Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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.