Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Drunk Driver Hits College Student in Baltimore County and Keeps on Driving

April 22, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Towson, Maryland, a 19-year-old college student was struck and killed by a driver on Dulaney Valley Road, a major arterial road. According to a report by the local NBC affiliate, the driver was heading north in the right turning lane when she struck the student just before 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.

The driver did not stop, but continued on her way until police caught up with her later and arrested her. The student was taken to the hospital early Sunday morning, immediately after the accident, but died form the injuries he sustained the next day. The student was a well-liked and integral member of the school’s lacrosse team as well as a double major in Economics and Business Management.

The hit-and-run driver who was also intoxicated at the time was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. Police and prosecutors are currently investigating the accident to determine if she should face more serious charges.

Woman Killed When She Was Struck By an Unmarked Police Car; Officer Placed on Administrative Leave

April 15, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, a woman was killed when she was struck by an unmarked police car on Dual Highway in Washington County. According to a report by Herald Mail Media, the accident took place around 3:30 a.m. when a sheriff’s deputy was heading east on Dual Highway near the 1300 block.

The officer remained on the scene and called back up. Emergency personnel took the woman—a Hagerstown resident—to Meritus Medical Center where she died a few hours later from the injuries she sustained as a result of the accident. The accident is being investigated by the Washington County State Attorney’s Office, as well as by another undisclosed law enforcement agency. The officer involved in the accident has been placed on administrative leave pending the result of the investigation.

Pedestrian Accidents Frequent on Maryland Roads

This tragic accident was the second in a three week span on Dual Highway. Just a few weeks back, a Cumberland woman was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. She was also taken to Meritus Medical Center where she died a short time after arrival. The hit and run driver involved in that crash has still not been identified.

Recent GM Recall Tied to 31 Accidents and 13 Deaths

April 8, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this year, General Motors announced a recall affecting 6.3 million vehicles. The problems affected many of the company’s models including the Cobalt, Cruze, Acadia, Traverse, HHR, Solstice, and Sky. Unlike many other recalls, the recent GM recall was not isolated to one problem with the automobiles. The current recalls affect many parts of the cars, including the:

Ignition switch;
Axels;
Steering system;
Side airbag wiring; and
Instrument panel

In a recent article by USA Today, it is reported that the recalls may be responsible for 31 crashes and 13 deaths.

What is especially tragic about this particular recall and the accidents it has caused is that there is evidence that GM knew the parts were faulty years ago, and delayed issuing the recall until the most recent series of serious accidents.

What Is a Diminished Value Car Insurance Claim?

April 1, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Say you have a newer car and are involved in an accident that is not your fault. When it comes time for the insurance company to reimburse you for the repairs that your automobile needs to bring it back to its old functioning self, the insurance company will either solicit bids from mechanics or ask you to get bids and will cut you a check accordingly. You can then take your car in to get fixed at whichever mechanic you choose with the money they provided you and you are all set. Everything is back to the way it was before you were involved in the accident, right?

Not necessarily. Why? Because the resale value of your car has gone down significantly now that it has been involved in a serious auto accident. With the prevalence of online title history searches, used car buyers are able to find out whether the car they are about to buy has ever been in a serious accident. Used car buyers are weary of those cars that have been in an accident for several reasons:

There may be structural damage to the frame of the car that was not repaired after the accident;
The replacement parts may not be of the same quality as the original equipment;
The repairs themselves may not have been made by a license and certified auto mechanic who specializes in that particular make and model of vehicle.
Used car buyers may not want to take any chance that the car is not reliable.

Maryland Man Dies in Fatal Left-Turn Accident

March 27, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Lanham, Maryland, a man was killed while making a left turn. According to a report by the Washington Post, the man was driving on Fontana Road and attempted to make a left hand turn on to Annapolis Road when he was struck by an oncoming car. The accident occurred shortly after 1 a.m.

Police are still investigating the cause of the crash, however, a preliminary investigation indicates that the driver making the left hand turn failed to yield the right of way to the oncoming car. Police are currently looking into whether the speed of the other driver also played a role in the crash.

The man making the left turn was taken to the hospital where he later died of the injuries he sustained as a result of the crash. The other driver was also inured, however, he is expected to fully recover.

Three-Car Accident on Route 340 Kills Two, Injures Four

March 20, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month, an accident on Route 340, near Frederick, MD, claimed two lives and injured four others. According to a report by Your4State.com, the accident occurred on a Saturday afternoon when one vehicle inexplicably crossed the median of the highway and collided with another vehicle head on. After the two vehicles crashed into each other, one of the cars collided with a third vehicle.

The drivers of the two cars that collided head on both were pronounced dead at the scene. Four other passengers, including two minors, were taken to the Johns Hopkins and Frederick Memorial hospitals with non-life threatening injures.

Police spent several hours on the scene of the accident, attempting to piece together what happened, and why it happened. One trooper on the scene described the investigative efforts as follows, “The investigation is very preliminary at this point. Essentially we’re mapping, diagramming the scene, taking photographic evidence, measuring skid marks, everything that we use to determine what actually occurred.”

A Series of Accidents in Prince George’s County Leaves Two Dead and One Injured

March 14, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Two people were killed and another critically injured in a series of auto accidents in Prince George’s County. According to a report by ABC 7, the accidents all occurred around Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

The First Accident

A violent collision occurred Wednesday night on the 8600 block of Contee Road when one vehicle crossed the center median for an unknown reason and slammed into another oncoming vehicle One of the drivers was thrown through the windshield. One of the drivers was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was taken to a nearby hospital where she is expected to recover. Police believe that speed was a factor in the accident.

The Second Accident

A man driving alone was killed when his car unexpectedly left the roadway and collided with an object on the side of the road. The accident occurred at Rhode Island Avenue and 38th Street in Mt. Rainier. The man was taken to the hospital, but died from the injuries he sustained as a result of the accident.

If Passed, “Jake’s Law” May Increase the Penalties for Cell Phone Use Resulting in an Accident

March 7, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Maryland lawmakers are considering a new bill, named “Jake’s Law,” that would increase the penalties for causing an accident resulting in death while texting or talking on a cell phone. The bill is named after a young, 5-year-old accident victim from Baltimore.

Back in December of 2011, Jake was killed when a driver, who was on the phone at the time, struck and killed him as he crossed the street. Jake, who was playing a Super Mario video game at the time of the crash, explained in his last words to his mother: “I have 43 lives.”

The driver of the car apparently did not see that traffic had slowed in response to an accident. He also did not see the sign several miles ahead of the accident that warned drivers traffic was slowing. The driver did not react until .2 seconds before impact, experts explained. This means that the driver did not even apply the brakes at all.

Fatal Crash In Hagerstown Caused By Improper Passing

February 28, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this month in Hagerstown, a man and a woman were killed when the driver lost control of his 2002 BMW, sending it into a utility pole. According to a report by the Your4State.com, the accident occurred shortly after 2 a.m. on Cearfoss Pike, just west of Garden View Drive.

According to the police report, the driver of the BMW was attempting to pass a slower-moving vehicle on Cearfoss Pike and lost control of the vehicle. As he began to pass the vehicle, he was unable to keep the vehicle on the road. As the car left the roadway, it slammed into a utility pole, a nearby utility box, and finally into a large boulder. When the vehicle eventually came to a stop it was upside down.

Both passengers were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. At the time of the article’s publication, police were still investigating the cause of the accident.

Driver Sentenced to Five Years for Pokomoke Hit-and-Run Accident

February 20, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, a Philadelphia man was sentenced to five years for hitting and killing a woman in a 2012 drunk-driving hit-and-run accident in Pokomoke, Maryland. According to a report by Delmarvanow.com, not only was the man drinking from a bottle of brandy as he was driving, but he was also driving with a suspended license.

Back in December of 2012, the victim had finished dinner out with a friend and was heading home when the friend’s car somehow ended up on the side of the road. As the victim stumbled from the wrecked car across the highway, she was struck by a truck that was drifting between lanes. Bystanders stopped to render aid to the woman, however, the driver did not.

The “black box” that all new cars are equipped with showed that the driver hit the woman while traveling at about 58 miles per hour and did not attempt to slow down before the collision. When police searched the scene of the accident the following day, they found a bottle of brandy and a receipt to a nearby liquor store; surveillance footage from the liquor store on the night of the accident showed the man purchasing the brandy.