Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Baltimore Auto Injury Update: Multi-car Accidents Can Result in Multiple Injuries or Deaths

April 19, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When the average person reads of a “head-on” collision involving a crash between two cars, a motorcycle collision with a sport utility vehicle, or a wreck involving a commercial delivery truck and a minivan, the words are sometimes just that: words on a page. But for those victims of traffic-related accidents, the situation is all too real. Being caught in a sudden and violent head-on crash on almost any roadway is a serious incident, and not one from which everybody can walk away.

Of all the typical kinds of motor vehicle collisions, including rear-ending accidents, crashes where a vehicle is side-swiped by another, T-bone-type collisions at intersections, or interstate rollover wrecks, head-on collisions can be some of the most deadly. As personal injury attorneys and experienced trial lawyers, I and my legal staff have seen the aftermath of these extremely deadly and life-threatening events.

When it comes to a head-on automobile or commercial truck collision, these front-to-front impacts account for a large number of traffic fatalities on a percentage basis. That is to say, aside from rollover accidents, we have seen traffic accident statistics from past years that show head-on collisions resulting in 10 percent of deaths on the road, even though only two percent of the accidents were of the head-on type. Frankly, to have just two percent of accidents kill one in ten people, that is chilling.

Maryland School Kids at Risk? St. Mary’s County Police Say Drivers Ignoring School Bus Stop Signals

April 16, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

There are few things in life more precious than our youth. As the embodiment of the future of our world, children should be protected from the dangers that they have yet to appreciate. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues are all too aware of the fragility of life. This view is based on the years of experience that we have representing victims of automobile and trucking-related traffic collisions, as well as pedestrian and bicycle injury accidents.

Through the decades, we as a society have developed laws and physical safeguards to protect the populace from physical injury or death caused by senseless and unnecessary traffic wrecks, not to mention other types of accidents that may result in personal injury. As motorists ourselves, we understand the dangers that every driver, passenger, pedestrian and bicyclist faces on our state’s roadways. For the children, this is doubly important because they do not always understand the hazards that you and I see as commonplace in everyday life.

Helping kids get to a stage in their own lives where they can recognize inherent dangers and avoid them is the job or parents, relatives, educators and our community leaders. Because traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of childhood fatalities in the U.S., it goes without saying that we should all obey the runs and regulations that protect not only these young lives, but also those of our friends and neighbors.

Maryland Highway Injury Update: Treat All Roadside Emergencies Seriously Due to Potentially Life-Threatening Consequences

April 13, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We don’t have to tell anyone that being hit by a car as a pedestrian is a no-win situation. Aside from a handful of superheroes, nobody — or perhaps we should we say, no “body” — can very well survive the impact of a fast moving, two-ton lump of iron and steel. It is because a person on foot is no match for an motor vehicle, not even a relatively light-weight motorcycle — and being struck by a commercial truck is simply unthinkable in our estimation.

As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, we know that the chances of being injured to the point of partial paralysis or long-term disability are quite high when it comes to car-pedestrian collisions. In addition to broken bones and compound fractures, damage to organs and internal bleeding are possible results of these kinds of crashes. For those unfortunate victims, a significant percentage of car-bicycle and truck-pedestrian wrecks result in death.

It’s a fact that nearly three-quarters of fatal pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas like Baltimore and the District of Columbia, but this doesn’t mean that being on-foot in rural region is any less dangerous. The higher speeds in less dense portions of the state can mean the death rate among those hit by a car in more open areas is actually high as well. While rarer than injuries and fatalities suffered by drivers and passenger of motor vehicles, an average of 4,000 pedestrian fatalities each year across this nation is nothing to sneeze at.

Maryland Driver Seriously Injured in Talbot County Rollover Crash on Rte 50

April 10, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Living here in Maryland, it’s quite common to hear of traffic accidents that happen every day on our freeways, rural routes and city streets. While rear-end car crashes and side-impact automobile collisions can be rather common in cities like Baltimore, Bowie and the District, we don’t see many rollover accidents in-town, but that doesn’t mean they have never happened; it just takes a certain set of circumstances to result in that kind of traffic wreck.

As experienced trial lawyers representing individuals who have been hurt or seriously injured in a car, truck or motorcycle accident, we have gone to bat for many victims of auto and trucking-related collisions caused by negligence on the part of the other driver. In cases of multi-car crashes, it is usually found that the fault lies primarily with one driver. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, our job is to help victims and their families recover the cost of medical expenses made necessary by the thoughtless act of another person.

Sometimes a single-vehicle accident occurs, which may be caused by the failure of a critical vehicle part or component, such as the brake system, steering mechanism or one of the car or truck’s tires. One type of accident can be caused by the overall vehicle design. Rollover incidents, which tend to affect vehicles with high centers of gravity (such as a full-size van or sport utility vehicle). While the design of these types of motor vehicles provides a great deal of utility and convenience, that very design can affect the way they handle in emergency situations.

Warmer Weather Translates to More Foot Traffic, But Also More Urban Pedestrian Crashes

April 8, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With spring almost in full swing, we can only hope that the warmer days will continue and take us into summer in a couple months. Meanwhile, it may be a good idea to offer a bit of cautionary advice regarding traffic safety. In this case, the safety of those people who walk to work or school, use bicycles to go shopping, or who enjoy a warm-weather exercise regimen of running or jogging in the fresh air.

We have no qualms about people wanting to enjoy healthy pastimes or simply to eschew driving for a spell and take to the sidewalks for a change of pace. However, as Baltimore auto accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues are cognizant of the basic risks that those who venture out on foot amid vehicular traffic take on from time to time. Quite simply, pedestrians and automobile traffic do not readily mix, though our state and local traffic safety departments try to maintain safe zones to keep these mutually exclusive groups apart.

Whether one is a pedestrian for economic reasons, health purposes, or just plain enjoyment, it is important that everyone who travels on-foot does so with safety foremost in their mind. This does not mean that one can assume that his or her safety is solely the responsibility of passenger car drivers, commercial truck drivers, or motorcycle riders; it isn’t. Those operating motor vehicles do have a responsibility to watch out for pedestrians and bicyclists, but pinning one’s future well-being on another person’s ability NOT to hit you with their car is not a very good strategy.

Automobile Insurance Premiums for Washington, D.C., Drivers in Top Five of Most Expensive

April 6, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For the average driver, it’s a fair bet that the he or she looks at auto insurance as a necessary evil; certainly something that they would rather not have to shell out hundreds of dollars every six months. But despite the common sentiment that paying large amounts of money for a car, truck or motorcycle insurance policy that they may never have needed, someday, somewhere you or a family member might just be thankful for that coverage.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff fight against lawyers for various insurance companies in court when benefits or insurance payouts have been withheld or reduced unfairly. As much as some people might rail against having to buy car insurance, having a policy that covers one’s vehicle is required by law. That said, it’s important to remind critics why carrying coverage is a good idea for every driver.

For one, car insurance protects the owner and/or driver from personal liability in the event that his car, truck or bike is involved in a traffic accident. If a person gets into an accident and they are found to be at fault he or she can be held personally (read: financially) responsible for the damage to property and for the costs of any medical treatment incurred by those injured as a result of one’s mistake or negligence.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Manchester Valley HS Teacher Dies in Fiery Carroll County Car Crash

April 3, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When people think about a products liability claim, it is very common to imagine a defective child safety seat, an electrical appliance with a dangerous flaw, even an auto safety recall involving a faulty tire or brake system component on a passenger car or commercial truck. One thing that most people don’t consider is that larger items, very large items, can also be named in a product liability lawsuit. As Maryland auto accident and personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff understand the faith that people place in products and everyday items.

By saying this, we mean that consumers and those in the general public have a relative expectation that most products and other man-made items will not harm them; certainly one can surmise that there is a belief among most people that they will not be killed if they use a certain product or manufactured item. Naturally, this also implies that the consumer will use the item in the way it was intended, which can be another important aspect of a well thought-out products liability claim.

As an aside, we should remind readers that every one of us is a consumer of multiple products and services every day of our lives. There is almost nothing that you or I touch on a regular basis that is not designed, manufactured, processed or created in some way, shape or form for our use or consumption. And so it goes that when we purchase a product from a store, dealer or directly from a manufacturer we expect that item to perform in the way in which it is supposed.

Three Teenagers Severely Injured in Baltimore City Accident after Police Cruiser Hits Their Car at Intersection

March 31, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With the traffic death of a young teen in Salisbury a couple weeks ago following a police chase, we happened to run across an older news report from last fall involving a police-related traffic accident. In that earlier incident, several teenagers were seriously hurt when the vehicle in which they were traveling was involved in a collision with a police cruiser that ran through a red light in Northwest Baltimore. At the time of the collision the officer reportedly had his emergency lights on; however, that fact didn’t change the severity of the injuries sustained by three of the young men in the car that fateful morning.

Of course, one cannot have a discussion of injuries caused by car, truck or motorcycle accidents without acknowledging that the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is highway wrecks. While the incident in question involved a number of older teenagers, the fact that more than 1,000 kids 15 years and under lose their lives every year is not insignificant.

In fact, if we consider the Maryland statistics regarding auto-related injuries and deaths for children older than four years of age, the trend has been heading downward over the past several years, at least through 2011 when there were 280 child deaths attributed to traffic accidents. While it is heartening to see a reduction in the rate of fatal incidents involving children, we must say that any death is one too many.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Unlicensed Teenager Dies following Car Chase with Police in Wicomico County

March 28, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Understanding as we do the devastating effects of a prolonged hospital stay brought on by serious medical complications problems, it’s wise to never underestimate the injury potential of any automobile or commercial trucking collision. Here in Maryland, where we average close to 500 fatal traffic-related accidents every year, the odds of anyone reading this sentence being involved in any kind of roadway accident during his or her lifetime is fairly high.

Hundreds of thousands of innocent people across this nation are sent to the emergency room each year thanks to car, truck and motorcycle crashes. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise us if someone you know has previously been involved in any type of car collision — from a minor fender-bender to an all-out, multi-car pileup — for the simple reason that the annual number of road accidents is somewhere north of five million for the entire country.

If one does the basic math, it’s amazing to see that, on average, there are more than 14,000 auto accidents every single day in the U.S. And while Maryland is by no means the largest state, we are in the top half by population. But even the knowledge that our state ranks 19th in population (and 5th in population density), it’s still hard to believe that Maryland motorists get into traffic accidents about once every five minutes; every single day, all through the year.

Motorist Arrested for Attempted Murder by Vehicle after Ramming Episode on Baltimore-Washington Parkway

March 25, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

There are times in this life that make a person step back for a minute and catch one’s breath. Instances of extreme human drama, life and death situations, and other remarkable or stunning events are some that fit into this category. Then there are the moments, when simply as an observer it is incredible to watch something transpire that, if it wasn’t actually happening before your eyes, would certainly be unbelievable to some, or at least judged highly unlikely.

While this is likely the case for the average person, or for those who are not constantly reminded through their profession of the supposed oddities in life; such are the extraordinary circumstances that we, as Baltimore personal injury lawyers, come across on a fairly regular basis. But even I and my colleagues, as automobile, truck and motorcycle accident attorneys, still find that some events occurring on Maryland roadways can be termed stranger than fiction.

Of course, any car or trucking-related traffic collision can be serious for the victims, regardless of the root cause, and we understand this as much as anyone. A great deal of our work involves accidents caused by human error, poor judgment and simple mistakes. But there are instances when an injury received in a traffic collision cannot so easily be described as “accidental.”