts. Eye witnesses reported seeing the teenage driver make a left turn into the path of the motorcycle rider, who struck the side of Young's car.

Police said the crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. on April 26 at a busy intersection near the Plainfield exit of Interstate 81. According to police reports, Young told an officer at the scene that she saw the green light and made the turn, but claimed she didn't see the motorcyclist. An accident reconstruction team reviewed the crash scene but apparently found nothing out of the ordinary. Authorities stated that there was no alcohol or cell-phone use involved, and police said that the traffic signals were found to be working properly.

As Maryland Automobile Accident Attorneys, our office has represented many families who have lost a loved one through a motorcycle or car accident. Motorcycle accidents, in particular, can result in very serious bodily injuries or even death due to complications from head trauma or spinal cord injuries.

In this case, the police determined that the driver who caused the accident was simply inexperienced and therefore not grossly negligent for the motorcycle rider’s death. Despite the local district attorney’s statement that the accident was "a mere error of judgment," there is little solace in the fact that the young woman received only a monetary penalty.

Continue reading "Driver Responsible for Death of Maryland Motorcycle Rider Gets $115 Fine" »