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

The actions of one individual can sometimes have severe and irreversible consequences for many other people. A moment’s distraction on the road can cause a serious traffic accident the result of which can mean injury or death of another person. As a Baltimore injury accident attorney representing automobile accident victims and their families, I have the skills to help these individuals recover from what is certainly one of the most traumatic events in their lives.

Whether a collision is caused by a drunk driver, hit-and-run driver, underinsured or uninsured motorists, resulting injuries can range from whiplash and burns to spinal cord paralysis and permanent nerve damage. The saddest outcome is the death of an innocent driver whose only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A recent news article illustrated how the simplest accident can result in a tragic and awful outcome. According to reports, a Leonardtown teenager was killed while driving her vehicle along Point Lookout Road. Based on police reports, 16-year-old Shelby Wood was killed on a mid-July afternoon when her car was struck from behind by another vehicle.

The young girl was apparently traveling southbound along Point Lookout Road near St. Andrew's Church Road in the later afternoon. After being rear-ended by the initial collision, the girl’s vehicle was pushed into the oncoming lane of traffic where it was struck a second time by another car.

Emergency crews treated the teen at the scene and then transported her by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital where she unfortunately died from her injuries not long after. Although police believed the accident was not caused by speed or alcohol, they were still investigating the crash at the time of the article.

Leonardtown Teen Shelby Wood Killed in Car Accident, MyFoxDC.com, July 13, 2010

Highway traffic accidents involving automobiles and heavy vehicles, such as 18-wheelers and commercial delivery trucks, can result in serious injury to the hapless occupants of the smaller passenger car. As a Maryland personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen trucking accidents that have killed some, yet miraculously allowed others to walk away. Mostly, however, these kinds of car-truck collisions can lead to tragic results.

A recent news article pointed out the fatal nature of such collisions on public roads. According to reports, a Westminster, MD, crash involving four separate vehicles took the life of a young Maryland teen this past month. Based on police reports, the collision happened on a stretch of Maryland’s Route 27 when a northbound Saturn driven by 19-year-old Nicholas Louis Vidi for some reason veered into the path of a southbound garbage truck. The young Sykesville resident reportedly died at the scene of the accident, which occurred in Carroll County just south of Kate Wagner Road.

As a result of the initial crash, two other vehicles following Vidi’s Saturn also were caught up in the accident. A Honda Civic driven by Barry Mulligan narrowly avoided Vidi’s Saturn, but was hit by a fourth car driven by Lori Ann Lowe of Westminster. Lowe and the driver of the garbage truck, Jeannette Zelaya of Westminster, were injured during the incident according to police.

Emergency crews arriving at the scene could not revive Vidi. They treated Lowe and Zelaya before transporting the two to Carroll Hospital Center for non-life threatening injuries. Mulligan reportedly refused medical treatment. Although defective equipment is always a possible cause, at the time of the article police were still looking into the reason for the crash.

Westminster Maryland car-truck collision: Teenager killed after 4-car wreck, TopWireNews.com, July 22, 2010

Head-on collisions are one of the most terrible traffic accidents that can happen. Fatalities are quite common in such instances, while broken bones, head, neck and back injuries, and serious internal injuries are also commonplace. As a Baltimore personal injury attorney and Maryland automobile accident lawyer, I understand well the physical and emotional trauma that can result from such a violent car crash.

The reasons for head-on highway collisions vary as well. Driver error, intoxicated driving, distractions in the vehicle and external factors can lead to a serious and many times fatal accident. Outside of driver error, one possible reason for any kind of traffic accident can be defective vehicle equipment.

Defective automobile equipment and components, such as braking, steering or other critical systems, can fail unexpectedly and cause a driver to lose control of a car, SUV or commercial truck. Poorly designed or incorrectly manufactured car and truck parts can be the source of both serious and minor auto accidents.

Automotive safety equipment, especially should be test and validated to be certain it is ready to perform correctly over tens of thousands of miles. Owners of a variety of defective vehicles have found out the hard way when parts or components have failed prematurely. The lucky ones escape with just some cuts and bruises. Other are not so lucky.

A recent crash on Seashore Highway may or may not have been the result of defective vehicle equipment. The only thing for certain is that one woman died as a result and several others were seriously injured during the accident.

According to news reports, a Baltimore woman was driving east on Route 18 in early July when her vehicle suddenly veered into the oncoming lanes near Bridgeville, MD. The 24-year-old driver died of injuries sustained when her Nissan Altima crashed into a westbound Chevrolet truck just before 8am on a Wednesday morning.

According to local police, Melissa Marie Mohl suffered severe head trauma as a result of the accident. The driver of the truck, 61-year-old Charles Cave Sr. and his passenger 12-year-old Demetrius Price were also injured in the collision. Mohl’s one-year-old son was a passenger in the Nissan. The baby was injured as well.

Emergency personnel arriving at the scene treated the victims, who were transported to local hospitals. Mohl was taken to Nanticoke Hospital where she later died of her injuries. At the time of the news article, the police were still investigating the cuase fo the accident.

Baltimore woman, 24, killed in crash near Bridgeville, DelmarvaNow.com, July 11, 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

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" »

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

Police can only do so much to curb the dangerous driving behaviors that we all see on our highways, rural roads and city streets. It’s not uncommon to have a bad injury accident or even fatal traffic collision caused by another driver’s impatient and belligerent actions on a public road. These kinds of crashes, which involve SUVs, sedans, pickup trucks and even motorcycles, can cause bodily injuries ranging from bumps and bruises to deep cuts and even fatal traumatic head injuries.

With the pace of everyone’s working and private lives ever increasing, it’s not difficult to see why people are in a hurry, but there is no excuse for endangering other drivers as a result. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, we applaud law enforcement’s efforts to reduce the amount of aggressive driving on our streets and in doing so perhaps limit the number of accidents as well.

One area of note is a stretch of Interstate 97, which apparently is the focus of the latest police crackdown on aggressive driving. Anne Arundel County police officers and state troopers, 45 in all using vehicles and a police helicopter, were part of a month-long program to target and ticket offenders on the I-97 corridor in Anne Arundel County.

According to police organizers, police were focusing their attention on impatient drivers who speed, tailgate, honk, abruptly switch lanes, and badger cars in front of them who are already doing the speed limit. In the process, police conducted a twice-weekly detail that began on May 5, saturating the interstate with marked patrol cars, as well as the county’s unmarked Dodge Charger police cruiser.

In just five details, reportedly staggered throughout the month, officers stopped 273 vehicles and issued more than 100 tickets for speeding and aggressive driving, amoung others. They also handed out 258 warnings to drivers and issued 13 state equipment repair orders. Four people were reportedly arrested, including a Baltimore man suspected of breaking into a Severn man's home minutes before the traffic stop.

County, state police target aggressive drivers on I-97, HometownAnnapolis.com, May 24, 2010

A four-vehicle automobile collision on Kent Island, resulted in four persons being hurt, one seriously. The chain-reaction traffic accident on Route 50 in Queen Anne’s County, which caused a backup to the Kent Narrows Bridge, occurred around 5am on a Saturday morning.

As Baltimore injury attorneys, our main focus is helping the victims of traffic accidents recover from potentially life-changing situations. While no one lost their life in this particular crash, the chance is always present that a family could lose a parent and provider. With lost income and possibly exorbitant medical bills, a family could easily be thrown into a downward financial spiral that may only get worse if medical and associated costs cannot be recuperated.

Many traffic accidents result from driver error, although faulty vehicle equipment such as the braking or steering system have been known to cause some very severe wrecks. In this case, news reports indicate that the pileup resulted from a pickup truck that slowed down on Route 50 to allow work crews to reenter the roadway.

Based on police reports, maintenance crews from the Maryland Transportation Authority had been working overnight on a bridge. As the workers were attempting to get onto the roadway and leave the bridge, a pickup truck driver apparently stopped to allow them access. At this point a second vehicle ran into the back of the pickup.

This started a chain reaction as two other vehicles crashed trying to avoid the initial two-vehicle collision. In the aftermath four vehicles were damaged and three people were injured. Police and emergency responders helped those hurt during the crash, treating minor injuries and getting two of the victims transported via ambulance to the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Parole, MD. They were eventually released from the hospital.

One individual, who apparently sustained much more serious injuries during the crash, was treated and then rushed to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. According to hospital officials, that person’s injuries were said to be no longer life-threatening at the time of the news report. Regarding the official cause of the accident, police had not yet determined the reason and were considering all possibilities.

Chain-reaction crash caused island backup, Hometownannapolis.com, May 14, 2010

The loss of any life is tragic to say the least, but to lose an infant in a senseless automobile accident leaves a scar that rarely if ever heals. Unfortunately, here in Maryland every parent’s nightmare is just one bad decision away. Thoughtless drivers rarely consider the ultimate consequences of their actions, yet time and time again, people are injured or killed on our streets and highways due to someone’s negligence behind the wheel.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and injury lawyers, our office offers help to victims of these pointless traffic accidents. When a fatal single-vehicle accident occurs with a parent at the wheel the tragedy is all the more disturbing, such as the one that took place just last month in Prince George’s County. In that crash, a little 2-year-old child was killed in what local police believe was a combination of drinking, speeding and poor roadway conditions.

According to news reports the incident happened in mid-May on a Wednesday night in Landover, MD, when a two-door Chrysler Sebring, which was traveling on Brightseat Road, for some reason veered into the opposing lane, then sped into a nearby woods and struck a tree around 7:30pm. Police reports show that the impact literally split the vehicle in half.

The driver, 24-year-old Kiwana Baker-Jennings, and her two-year-old baby girl were the only passengers in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Based on police reports, the mother did not realize that her child had been ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

Police say the driver lost control of the vehicle near the intersection of Brightseat Road and Arena Drive. The victim, Kimyra Chante Brown, was thrown from the car and found several feet away in the woods. According to news reports, investigators were looking into whether or not the infant’s car seat had been properly secured into the vehicle. There was no mention of any investigation into the possibility of defective vehicle equipment.

The little girl and mother were taken to the hospital where the two-year-old was pronounced dead. The mother was treated for minor injuries and subsequently released. According to reports at the time of the crash, police said that charges were possible pending the conclusion of an investigation. A police spokesperson said that the department was not aware of a second vehicle that the driver's sister claimed triggered the crash in the first place.

Police Eye Alcohol, Speed, Road Conditions in Fatal Crash, WJLA.com, May 13, 2010

A head-on collision is one of the most deadly types of traffic accidents. Even at low-speeds, the combined force of two cars or trucks hitting each other from opposing directions can be quite high. Seat belts and air bags can help to lessen the effect on occupants, but the outcome is never certain.

As Maryland automobile injury lawyers, I and my colleagues have certainly assisted our share of victims from this kind of motor vehicle collision. Severe head trauma, back injuries, broken bones and lacerations top the list of bodily injuries associated with a high- and medium-speed car wrecks. Fatalities are also quite common in this type of accident.

Rural roads and undivided highways are quite often the scene of such devastating crashes. Not long ago, a woman was killed near the Antietam National Battlefield when the vehicle in which she was traveling was hit by another oncoming passenger car. According to police reports, the young woman who died was sitting in the front passenger seat and wearing her seat belt.

The accident happened on Route 65 around 1am on a Thursday morning when the northbound 1993 Buick Century driven by Lauren D. Dwyer, 21, and carrying 21-year-old Danielle R. Paikin and 25-year-old Joseph W. Dwyer, was hit head-on by a southbound 1982 Dodge Diplomat driven by 20-year-old William J. Turner of Sharpsburg.

The Buick, which ended up across the roadway, and was hit a second time on the passenger side shortly after the initial crash by another northbound vehicle driven by 25-year-old Cory S. Kuczynski. Paikin, who had been riding in the front passenger seat, died at the scene from injuries sustained in both crashes.

The Buick’s other two occupants were seriously injured. Rescuers arriving at the scene rendered medical assistance and then transported the two to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where they were listed in serious but stable condition..One of the other drivers was taken to Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown, and the third driver did not require hospitalization, according to Maryland State Police.

No word on whether driver error or defective equipment may have been to blame for the first collision. An investigation and crash reconstruction by the Maryland State Police CRASH Team was ongoing at the time of the news report.

Police investigate fatality after car is hit twice on Maryland Route 65, TheRecordHerald.com, May 7, 2010

Del. woman killed, three injured in crash near Antietam Battlefield, Herald-Mail.com, May 6, 2010

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

Not long ago a bunch of kids came close to being hurt when a fire truck rolled away from its parked position at a community event. The incident was a close call for some parents, who assumed that an emergency vehicle and its crew are all about public safety. However this is only one example of how private citizens can be injured by vehicles operated by public servants and government employees.

More recently, a traffic accident involving a Maryland State Police car and a Honda minivan carrying a mother and child points out that police officers as well as fire department personnel can also become involved in injury and fatal automobile crashes. Wrecks like the one that occurred last month remind everyone that law enforcement officers and fire fighters are human, too.

Whether a person is hurt in a traffic accident, the facts are not always easy to determine until an investigation is carried out. Unfortunately, many who are hurt in bad car crashes never see a penny, which can hurt in bad economic times like we have been experiencing. A skilled Maryland injury lawyer can assist victims of negligent driving collect damages to help pay for medical costs and property damage.

The accident involving that mother and young child occurred on a Friday afternoon as a Maryland state trooper responding to a motorcycle accident was driving southbound in a marked 2005 Ford Crown Victoria sedan. According to reports, as the police car — whose emergency lights and siren where activated — approached the intersection at U.S. 15. at Mountville Road the traffic light turned red for the cop as cross traffic began to enter the intersection.

Trooper First Class Gary L. Baker, 24, reportedly attempted an evasive maneuver to avoid the mini van driven by 29-year-old Amy L. Brockey of Adamstown, MD. The cruiser smashed into the Honda carrying Brockey and her two-year-old daughter, who was riding in a child safety seat.

An early report indicated that the mother and daughter were thankfully uninjured as a result of the crash. The Trooper and a 19-year-old police cadet were treated by emergency responders and then transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where they received additional treatment for minor injuries and subsequently released.

Trooper on call collides with van, FrederickNewsPost.com, May 1, 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

Two accused criminals have been charged in connection with a car crash that eventually led to the death of an elderly man. The accident occurred in late April in Northwest Baltimore when the two suspects allegedly fled police and subsequently hit the victim’s vehicle.

Based on police reports, 86-year-old Elbert Davis was driving his Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the time he was hit by the pair of fleeing suspects. The men, 29-year-old Umar Burley and 26-year-old Brent Matthews, were arrested following the accident. Davis and another elderly passenger were the only occupants of the Monte Carlo. Davis suffered a heart attack as a result of the crash and died later that day.

Police reports show that the plainclothes detectives who attempted to arrest the two suspects prior to the accident did not initiate any car chase, which police authorities said would be against department policy. News reports indicate that the detectives were driving in the general direction that the suspects had fled when they came upon the accident scene less than a mile away. According to reports, Davis was the father of a city police officer.

Police reports state that Detective Wayne Jenkins had pulled his unmarked vehicle in front of the suspects Acura as another detective, Sean Suiter, pulled in behind the car. As the detectives approached the suspects, Burley maneuvered his car away from the scene without striking the police vehicles and fled eastbound on Belle Avenue.

At the crash scene, detectives saw the Acura smoking and heavily damaged. Davis' Monte Carlo reportedly had been pushed through hedges and onto the front yard of a home.

Davis was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was later pronounced dead. His passenger, 81-year-old Phosa Cain was listed in serious condition at the time of the news report. Burley was briefly taken to Sinai Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was released.

Suspects in crash that killed man held without bond, BaltimoreSun.com, April 29, 2010

Of all traffic accidents, head-on wrecks can be and usually are the most deadly. Vehicle speed has a great bearing on how bad such a car, SUV or minivan crash will be, but the results are many times fatal. Size disparity between the vehicles involved in undivided highway and surface street collisions can make a big difference in the outcome as well.

Operators of compact cars and motorcycles have a greater chance statistically of being killed or severely injured when hit by a larger more massive vehicle, such as a full-size sport utility vehicle (SUV), or worse, a commercial 18-wheeler (also known as a big rig or semi tractor-trailer).

Being a Baltimore injury lawyer and automobile accident attorney, my office has represented numerous clients who have been hurt in Maryland traffic wrecks. As mentioned, many head-on crashes result in death of one or more individuals. A recent wreck in Kingsville illustrates the tragic aftermath of such encounters.

According to news reports, the Kingsville crash occurred in the morning hours of a work week when the driver of a Toyota truck apparently crossed the center line, hitting a compact car head-on. The second driver died before he could be transported to the hospital, according to reports.

Emergency personnel arriving at the crash scene pronounced the driver dead at the scene just after 8:30am. According to the Baltimore County Police Department, the driver of the Toyota is a resident of Baltimore County. He was subsequently taken to Maryland Shock Trauma with non-life threatening injuries.

At the time of the news report, police had not determined the cause of the crash and were still carrying on their investigation. Such as crash can be the result of several causes, including driver error and possibly defective vehicle equipment.

Deadly Head-On Crash in Kingsville, ABC2News.com, April 4, 2010

Everyone is concerned over maintaining the safety of their loved ones. Relatives and close friends all hope for the safe arrival of families traveling across the state or just across town. One group that gets a considerable amount of attention are those younger folks in their teens and growing up to be adults. As a Maryland injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, I’ve seen the statistics and I know how scary it is for parents of teens and young adults.

When it comes to car, truck and motorcycle accidents, young people are definitely over represented in terms of deaths and injuries sustained on the road. It’s not surprising then that parents go grey just about the time their kids take their first driving lessons. While it’s difficult to change the habits of entire age groups, a recent article gave us hope that here in Maryland, parents can sleep somewhat more soundly at night.

According to a news article, automobile accident statistics support the notion that young people (those aged 15-20 years old) are at increased risk of getting into a motor vehicle accident than any other group. It is disheartening to note that while this age group makes up less than seven percent of the general population, it accounts for 14 percent of all car accident cases.

A recent survey of teen driver safety was recently published by U.S. News & World Report magazine. The good news, at lease for Maryland residents, is that our state ranks fourth in a compilation of the best states for teen drivers. Those who live in the District can rest even more soundly, as Washington, D.C., scored the top ranking.

To determine this ranking, researchers looked at 11 indicators affecting teen driving safety. Five were based on U.S. government driving, accident, and road quality statistics, while the other six relied on independent ratings of each state's driving and safety laws from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

A sampling of the ranking variables include: safety belt, teen driving, DUI/DWI, distracted driving, and motorcycle helmet laws, as well as individual state statistics such as ratings of road conditions, average vehicle miles traveled per capita, and average percent of teens in each state with driver's licenses.

Safest states for teenaged drivers, Examiner.com, March 19, 2010

It’s already been discussed here that a recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that cellphone bans do not appear to lower the incidence of traffic accidents. Even so, Maryland legislators are still moving toward a proposed law that will ban hand-held use of cellphones and mobile devices when operating a motor vehicle.

Anything that can reduce automobile and trucking-related highway crashes would be a good thing, since thousands of people are killed in traffic wrecks every year around the U.S. As a Baltimore car accident attorney, I’m on the side of the victims and I know that every driver should be doing his or her part to cut down on the carnage on our public roads.

I’ve seen what can happen to the occupants of a passenger car when it’s hit by another vehicle. Cuts and bruises are the least of the injuries a person can sustain in a crash. Traumatic brain injury is common, as is damage to the neck and spine, any of which can put a person in a wheelchair sometimes for the rest of their life. The question here is would a ban on hand-held cellphones be too much of burden, even if it saved the life of just one person?

Consider your answer carefully because the life you save may be your own, or that of a loved one. An editorial in the Baltimore Sun speaks to this very issue as Maryland faces a ban on hand-held cellphone use.

Of course, nearly every motorist at one time or another has seen all manner of vehicle being driven hazardously. This includes instances of failure to yield where appropriate, drifting into oncoming traffic or suddenly making a turn without an appropriate use of turn signals. I’ll wager that, at least in the past 10 years, these kinds of activities may well have been caused by a so-called distracted driver with a cellphone to his or her ear.

The new Maryland law would restrict driver cellphone use to only hands-free devices. Although it isn’t quite clear that such technology (usually a headset or vehicle-mounted microphone/speaker arrangement) improves matters much, but it may be the new law of the land as Maryland joins the growing number of jurisdictions that ban drivers from using hand-helds.

Continue reading "Baltimore Auto Injury News: Will Banning Hand-held Cell Phones Reduce Fatal Maryland Traffic Accidents?" »

An out-of-state driver being pursued by police recently caused another innocent motorist to be hurt during a chase that ended with the suspect’s vehicle lying on its side. As a Baltimore auto accident attorney, I know how an unsuspecting driver can become a hapless victim of someone else’s mistake or misdeed. In this particular case, the victim received various injuries which required him to be transported to the hospital for treatment and observation.

According to news reports, a police chase ended badly for one man after his sport utility vehicle hit one vehicle and crashed into a utility pole. The incident began when a Maryland state police trooper observed the driver of a late model Honda Pilot operating his vehicle in “an aggressive manner” around 8:30am in Funkstown, MD.

The officer then saw the driver pull up to a red traffic signal behind two cars at the intersection of Baltimore Street and Edgewood Drive. Surprisingly, the man pulled past the two stopped vehicles and drove through the red light. According to police reports, the driver headed northbound on Edgewood Drive, but just prior to reaching Dual Highway he apparently made an abrupt U-turn and started going back south.

The Pilot allegedly hit a Jeep that was stopped in traffic, swerved and then hit a small wall at the intersection of Edgewood Drive and Stouffer Avenue. The vehicle ran into a nearby utility pole before rolling onto its side. The driver ended up in the hospital with a head injury as a result.

The driver, identified as 21-year-old Brian P. Bennett, kicked out one of the windows on the Honda and attempted to flee from the officer, who drew his weapon and ordered the man to lie on the ground. Once in custody, Bennett was charged with 13 different counts, including exceeding the speed limit, negligent driving, reckless driving, driving on suspended license, failure to stop after an accident and attempting to elude a uniformed police officer.

Chase ends in crash in Funkstown, Herald-Mail.com, March 18, 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