Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Anne Arundel County, MD, Woman Dies in Possible Drowsy Driving Accident

May 23, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A head-on accident between a passenger car and an SUV in Pasadena, Maryland, killed an 80-year-old woman this past week in what could be a fatal case of drowsy driving. According to reports, the crash allegedly resulted from the victim’s son dozing off behind the wheel, although the time of day — 10:30 a.m. — is somewhat perplexing for this type of accident. Police are still investigating the collision.

Every year, our law firm handles numerous Maryland car accident cases similar to this one. The professional legal team at Lebowitz-Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers is very familiar with the many causes of passenger car, pickup truck and SUV crashes. Whether a result of driver error, mechanical defect or drunk driving, our attorneys have the experience to fight for the accident victims’ best interests. In this situation, drowsy driving may have been a factor in the tragic crash.

According to Anne Arundel County fire officials, the accident happened at Fort Smallwood Road near Carroll Road, when the car carrying Irene G. Ratcliff apparently drifted into oncoming traffic, crashing head-on with a Ford Explorer.

Ratcliff died of injuries sustained during the crash. Her son, Herbert Ray Ratcliff, 64, was taken by ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma Center with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Based on the initial police investigation, the police believe that the son fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into the northbound lane.

This accident highlights the increasing problem of drowsy driving. Longer working hours, family obligations and other activities can reduce the amount of sleep a person gets. Although it seems less serious than other traffic offenses, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, the consequences of drowsy driving can be very serious, as evidenced this past week.

Drowsy driving is a vexing problem for traffic safety officials. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it is a factor in more than 100,000 vehicle crashes annually, likely resulting in more than 1,500 deaths and 40,000 injuries around the country — and these may be conservative figures. Many experts say the nation’s progress against drowsy driving is about where the campaign against drunken driving was 30 years ago.

Could Maryland Bicycle-Car Accidents Rise Due to Economic Pressures?

May 18, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Two Maryland bicyclists were injured on the morning of Friday, May 15, when a driver opened the door of his parked car directly into the path of the oncoming riders. According to police, the incident occurred on Main Street in Annapolis. One rider was taken immediately to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, while the other cyclist was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center. There was no information on whether either had suffered serious bodily injury or brain trauma as a result of the crash.

The irony of this particular accident is that it happened at the very start of the region’s “Bike To Work Day.” But it also makes us wonder if this could be the beginning of an increasing trend in car-bicycle accidents.

As Maryland Car Accident Attorneys, we get our share of clients who have been involved in automobile-bicycle accidents. While less common than car-to-car collisions, the results — at least for the bike rider — are usually much more serious, due to less “armor” surrounding the cyclist. Broken bones, severe lacerations and traumatic brain injuries — sometimes even death — can result depending on the conditions.

Only time will tell if this latest accident points to a trend, but with the warmer months coming, more an more commuters may be climbing on their peddle-powered transportation to get to work, school or the grocery store. With the economy still in a downturn, a bicycle offers not only a healthy way to travel, but also a very cheap alternative to owning and driving a car, at least for short trips.

In Baltimore and the surrounding area, more than 1,000 people registered for the region’s annual Bike To Work Day — 20 percent more than last year — and many of them were first-timers, according to event organizers. News reports told of riders who met at City Hall for a rally in the morning to mark the day. Those people, said a Baltimore Sun article, feel the city has made progress in marking lanes and installing bike racks. The riders credit Mayor Sheila Dixon, who rides two or three days a week, with starting the transition away from an all-car culture.

Pickup Truck Rollover Crash in Wicomico County, MD, Kills Driver; Injures Others

May 17, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A single-vehicle rollover accident in southern Maryland quickly turned into a two-car fatality with multiple bystander injuries during the early morning hours of May 2. Through a series of unfortunate events, the driver of a pickup truck that crashed and rolled over on Hurley’s Neck Road was killed when a second car hit the truck just as several Good Samaritans were trying to save the man.

The incident occurred, according to police reports, around 3 a.m. early Saturday morning when Christopher J. Atkinson of Mardela somehow lost control of his pickup truck, causing the vehicle to roll over, ending up with a section of the vehicle remaining in the darkened roadway.

Reports out of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s office said a second Mardela resident, Mike T. Brown, and two juvenile female passengers stopped their car and attempted to provide assistance. As the three were trying to free Atkinson from his Dodge pickup, a 2008 Honda Civic driven by 22-year-old William R. Morgan of Salisbury slammed into the passenger side of the pickup truck.

The impact from the Honda resulted in fatal injuries to Atkinson, who was declared dead at the scene by the medical examiner. The Honda driver and the three Good Samaritans were all transported by ambulance to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries received at the scene of the crash.

According to authorities, this accident remains under investigation guided by the Maryland State Police Crash Team, but the eventual outcome will define the next steps. Whether the initial rollover was a result of driver error or defective equipment, the subsequent death of the pickup driver and the personal injuries received by the people trying to help could possibly have been avoided.

Rockville, MD, Car-Train Collision Injures Pregnant Woman

May 10, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Maryland woman is in serious condition from injuries sustained Friday when her car was struck by a MARC commuter train in Rockville. Although doctors say the woman, who is seven months pregnant, will recover from her injuries, the circumstances leading up to the accident are a major concern, especially because car-train collisions can easily result in fatalities. Local residents claim that the particular railroad crossing has been a problem for some time.

In fact, the crossing is so dangerous — and has been the scene of numerous other incidents — that Montgomery County officials began years ago to plan and build an overpass above the tracks. According to recent reports, Councilwoman Nancy Floreen, who heads the county’s transportation committee, said Montrose Parkway is under construction now, which will ultimately take vehicle traffic over the train tracks. The county has funded the road design changes, but it will still take several years to reach completion.

As a Maryland Automobile Accident Lawyer, I have first-hand experience with the victims of these kinds of auto accidents. For the occupants of a passenger vehicle, the violence of auto-train accidents can result in terrible bodily harm, such as amputations and traumatic brain injuries, and sometimes death. Fortunately for this woman, neither she nor her unborn child was adversely affected, but others have not been so lucky.

It all happened around 5 p.m. at Randolph Road and Nebel Street east of Rockville Pike.

Officials say 25-year-old Cemile Ava Valencia was stuck in heavy traffic in her Honda Accord. She got caught on top of the train tracks when the crossing gates went down. As the MARC Train approached, Valencia was able to inch her car up as far as she could but not enough to avoid the train slamming into her car, which spun the vehicle several times, according to reports.

Will Maryland Auto Injuries be Reduced by New Federal Roof-crush Standards?

May 9, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Deaths and injuries in Maryland, as well as across the country, caused by collapsed SUV and passenger car roofs as a result of vehicle collisions and rollover accidents could be reduced in the future thanks to new federal government requirements for greater roof-crush protection. For the first time in more than 30 years, automobile manufacturers will have to engineer their vehicles’ roof and body structures to meet a higher standard — the roofs of future vehicles will have to bear three times the curb weight of a vehicle.

Nearly a decade in the making, will this new requirement save the lives of auto accident victims? Unfortunately, the rules only cover vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings up to 6,000 pounds (curb weight plus maximum passenger and cargo weight), which will leave out some full-size SUVs and pickup trucks. Still, it is a step in the right direction to reduce vehicle injuries.

Our experience as Maryland Auto Accident Attorneys tells us that there will always be accidents that threaten the lives and well-being of drivers and passengers. At Lebowitz–Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, our skilled legal professionals have seen the results of roof crush injuries and deaths. We can only hope that the new standards will make a difference.

AAA: Bulk of Auto Accidents in Maryland and Other States Caused by Aggressive Drivers

April 25, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Fully 56 percent of all deadly vehicle crashes in Maryland and across the entire U.S., which result in numerous personal injury claims annually, are the consequence of aggressive driving behavior, according to a report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

As experts in the area of automobile accident law, we at Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have seen the unfortunate aftermath caused by aggressive drivers, such as traumatic brain injuries and even death. The AAA Foundation’s analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows that one in three deadly car crashes can be attributed to speeding alone. This coincides with a nationwide telephone survey conducted last year by the foundation. In that survey, the AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index, almost eight out of 10 people rated aggressive driving as a serious, or extremely serious, traffic safety issue.

Curiously, the survey also found that many of those same people polled believed that their own driving habits could from time to time be termed aggressive in nature. Half said they exceeded the posted highway speed limit by 15 mph within the last 30 days, while a startling 15 percent admitted speeding on neighborhood streets by upward of 15 mph over the limit.

The foundation’s report listed a number of examples of aggressive driving, such as ignoring red lights or stop signs, preventing others from passing, driving illegally on the shoulder, failure to yield the right of way, and speeding. Even those who try to counter the actions of aggressive drivers, by traveling slowly in the passing lane, for instance, can many times increase the tensions between drivers that may even lead to a confrontation.

Unfortunately, this only confirms that there is a great deal of aggressive driving on our public roads, much of which could be avoided but will likely continue to be with us for some time to come.

Single-car Injury Accident on Maryland’s Route 4 Sends Three to Hospital

April 23, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Three Maryland residents were injured in a recent automobile accident on Route 4 after the SUV they were traveling in was involved in a single-vehicle crash. All but one of the four occupants were hurt when the vehicle went out of control and then rolled at least twice, according to police.

Although multiple-car accidents can result in very serious injuries, especially in front-end collisions, a single-vehicle accident can be just as dangerous, especially in rollover situations. In this case, two of the four people were ejected from the truck as it rolled over several times. It was unknown at the time if the accident was caused by a defective component or if it was driver error.

The accident occurred at about 6 p.m. on April 17, when Nikia C. Wallace, 22, was driving her Chevy Blazer southbound on Route 4 near White Sands Drive. The Hyattsville resident was transporting three other passengers when she apparently lost control of the vehicle. No other vehicles were involved in the incident, although traffic in the southbound lanes was backed up for more than an hour as police and emergency crews helped the victims.

One of them, Sharday N. Redmond, 22, was flown by medevac helicopter to the shock trauma center at Prince George’s Hospital Center more than 40 miles away. The driver and another passenger, Charlton L. Jackson, 22, were transported to Calvert Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.