Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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.

SUV Crashes into CVS Drug Store in Downtown Baltimore City

February 13, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, three people were injured when a SUV crashed into a downtown Baltimore CVS Pharmacy. According to a report by The Baltimore Sun, a Mercury Mountaineer was involved in an accident with a Ford Crown Victoria shortly after 10:45 a.m. The accident sent the SUV over a flowerbed and into the front of the CVS store. The vehicle actually ended up inside the store. Nearby witnesses ran to the aid of injured, who totaled three: two men and one woman. All three were inside the store at the time. Both drivers of the vehicles are in good condition.

Baltimore police are still investigating the cause of the accident and are attempting to determine if drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident.

Pedestrian Accidents in Maryland

Among all the kinds of accidents that occur in Baltimore and the other large cities in Maryland, some of the most dangerous involved a vehicle and a pedestrian. Often times, these accidents are not due to any fault on the part of the pedestrian, but are a result of the negligence of the vehicle’s driver.

Maryland College Student Killed in Hit and Run Accident

February 6, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier last month a University of Maryland student lost his life while crossing the street in Prince George’s County. According to a report by the Washington Post, the student had recently returned from a study abroad program in Australia and was looking forward to graduating with a degree in kinesiology in May.

According to the report, the student was crossing Baltimore Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. when he was struck by a dark sedan. The student was apparently not crossing at a designated cross walk in an area that students frequently cross when coming home from nearby restaurants and bars.

The driver of the car did not stop and assist the student and instead continued on. Sadly, the student was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead later that day. Also later that day, police found the vehicle that was involved in the crash. As they were piecing together the evidence, the driver of the vehicle came forward and identified himself.

Car Splits in Half, Killing Two, After Getting into an Accident with a Taxi

January 27, 2014 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Earlier this week, an accident near the Landover Metro Station left an Acura split in half and both of its occupants dead. According to a report by WTOP, the driver of the Acura was heading in the opposite direction as a taxi when the driver of the Acura lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic. Apparently, the Acura collided with the taxi and then continued into a telephone pole that split the car in two.

Both the driver of the Acura and his passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. The taxi driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to recover. Police believe that speed played a part in the accident, as well as the slippery condition of the road.

Speed Is a Leading Cause of Fatal Maryland Car Accidents

It probably does not come as a surprise to anyone, but speeding is a leading cause of traffic accidents and traffic deaths in Maryland. According to some studies, speed is a factor in about one-third of all fatal accidents. While speeding is never a good or safe idea, it is even more dangerous when the road conditions are slick, icy, or snow-covered, as they have been for much of the past few months.