Articles Posted in Pedestrian Accidents

It would be nice to think that highly trained professionals, such as police officers, never have accidents, however this is not the case. Even professional truck drivers who are seasoned veterans in a career dedicated to driving on public roads can and do get into traffic accidents involving drivers of cars, minivans and light trucks, even with motorcyclists who can be seriously injured as a result.

As a Baltimore car accident lawyer, I see news reports every week of motor vehicle accidents that injure or take the lives of innocent people. Pedestrians are not immune to these tragic collisions and can usually be hurt far more seriously than occupants of cars and trucks.

Not long ago, a postal employee and Washington, D.C., resident was hit by a police car driven by an off-duty patrolman. The accident occurred in Prince George’s County just after 6am on a Tuesday morning. According to reports, a county policeman was traveling to work along Garrett A. Morgan Boulevard when 62-year-old Ronald Burgess apparently attempted to cross the street near FedEx Field.

While we would all like to think that a church might be one of the safest places, there is much to be said about the dangers lurking in any vehicular traffic situation, be it a parking lot, pedestrian crossing or even a quiet street. There are hidden threats that all of these places present to drivers and pedestrians alike. As a Baltimore automobile accident attorney, I’ve certainly examined my share of pedestrian, car and truck accident scenes, but finding a fatal accident outside a church on Sunday is probably the farthest from anyone’s imagination.

That said, there is a caveat to every person who has walked through a parking area or public roadway: Be careful out there. Especially in places that give us the most comfort and feeling of security, this is where many people drop their guard and possibly increase their risk of bodily harm. While fatal pedestrian accidents may be fewer near a place of worship, the mix of people and cars means that the danger always exists. Any death is tragic, but such deadly accidents should be avoidable if all concerned are doing their part to thwart trouble.

According to a news report, two older parishioners were killed and a third person injured when a sport utility vehicle driven by 63-year-old Mary G. Camilleri suddenly accelerated in reverse hitting the three people. According to a spokesperson for the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Camilleri’s vehicle slammed into another SUV and pushed it onto a sidewalk on North Seton Avenue. The vehicle then continued backwards and struck the pedestrians as they were attempting to cross the road. It came to a stop after hitting another parked car.

As Baltimore automobile accident attorney, I hear about numerous fatal car crashes that occur throughout Maryland every year. Some collisions happen as a result of driver error, while others are sometimes caused by defective vehicle equipment, such as poorly maintained brakes and tires, faulty safety components or defective suspension or steering systems.

Whatever the cause of a traffic accident, car-pedestrian collisions can be some of the worst, which also includes car-motorcycle and car-bicycle crashes. In all of these kinds of collisions, the person on foot or on two wheels has a very good chance of being severely hurt or even killed as a result.

A recent news article showed that one man, a Columbia resident, was sentenced to six months in jail following the death of an elderly woman he hit with his vehicle in November 2009. According to reports, 82-year-old Ayten Icgoren died the day after she was struck while trying to cross the street near the Owen Brown Village Center.

Being a Maryland personal injury lawyer and automobile accident attorney practicing in the Baltimore area, my firm has the experience and skill to represent individuals hurt as a result of another driver’s negligence. We also help families of victims killed in motorcycle crashes, passenger car wrecks, or commercial truck accidents. It goes without saying that fatal pedestrian accidents can be quite disturbing for the victims’ families.

While there are many factors to consider in every automobile accident case, it is important to remember that as drivers, we all have a responsibility to be observant when it comes to watching out for pedestrians. Certainly, when a person uses a designated crosswalk, there is a relative expectation of safety for the individuals crossing the roadway. Pedestrian accidents can and do happen with sometimes tragic results.

But every case is different, which is why we rely on police reports, eye witness testimony and other knowledgeable sources. A recent traffic accident shows what can happen under all the wrong circumstances. According to news reports, a 41-year-old Rosedale, MD, resident was unexpectedly killed along Interstate 695 when he was struck by a passing vehicle.

Getting over a serious traffic accident is no easy feat, and as a Maryland auto accident lawyer and personal injury attorney I know first-hand what people go through to recover from a car, truck or motorcycle crash. Being hit while in the relatively protected shell of a motor vehicle is usually much more preferable to being hit while on foot.

The human body is a wonder of biology and natural engineering, but our bodies where never meant to withstand the impact force of a 3,000-pound car, SUV or minivan traveling even as slow as 25 miles per hour. The injuries sustained by a person when confronted with a colliding vehicle can vary from amazingly slight to life-threateningly deadly. Broken bones, lacerations and traumatic head injuries number just a few of the resulting conditions after a car or truck crash.

Earlier this year a Baltimore woman was hit by a car while just outside of her own vehicle. According to a recent news article, that April 2 hit-and-run accident left 40-year-old Miki Scholtes with no income and hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, since she did not have health insurance at the time of the crash. Three months later, she is still recovering, bound to a wheelchair with only the hope of walking again, while the driver of the car that injured her has yet to be located.

It’s a sad fact of life that people die senselessly in car, truck, SUV and motorcycle accidents every year here in Baltimore and across the state. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable, since they are both difficult to see and have little if any protection from a 3,000-pound motor vehicle. Highway workers number as part of this group of individuals killed or maimed each month on Maryland’s roadways.

As a Maryland car accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, I know that many accidents can be prevented. Unfortunately, the statistics speak for themselves and show that severe injuries, such as neck and head trauma, are common in pedestrian crashes. We are never surprised, sadly, that such collisions can result in pedestrian deaths as well.

A recent news story shows how deadly a nighttime traffic accident can be for a lone individual on a dark stretch of highway. According to reports, a highway worker was killed in during a late-night collision, after which the driver of the car fled the scene. Even though Ghassen Sabra had an active warning light on the nearby work truck he was using, the 52-year-old was still struck and killed while doing highway maintenance work late at night in Anne Arundel County.

Based on police reports, Sabra was clipped by a car and left for dead in the center lane of Route 50. An 18-wheel tractor-trailer then ran the man over when the truck’s driver had no time to stop. The accident occurred around midnight in a non-construction zone. This was apparently the first fatal car accident involving a highway worker in Maryland since 2006. Sabra’s untimely death raised to eight the number of highway workers killed over the past five years.

Preliminary investigation by police showed that Sabra was working in the left lane of eastbound U.S. 50, either setting up or removing traffic-counting devices, at the time he was hit. Sabra, who was wearing reflective clothing at the time of the accident, was thrown into an adjacent lane where he was run over by the big rig.

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