Fatal Traffic Accidents

Use Care When Driving; Traffic Accidents Kill or Injure Marylanders Every Year

July 16, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Representing victims of automobile, motorcycle and commercial trucking accidents, we have seen the aftermath of these sometimes devastating traffic accidents. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff of legal professionals understand that being involved in a traffic collision may be one of the most traumatic events a person has had to face in their lifetime. With serious injuries ranging from deep cuts and lacerations to internal injuries and closed-head trauma, many of these life-threatening conditions, a victim and his family are surely preoccupied with physical recovery.

But on top of all the medical treatments, physical rehabilitation and emotional counseling is the similarly large consideration of financial recovery. Depending on the type of insurance coverage and willingness of a carrier to cover a victim’s medical costs, there can many times be large gaps in monetary support for injuries sustained as the result of another individual’s negligent acts.

For those unlucky enough to end up with a chronic, long-term condition following a serious or near-fatal roadway collision, insurance may not satisfy the months or years of rehab and ongoing medical attention required to maintain a useful and rewarding life. In cases where costs exceed resources, it may be wise to contact a qualified personal injury lawyer for advice.

Court Finds Maryland Driver At-Fault in Fatal Carroll County Automobile Accident

July 3, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being charged with negligence following a fatal car crash can seem worlds away from the events leading up to the incident itself. Many people cannot imagine themselves on the receiving end of a wrongful death civil suit, much less a criminal trial resulting from a traffic accident weeks or months prior. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues see scenarios such as this one play out on a regular basis all across the state.

And so it is, that being possibility of being involved in a fatal car, truck or motorcycle collision is not so remote as many drivers might believe it to be. All it takes is a moment of indecision, inaction or thoughtlessness for a pleasant Sunday drive to turn into a nightmare scenario. Surely for the victims and their families, a fatal car or commercial trucking accident is nothing that can be expected, not planned for. But once it happens, the survivors’ world may be turned completely upside down.

Simply the loss of a loved one is enough to cause serious emotional pain on the part of the victim’s family. But the financial toll that the death of a mother or father can also send shockwaves through the family unit, especially those with toddlers or younger children who will never again see their loving parent’s face or feel their comforting touch.

Two Fatal Maryland Car Accidents on Same Road in Baltimore Co. within Days

June 28, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Regardless of whether a car, truck or motorcycle wreck occurs here in the Greater Baltimore area, over in Gaithersburg, or out in the Washington, D.C., area, victims are likely to be injured and in need of medical care. Some serious injuries can present life-threatening complications, while other less fortunate individuals may die at the scene. One common thread is usually present: Many car and commercial trucking crashes could have been avoided if not for the negligent actions of another driver.

Aside from the inevitable hospital bills and costs of medical treatment, not to mention weeks or months of rehab for those seriously injured, the families of deceased victims have little to no consolation for their loss. Besides the obvious financial impact of losing a primary breadwinner to a senseless traffic wreck, widowed spouses their children suffer the emotional vacuum in the wake of a fatal car crash.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues understand all facets of loss regarding a fatal traffic accident. Wrongful death suits not only take into account the loss of income due to the death of a working mother or father, but also the loss of non-tangible “assets,” such as love and affection, as well as the nurturing presence of a parent no longer alive to care for and guide the growth of his or her children.

Maryland Driver Pleads Guilty to Death of Passenger Following Fatal Baltimore-Washington Pkwy Wreck

June 24, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Car, truck and motorcycle collisions happen all over our state, from Bowie and Rockville to Baltimore, Annapolis and over in Washington, D.C. The common thread that each of these incidents usually have in common is that people, innocent men, women and children are hurt during traffic accidents. Whether those injuries are minor (such as simple cuts, bruises and abrasions) or severe (e.g., compound fractures of the arm or leg, traumatic head injury or spinal cord damage) usually depends on a number of factors, such as speed of the vehicles, angle of the collision, age of the passengers, safety equipment in use on the vehicle involved.

As personal injury lawyers practicing in Maryland, we are trained to represent victims of automobile and commercial trucking accidents, as well as other instances of injury caused by a negligent individual or individuals. When severe or critical injuries are involved, we know that the victims’ families can quickly feel the financial pressure of various medical and hospital treatment costs. In addition to the obvious physical injuries, victims can also experience the emotional side effects of a serious car truck or pedestrian accident.

Nearly anyone who has had first-hand experience with a bad traffic collision would likely say that it is not an event that they would want to go through ever again. Especially in cases of high-speed or multi-vehicle collisions on an expressway or freeway, the impact energy can be much greater than that felt in a low-speed fender-bender. The point here is that bodily harm from a major car or truck crash can be many times more serious, and sometimes fatal, than a collision that takes place in a parking garage.

Passengers Beware: Serious Maryland Car Accidents Can Affect Not Only Drivers, But All Vehicle Occupants

June 22, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Listen to almost anyone who has been in a serious traffic accident, if they are even up to discussing it, and you may realize that victims of high-speed roadway collisions are subjected to a great deal of physical abuse in just a matter of moments. The kind of violent energy transfer from a moving vehicle to the human body in just a few microseconds can change a person’s life in the blink of an eye. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff can appreciate the extent of physical and psychological trauma that an automobile or commercial trucking accident can have on the victims.

Automobile accidents, whether they occur in Gaithersburg, Columbia, Rockville or The District, can result in a range of injuries. From simple bumps and bruises to broken bones, internal injuries and closed-head trauma, there is nothing routine about a serious car, truck or motorcycle wreck. Even those who do everything to avoid and prepare for such an eventuality never quite expect the randomness with which a highway or urban auto collision can occur.

Being personal injury lawyers, trained in and experienced with representing victims of car and truck collisions, we understand how many families can be placed in a difficult financial position following a bad traffic wreck. Aside from the physical and emotional impact of a sudden and violent collision, individuals and entire families may be hit again with costs for extensive surgeries and other medical procedures, not to mention possible long-term rehabilitation, or worse, a lifetime of reduced mobility or other disability.

Young Mother Killed, Baby Injured in Police-related Car Chase in West Baltimore, MD

June 20, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Any death, especially a senseless one, is a tragedy no matter what the cause. There can be little argument about that. But the death of a young person who has yet to experience all that life has to offer, that is a tragic waste of life. Children who are hurt in automobile accidents or killed as a result of another individual’s negligence are certainly the most innocent of victims.

Here in the Baltimore area, as well as elsewhere across the state and even in Washington, D.C., it’s not difficult to see the aftermath of a car, truck or motorcycle accident without thinking of those injured in a serious traffic wreck. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, my firm is prepared to take up the fight for those who have been hurt in serious car or trucking-related accidents. When we see a child or young adult whose life has been unalterably changed, our sympathies go out to the entire family.

Of course, the legal aspects of a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit tend to be less compassionate than the thoughts and well-wishes of friends and relatives of the victims. Nevertheless, the law provides those injured by the negligent acts of another to sue for damages in hopes that in some small way the victims and their families can be made whole, or at least be given a fighting chance for a normal life after a tragic accident.

Harford County Schools Employee Killed in 3-Car Collision in Fallston, MD, on Maryland Rte 152

June 15, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A 59-year-old Maryland man died in early May as a result of a three-vehicle pileup on Rte 152 in Fallston, MD. According to news reports, Don E. Jones, Jr. was killed along with another person during the traffic accident. At the time of the news report, authorities from county stated that the sheriff’s office was still in the process of investigating the incident. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we know that these kinds of investigations can sometimes be long and involved, depending on the circumstances.

From the information available at the time of the news report, it appeared as if the county-owned vehicle that Jones was driving crossed the roadway centerline and hit, head-on an oncoming sport utility vehicle heading southbound in the opposite direction. According to reports, the accident occurred on a Tuesday morning and also involved a Jeep that was following the SUV that Jones’ vehicle struck. There was no mention of whether the crash was caused directly or in part by defective vehicle control systems.

Based on preliminary police reports, the work vehicle that Jones was driving crossed over into opposing traffic and hit a ‘12 GMC SUV. That vehicle was then hit by a ‘94 Jeep Wrangler, also headed on the southbound side of the roadway. Police stated that the 46-year-old operator of the GMC truck, a resident of Essex, MD, died at the scene. Jones apparently survived the initial crash, however he, too, passed away upon his arrival at the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, located in Bel Air, Maryland.

Woman Trapped in Car in Harford County, MD; Two Men Die in Howard County Traffic Accident

June 13, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As Maryland personal injury lawyers representing victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents from Annapolis and Bowie to Rockville and Washington, D.C., I and my colleagues find that highway collisions and urban automobile crashes rarely discriminate. These “equal opportunity” accidents can involve individuals from every social strata and any age range.

For those individuals and families of less than modest means, an injury-related car or commercial trucking wreck can result in hefty hospital bills and potentially long-term rehabilitation expenses. What our firm does is to help people who are the victims of another driver’s negligence recover costs related to serious traffic collisions. Whether the victim is an adult injured in a crash or a child hurt while riding in a car, the law provides victims with the opportunity to sue the responsible parties for damages.

A while back an elderly woman was seriously injured in a Harford County roadway collision. Based on news reports, the accident occurred on a Tuesday afternoon near Fallston, MD, along a stretch of Rte 1. The police stated that the automobile collision involved two vehicles when it happened near Rte 152. According to the news articles, Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS personnel found the victim trapped in her car at around 1pm.

Five Marylanders Injured, One Dead in Two Separate Traffic Accidents on Same Day

June 9, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The reasons for traffic accidents are not always readily apparent. This is not to say that car, truck or motorcycle collisions happen for no reason at all, but simply because the factors that influence certain automobile wrecks are too numerous or intertwined to be immediately obvious, even to professionals like those who work on police accident reconstruction teams.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, my firm is dedicated to representing our clients and to helping the victims of car and commercial trucking accidents recover damages owed to them as a result of another person’s negligence. Working together with police and other forensic analysts, personal injury lawyers gather the pertinent facts and evidence from an accident scene to better prove a client’s case against another negligent party.

This evidence can range from something as simple as the length of skid marks on a roadway, to the chemical analysis of a drunken driver’s blood-alcohol content following a fatal traffic wreck. Whatever the specific circumstances of an automobile or trucking-related injury accident, the facts are what support our client’s assertions that another driver or other person was responsible for the accident that may have injured or incapacitated them.

Following Tragic Head-on Traffic Accident Teenager Gets Prison Time for Texting-related Fatal Car Crash

June 7, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve seen these kinds of scenarios play out more and more across the country over the past several years; a driver using his or her cellphone losses concentration on the road and causes an accident as a result of a simple yet deadly moment of distraction. Was that phone call or text message really worth it? The answer is obvious — an emphatic, No! — yet roadway collisions, many fatal, continue apace with few signs of abating. What to do?

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we have heard numerous pleas for a reduction in phone calls and texting while driving. Some legislators in many states all across the country have suggested making cellphone use while driving into an offense akin to driving while impaired. Some people may guffaw at such a notion, thought the danger of texting and other distracting activities by drivers is shown to be real and immediate.

Over the last several years, cellphone and, subsequently, smartphone use has brought a real and serious danger into the front seat of nearly every vehicle on the road. While not every driver is guilty of texting while driving, 36 states have already outlawed that activity. But laws can be broken and this has given rise to increasingly strident calls for stricter penalties to be attached to cellphone use when it can be shown to have contributed to a fatal automobile or commercial trucking accident.