Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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.”

Police Investigate Fatal Baltimore County Car Accident; Head-on Crash on Interstate 695 Leaves Questions

March 22, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Anyone who has experienced a serious physical injury as the result of a car, truck or motorcycle accident already knows the extent to which medical treatment can impact one’s financial situation. Medical care, including emergency room treatment, surgery, recovery and subsequent rehabilitation are all expensive and, most often, necessary following a very bad traffic collision. Whether it’s an injury received in a pedestrian accident here in Baltimore City, a municipal bus crash over in the District, or a bike crash in Annapolis, the odds are some medical costs will be associated with one or more of those incidents.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys, I and my legal staff are dedicated to helping victims recover costs related to a roadway accident caused by another individual’s careless or negligent act. Some accidents are worse than others, such as high-speed motorcycle collisions or multiple-vehicle wrecks caused by a commercial truck driver. Of course, other factors come into play, but the chances of a serious or life-threatening injury can be quite high even for in-town crashes involving passenger cars or light trucks.

Understanding one’s rights under the law is essential following a serious personal injury accident. Many people who have been badly hurt in a car or trucking-related collision may find they do have just cause to file a personal injury claim if the person who caused the crash did so either intentionally or through a thoughtless or careless and negligent act.

No Children Hurt after School Bus Hit in Multi-Vehicle Collision in Timonium, Maryland

March 19, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When a child is hurt in a traffic-related car crash, the amount of emotion, anger and resentment felt by parents can overwhelm their ability to make the proper choices when it comes to day-to-day activities, not to mention deciding whether or not to file an injury claim against the responsible party or parties. The injured child’s parents and other loved ones may certainly have more important life decisions to deal with when a youngster is in the hospital, possibly fighting to survive a severe or critical injury. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff have the training and the skill to guide a family through what can be a very emotional time.

While our passion for and commitment to these young victims is quite strong, as professional trial attorneys we are also trained to maintain a necessary level of objectivity in order to plan for a child injury lawsuit or argue a wrongful death claim in a court of law; and always with the goal of attaining the best possible outcome for our clients. When it comes to automobile, trucking and motorcycle injury accident cases, our entire team is dedicated to helping our clients recover full and fair compensation under the law.

As we have mentioned time and time again, the risk of injury or death for a minor child can be quite high in instances of severe traffic collisions. This is true even when a child or infant is properly restrained in a vehicle that is hit by a commercial motor vehicle or even another passenger car. Similar to adults, yet even more so, a bad roadway accident can result in closed-head trauma and other brain-related injuries, spinal cord damage, and even injury to delicate internal organs. The effects of such accident can leave a child with medical problems that can persist all through their adult lives.

Maryland Driver Dies following Head-on Traffic Accident in Reisterstown; Police Say Suspect was Suicidal

March 16, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Regardless of whether a person is eight years old, 28 years old or eighty-eighty years old, nobody deserves to die in an automobile or commercial truck accident; and certainly not in one that could have been prevented. Here in the Baltimore area, as well as in places like Columbia, Rockville, Washington, D.C., or Annapolis, the frequency of fatal car crashes can give one pause.

As of 2009, Maryland had a highway fatality rate just a tick lower than the national average. While this may sound like a positive thing — and we have seen our traffic death rate drop progressively over the years — it still doesn’t change the fact that in 2010, about 10 people died in this state every week as a result of a traffic-related collision. That is nothing to crow about.

For personal injury lawyers like ourselves, we see the aftermath in human terms on a fairly regular basis; those victims of car, truck and motorcycle wrecks who only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We see those individuals who have suffered severe and sometimes life-altering injuries such as closed-head trauma, first-degree burns, fractured arms and legs, as well as internal injuries and spinal cord damage. To these people, the fact that total vehicle accidents decreased by 10 percent between 2009 and 2010 doesn’t make their injuries any less painful or their prognosis for a normal life any more hopeful.

Maryland Auto Safety News: Honda Worldwide Recall Includes 183,000 Honda and Acura Models in U.S.

March 14, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Advances in automotive electronics over the past several decades have truly made a significant impact in the safety of cars, trucks and even motorcycles. From the introduction of anti-lock braking systems (ABS) in the 1980s to front and side-impact airbag systems and vehicle stability control systems of today, it’s no exaggeration to say that passenger cars and light trucks offer greater safety now than back in the heyday of the American automobile industry.

And while car accidents and commercial trucking wrecks still take place on our highways and surface streets, the carnage from these sometimes tragic traffic collisions has been reduced to a great extent by the advanced electronics found in automobiles. As Maryland auto accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues know that a car, or any product for that matter, is only as good as its design and manufacture allow it to be. Product defects still occur these days and that’s where trouble can begin.

Relying on a modern automobile to protect you and your family is only part of the equation. Safe driving is another key part of staying alive and safe in the dense, sometimes high-speed traffic environments of cities like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. When a crash does happen, fewer injuries and hopefully no fatalities will result thanks to advanced auto safety devices. This, however, will only be the case when everything in the vehicle is in tip-top condition. Whether through regular maintenance or initial design, every critical vehicle safety system must be working properly in order to save lives and avert injuries in roadway accidents.

Baltimore County First Responders Take on Mock School Bus Accident Just Like the Real Thing

March 11, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As most every parent, teacher and community leader intrinsically knows; our children represent the future of this planet. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues also know that there is no greater tragedy than when a child has been seriously injured or killed in a senseless traffic accident. Whether as passengers in a motor vehicle or as pedestrians walking to school or riding their bicycles, youngsters can be hurt in passenger car or commercial vehicle collisions just as easily as their adult counterparts, perhaps even easier.

Kids can receive injuries in any number of accident scenarios, but traffic accidents are only one category. Many children are hurt or killed each year as a result of dog bites, swimming pool accidents or defective playthings, as well as through pharmacy misfills, physician negligence or hospital errors when they are already being treated for a medical problem. As an aside, each of the latter items requires proof that another party was negligent and that the alleged negligence was the cause of the child’s injuries or death.

As auto and commercial trucking accident lawyers, we know the law and how to apply it to cases of child injury. For example, the parents of an injured minor child are entitled to pursue compensation for the costs of a child’s past, present, and future medical treatment and rehabilitation following a bad accident. Since most families cannot afford around-the-clock medical care for a child, parents can actually file a lawsuit in order to recover medical expenses associated a child’s injuries and subsequent treatment.

Maryland Traffic Injury Update: Parents, Be Aware That City Streets Can Be Deadly for Children

March 8, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

One of the most heart-breaking life events for any parent is the loss of a child. With all the years of nurturing, guidance and love that mothers and fathers put into their kids, parents the whole world ‘round only want the best for their children. It is no overstatement that most any parent would rather something bad happen to themselves than to their young ones, even as those kids get older. And isn’t it true that all we would want for our own son or daughter is a long and happy life? This is only natural.

Unfortunately, life itself can be cruel and the world is often a cold and threatening place even for adults at times. But the one thing any parent shudders to thing about is their child being hurt or killed in a tragic accident. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my skilled legal staff know that there are no guarantees in life. But this is little consolation to a mother or father who has lost a child due to the negligence of another person.

Car, truck and motorcycle accidents can take the life of a child as much as they can an adult. The difference is only in the kind of sadness that follows an untimely death; the lost potential of a life yet to be lived can fill a family with a grief too heartrending for any words.

One Dead, Two Critically Hurt in Alcohol-related Traffic Collision in Baltimore County

March 7, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

How many times does it have to happen before society can even hope to eliminate the senseless, costly and many times tragic consequences caused by drunken driving. As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, we have seen too many victims of alcohol-related automobile and motorcycle accidents come forth in our local courts seeking recovery of medical and rehabilitation costs from negligent individuals who chose to get behind the wheel of a passenger car or commercial truck only to cause a serious roadway collision.

Far too many people have been hurt or killed on this nation’s city streets, rural routes and high-speed expressways as a result of another driver operating his or her vehicle while impaired by alcohol or prescription drugs. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), someone dies every 45 seconds in an alcohol-related traffic accident day-in and day-out all across this country. And Maryland is no different, with stories in the news almost daily describing the sad circumstances surround these senseless car and commercial trucking wrecks.

Our job here at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, is to work with our clients — the victims of these negligent drunk drivers — and help them try to piece together some semblance of their former lives. For the families of victims killed in a tragic road accident, there is no true recovery when one realizes that a child, parent or spouse has been wrenched away from the ones they love. In cases of where an individual has met an untimely death, a wrongful death lawsuit can be filed against the individual responsible for the fatal accident.