Fatal Traffic Accidents

Paraplegic Man Convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter Arrested for Violating “No-driving in Maryland” Probation Condition

December 31, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A paralyzed man who had served seven years in prison for a terrible traffic accident in which a Hagerstown couple were killed in 2002 was recently arrested for violating a condition of his ongoing probation, that of not getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle in Maryland. As a Maryland auto accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen many cases where a motorist was convicted of negligent manslaughter and sentenced to multiple years in prison.

According to news reports, 31-year-old Matthew David Meyer of Ellicott City, Maryland, has been on probation for several years now, having served his jail time for the deaths of Gerald and Mary Dietrich of Hagerstown, MD. Based on police reports, however, Meyer was taken into custody in mid-December by Howard County Sheriff, James Fitzgerald, a couple weeks ago for violating a no-drive order as part of his probation agreement.

Meyer had been sentenced to serve seven years in jail, as well as receiving another seven-year suspended sentence following his plea of no contest to two charges of vehicular manslaughter. The charges arose out of an October 23, 2002, car accident in which the Dietrichs, 59 and 61 years old, were killed when their pickup was hit by a BMW driven by Meyer. In situations such as this, a wrongful death lawsuit is one option that the family of the victims can choose to pursue.

Maryland Joyriders Crash into Second Car Killing Three People in Fatal Baltimore County Traffic Accident

December 17, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As a Baltimore auto injury attorney and personal injury lawyer, I and my colleagues have seen all manner of severe and fatal automobile wrecks. Many crashes are caused by simple human error, while others can be the result of defective vehicle components, poor judgment, or worse, conscious decision to violate the laws of the State of Maryland.

Malicious or not, these kinds of terrible car accidents can and do claim innocent lives. Regardless of whether the accident involves an automobile, motorcycle of commercial truck, a driver who over-indulges in the consumption of alcohol, prescription medication or illegal narcotics before getting behind the wheel can many times be the cause of a deadly DUI crash. Other individuals, such as the two men implicated in a fatal car accident last month, actively choose to break the law and end up killing or maiming another person.

This latest crash combined a joyriding scenario with drinking and driving. The result was sad, yet not unexpected considering the potential for injury that high vehicle speeds and impaired vehicle operation can cause. According to the news, three innocent people are now dead as a result of a car theft gone wrong on a Sunday night.

Tragic Car-related Accident Takes Life of Maryland Teen in Anne Arundel County

December 10, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Young people do some of the strangest things growing up, most are harmless and lead to nothing more than a rebuke by a parent or police officer. There are other instances, where automobiles, motorcycles and commercial trucks are involved, when a simple lack of judgment results in serious bodily injury and sometimes even unexpected death.

Fatal car crashes and truck accidents are nothing new in metropolitan areas such as Baltimore, Cumberland and Hagerstown. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer and injury attorney, I and my colleagues have the training and experience to help victims and their families recover costs related to serious car and motorcycle wrecks, such as extended medical treatment, lost income due to a car crash, and other related expenses.

Not long ago a young man was killed while riding in a vehicle that was traveling eastbound along Davidsonville Road in Anne Arundel Co. According to witnesses, the 19-year-old resident of Silver Spring, MD, was leaning out the right rear window of a 2004 Chevrolet truck apparently trying to get the attention of some friends walking across a nearby field when the vehicle reportedly sideswiped a utility pole.

Maryland Single-vehicle Traffic Accident Leaves Driver Dead; Sends Two Passengers to Baltimore Shock Trauma

December 8, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Whatever the cause of serious car or truck crash, the results can be terrible for the occupants and their families. Regardless of the reasons, a fatal automobile accident can deeply affect lives of victim’s relatives and close friends. A recent accident reported in the news brings up a point that bears repeating: Always wear your seatbelt.

If we could predict the future, those who choose not to wear their safety belt might do better over time, but since traffic wrecks are not predictable, drivers and passengers are smart to belt-up whenever going out onto the road. As a Maryland personal injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, I understand how extensive a person’s injuries can be following a bad car accident.

The fatal crash in question reportedly occurred in Montgomery County, MD, on a Friday night as three people were traveling in a Honda Accord sedan along Chandlee Mill Road around 10pm in the evening. According to police, 19 -year-old David Oughton somehow lost control of the vehicle which then left the roadway and hit a tree by the roadside. Based on police reports, the driver died at the scene. He was allegedly not wearing his seatbelt.

Baltimore Traffic Safety Update: Watch Out, Maryland’s Aggressive Drivers Cause Half of All Automobile Accidents

December 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Over the past year we’ve seen lot of traffic accidents resulting from aggressive driving. While it might be a dream to hope for complete harmony on Maryland’s roadways, the fact of the matter is being civil and courteous to your fellow motorists makes for a safer and more event-free commute. Sadly, there is a portion of the driving public that either has no thought for others or is simply too focused on their own agenda to worry about another individual’s rights or safety.

As Baltimore auto injury attorneys, my firm has represented dozens of people injured as a result of another person’s negligence. Aggressive drivers, it is now known, account for a large number of car and truck wrecks every year here in Maryland and across the U.S. Regardless of whether you living in Hagerstown, Rockville or Frederick, MD, you probably take one or more of Maryland’s highways to get to work, school or to go shopping. And the chances of getting caught in an accident caused by an aggressive driver are pretty high these days.

It’s a fact that the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that more than half of all fatal passenger car and commercial truck crashes were the result of some type of aggressive driving. Those who survive such accidents can end up with serious injuries as well as long-term medical problems, the cost of which can be a continuing burden on the individual and his or her family for years after the actual crash.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Drinking and Driving Suspected in Fatal Rockville, MD, Traffic Accident

December 3, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With the holidays not far away, this may be a good time to remind everyone to be especially cautious when driving this winter. From the standpoint of traffic accidents, after-work parties, holiday gatherings and other festivities always invite some amount of alcohol consumption. While most Maryland residents are aware of the way in which beer, wine and hard liquor can impair a driver’s judgment, some individuals choose to ignore that fact and drive anyway.

As a Baltimore automobile accident and personal injury lawyer, I and my colleagues have seen the results of more than enough DWI and DUI accidents to know that it’s not worth the risk to drive while under the influence of alcohol. Passenger car crashes, motorcycle wrecks and commercial trucking collisions have all been caused from time to time by a drunken or drug-impaired driver.

The seriousness of any accident will typically impact the number and extent of any injuries sustained by the occupants of each vehicle involved in the collision. Depending on the kind of accident — head-on crash, rollover, side-impact collision, etc. — passengers can receive mild to severe injuries. From minor cuts and bruises to heavy concussions and spinal trauma, the potential for extensive and prolonged medical treatment is always present.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Alcohol Suspected in Fatal US 29 Traffic Accident in Prince George’s County

November 24, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drunk driving is a known killer on Maryland’s highways and surface streets. And as long as alcohol is available to adults there will, sadly, be drunken driving accidents on our roadways. As a Maryland automobile accident attorney, I see reports every week of innocent people hurt, injured or killed as a result of another driver’s negligence.

In the case of driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and prescription medication, drivers have a responsibility not to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle when they are impaired. That’s why we have the concept of designated drivers; to help prevent serious and sometimes deadly drinking-related car, truck and motorcycle accidents from happening.

Some might say it’s a matter of conscience, but it should really be a matter of personal responsibility to oneself and the rest of society. Yet there are drivers every day who take the wheel of a potentially deadly two-ton weapon when they know full well that they have had too much to drink. Many get from Point A to Point B without killing someone; others aren’t as lucky. The innocent drivers who are killed or injured are always the unlucky ones.

Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Two Highway Construction Workers Killed in Fatal Crash on Rte 228

November 21, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drivers see the signs all of the time: Construction Zone, Reduced Speed Ahead, Give ‘em a Brake. As Maryland motorists we enjoy the convenience that our highways and interstates provide and the ease with which we can cross the state or the country in our cars, trucks and buses. But the construction and maintenance of these concrete and asphalt ribbons is a constant job. That’s where highway workers earn their keep.

But safety for these men and women is a relative and fleeting thing. With hundreds of passengers cars, motorcycles, SUVs and commercial delivery trucks passing by construction zones every hour the opportunity for injury is always present. How those individuals function in such a dangerous environment most of us will never know, the fact is a number of highway workers are killed every year as a result of car accidents and just plain negligence on the part of some drivers.

Families of the victims may have a hard time making ends meet, what with possible medical bills and lost wages suffered as a result of a construction zone crash. Whatever the situation, it’s never easy for a family to recover emotionally from the death of a breadwinner, much less a mother or father, wife or husband. This comes to mind just a story hit the wires about two Maryland highway workers who were killed not very long ago on a stretch of Rte 228.

Maryland Injury News: Pasadena, MD, Pedestrian Struck and Killed by Passing Automobile

November 19, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If there is any advice that we would give to people it would be take care whenever you cross the street on foot. Regardless of how well you know a stretch of road, never for a moment assume that cars and trucks will see you in the street, especially at night. As Baltimore personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, I and my colleagues have the skills to help victims of car, truck and motorcycle accidents, as well as pedestrian-auto collisions.

The sad thing is we seem to be constantly bombarded by stories of pedestrian injury accidents, and sometimes fatal crashes. Again, when crossing a busy city street or a quiet country road, exercise the same caution you would want a loved one to use. The reason is simple: People on foot are no match for a larger and much heavier motor vehicle. Injuries sustained in a pedestrian-auto accident can range from cuts and bruises to traumatic brain injury and death. Cross the street safely and live to see another day.

As we say this, we are aware that accidents like the one that happened recently in Pasadena, MD, will likely continue to occur. According to the news, a man who was trying to cross the road in Pasadena was stuck and killed by a passing car. Police reports indicate that the victim, 49-year-old Adam J. O’Conner, was hit while crossing Fort Smallwood Road around 11pm.

Maryland Car Accident Report: Teenager Dies in Fatal Allegany County Crash on US 220

November 17, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Anytime a person dies in a traffic accident it is a tragedy, but when a young person is killed in a car crash the hopes and dreams of that child’s family also die. An entire future erased in a matter of moments. As a Baltimore auto accident lawyer and personal injury attorney, one of the most painful experiences is meeting with the parents of a child lost to a senseless car or trucking crash.

As drivers we are all expected to take care and use caution when traveling Maryland’s highways and surface streets. Of course, accidents happen, but no one wants to experience a fatal crash that takes the life of a loved one. When an individual, young or old, is killed as a result of another person’s negligence, it may be appropriate to file a wrongful death claim.

These kinds of law suits allow members of a family to receive compensation for their loss. While the death of a child does not usually result in lost wages, compensation is still possible in such cases. For example, compensation can also be for loss of comfort, love and or companionship, not just and financial support. One must always keep in mind that death does not preclude recovery for any suffering or pain that the victim may have experienced prior to death as a result of another’s wrongful or negligent actions.