Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Back-to-Back Fatal Pedestrian Accidents in Annapolis Remind of Ever-Present Traffic-Related Dangers

February 12, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

On average Maryland sees a little over 100 fatal pedestrian and bicycle accidents each year. This compares with the national traffic-related death rate of 4,300 (based on data from 2010). As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, we have seen estimates for the nationwide cost of these accidents to society in the billions of dollars. Just here in our state, some experts suggest that over a 10-year period, from 2000 to 2009, the economic impact to our state for those pedestrians who were killed (1,057 in total) has been more than $4 billion.

Obviously, reducing pedestrian-automobile traffic fatalities would result in a great savings to everyone, not the least of which would be the families who would be spared the grief and emotional torment of losing a soon, daughter, husband or wife to a senseless roadway accident. For reference, the website Transportation for America ranks Maryland the 15th most dangerous state for pedestrians, giving us a 76.4 on its index of overall Pedestrian Danger.

It’s doesn’t take a statistician to understand how pedestrian and bicycle-related traffic collisions happen. For most people, it’s a basic fact that these kinds of accidents occur most frequently in metropolitan areas where people on foot are in close proximity to other vehicle traffic. Certainly, more densely populated urban areas will see a greater number of pedestrian accidents — involving car and commercial vehicle collisions — than that of more rural areas.

Pedestrian Accident in Anne Arundel Leaves Woman in Critical Condition after Being Hit by Truck

February 9, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It seems that almost every day we read about someone being hit by car or run over by a commercial delivery truck. Whether it’s here in the Baltimore area, over in Bowie or Columbia, or down in the District, traffic accidents involving bicycles or persons on foot happen with alarming frequency. And not surprisingly, it would seem, since on average a pedestrian is injured every eight minutes across the U.S.

And, as Maryland injury lawyers, we know that the majority of pedestrian and bicycle accidents happen in urban areas where car and people tend to mix, sometimes with tragic results. The National Safety Council has stated that in the U.S. more than 80 percent of all non-fatal pedestrian injury accidents happen in urban areas. As such, large metro areas like Baltimore City and the District of Columbia see more than their fair share of pedestrian-related injuries and deaths, while rural locations are less likely to have such a high incidence of collisions, though the fatality rate is actually greater due to higher speeds on rural roads.

Here in Maryland, the average number of traffic fatalities involving pedestrians is about 100 deaths a year. The overwhelming majority of these are people on foot, although a small fraction of that number is represented by bicycle riders. Obviously, reducing the incidence of pedestrian-automobile collisions would in turn reduce the pedestrian death rate, as well as the number of families who have to bury loved ones each year as a result of a car or trucking related collision.

Drunk Driving Blamed in Deadly Kingsville, MD, Roadway Accident that Killed One, Injured Two Others

February 4, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If random fatal traffic accidents caused by a moment’s inattention or a simple distraction inside a vehicle can be termed senseless, not to mention tragic, then drunken driving that leads to the death of an innocent person is surely one of the most unforgiveable acts that can possibly happen on our roadways in this modern age.

Of course, as Maryland personal injury attorneys, we can imagine that nearly every generation, since the advent of the horseless carriage, has lamented the senseless, useless and nonsensical deaths that have been occurring on our highways and city streets since early in the last century.

We’d like to think that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will soon be a thing of the past, if not for ourselves, for our children and their children. But is this a reasonable expectation? If human nature is any indicator, sadly we would have to say no; at least not in the foreseeable future.

Four Killed in Fatal Head-on Glen Burnie Car Crash on Marley Neck Blvd

February 1, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Far be it for us to make light of any traffic accident that has resulted in serious injury or death of any person, but we will say that the old adage, “Haste makes waste,” can be quite apropos in many instances of automobile, commercial trucking and motorcycle-related roadway collisions. Whether a single-vehicle crash caused by speeding or a multi-vehicle wreck resulting from impatience, whenever one reads of a bad road accident, one must seriously ask if shaving a few minutes off a commute is worth days or weeks of painful hospital recovery. There is obviously no reasonable excuse for an accident that causes the death of an innocent person.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we can fully appreciate the anger and bitterness that families of victims can feel toward a driver who through thoughtlessness or outright negligence has caused the death of a loved one. No amount of monetary penalty or jail time can bring back a person who has been killed in what can only be called a senseless roadway collision. While the common vernacular refers to car and trucking-related highway collisions as “accidents,” there are instances when the term has no basis in the reality of the act.

Although many automobile accidents can cause some property damage and some minor injuries, there are a percentage of traffic wrecks that result in severe and potentially life-threatening medical complications. Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage and extensive first-degree burns are a few of the more deadly injuries that victims of passenger car and commercial truck accidents can experience.

Maryland Auto Safety News: Toyota Recalls More Than 750,000 Vehicles for Potentially Dangerous Airbag Problem

January 30, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Once again, owners of Toyota vehicles have reason to worry about their safety now that more than 750,000 Corolla and Matrix models (2003-2004) have been recalled due to a problem with those vehicles’ airbag control systems, which could result in sudden and unexpected airbag deployment or seatbelt pretensioner operation. It doesn’t take an engineer to understand the implications of a front airbag going off in a driver’s face while operating a car at highway speeds, so for most people this recall is easy to understand: If you own one of the affected models, contact Toyota immediately and get the problem fixed.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, our firm’s aim is to help people who have been injured or severely hurt as a result of a car, truck or motorcycle accident. Vehicle safety recalls usually occur after a problem has been reported to the manufacturer or to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by one or more vehicle owners. With problems like the one announced by Toyota today, there is a high likelihood that someone could be hurt or killed by this apparently serious defect.

Individuals affected by this type of product-related problem may have grounds for a products liability lawsuit, depending on the circumstances and the injuries or property damage resulting from the defect. In general, products liability law starts from the premise that manufacturers of products sold to the public are usually in a much better position than most to prevent faulty products from coming onto the market. Because of their unique position, businesses that allow a dangerous product to enter the marketplace have a responsibility to those injured or otherwise hurt by that item.

Baltimore Auto Accident Update: Avoid the Deadly Mix of Alcohol and Driving

January 26, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Too frequently these days do we hear of roadway accidents resulting from drunken driving. There is an all too common scenario that crops up numerous times every week here in Maryland, where a motorist or members of a family are injured or killed by an individual who decided to get behind the wheel in an intoxicated condition. As Baltimore personal injury trial attorneys, the lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, understand the anguish that such an event brings to friends and relatives of the victims, as well as the pain and suffering endured by those who are actually hurt in a crash.

Those who are only injured are fortunately spared the ultimate fate of being killed by a drunk driver, but often one or more of the victims can experience a long, hard road to recovery, which may never be quite complete. Amputated limbs, partial paralysis, and even quadriplegia can result from severe traffic wrecks; these are not simple injuries and can complicate a person’s life forever.

Whether the cause is a drunken motorist in a passenger vehicle or a drug-impaired commercial truck driver working over his or her legally restricted hours, the tragedy of a DWI- or DUI-related traffic accident is that it probably could have been prevented. But once done, it cannot be undone. The survivors are the ones who must pick up the pieces and try to press on with their lives, now scarred by a disaster they never caused, but with which they must deal, probably for the rest of their lives.

Prince George’s Patrolman Killed in Fatal Car Crash Was Not His Wearing Safety Belt

January 24, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As personal injury trial lawyers located in the Baltimore area, we see numerous victims of automobile, commercial truck and motorcycle accidents every year. And, as drivers ourselves, we know the value of wearing a safety belt whenever one ventures out on the road these days. With the volume and density of roadway traffic in towns and cities all around Maryland and the District of Columbia, there is no excuse for those drivers who throw caution to the wind and operate their motor vehicle while not “belted in.”

Of course, there are instances when seatbelts have been known to exacerbate accident victims’ injuries, although those cases are relatively few when compared to all of the lives saved by these albeit simple life-saving devices. In fact, since traffic collisions are the single-most common cause of death for people aged five to 34 years of age, it would seem prudent for anyone — drivers and passengers alike — to make it a habit of buckling up whenever getting into a motor vehicle these days.

The statistics speak for themselves: With upward of 40,000 individuals killed each year in highway wrecks, the use of seatbelts is not only a good idea, it has become law throughout much of the nation. Safety experts tend to agree that seatbelts have the ability to cut in half the number of deaths resulting from traffic collisions. Many of these deaths likely come under the heading of wrongful death, since they were caused by another person’s negligence.

Maryland Driver Killed in Head-on Montgomery County Car Crash; Weather Apparently to Blame

January 22, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Hurricane Sandy took many lives and left many more homeowners and families in desperate circumstances up and down the East Coast. But weather emergencies can also cause problems for drivers and can even threaten the lives of men, women and children attempting to get out of the way of such deadly storms. As Baltimore personal injury lawyers, my firm knows the pain and heartache that a fatal traffic accident can cause a family who has lost a loved one. The tragedy is that many single- and multi-vehicle roadway accidents could perhaps be prevented, though sadly not all.

Whether a roadway collision occurs in the Rockville, Gaithersburg, Bowie or Washington, D.C., area, the results can be very similar, though the circumstances are usually unique to that particular crash. In traffic accidents caused, at least in part, by inclement weather conditions, the normally safe and practical flow of traffic can become chaotic and confused. Even the best drivers can be caught unprepared for what follows.

Regardless of whether one is driving a small economy car, a mid-size sedan, large SUV or semi tractor-trailer rig, nature can throw some deadly conditions in one’s way. No matter if you live or work, ignoring the weather at times like these is to invite disaster. As the old saying goes, “Knowledge is power,” so take advantage of our modern information society and stay connected when the going gets tough. It could end up saving your life, or the lives of those in your vehicle.

Two Serious Injury Accidents in Anne Arundel County Send Two Maryland Residents to the Hospital

January 20, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Automobile wrecks, not to mention pedestrian-car collisions and motorcycle accidents, can inflict serious bodily injuries to the driver and occupants of a motor vehicle. Of the many and various injuries that victims of traffic accident experience — such as bruised tissue, mild to serious cuts and abrasions, and broken bones – it is safe to say that head injuries can be some of the most severe. As personal injury attorneys in the Baltimore area, I and my staff of legal professionals know how easily even the most basic of car or truck crashes can leave one or more of the victims fighting for their lives.

As we have said before, head injuries that involve brain trauma can put a person on a path to long-term disability and a life filled with pain and financial difficulty for the victim’s family members. When we talk about traumatic brain injuries, we are referring to those events that impart a blow to the head sufficient enough to actually disrupt the various functions of the brain itself.

Based on information provided by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), more than one an a half million individuals currently suffer from some form of traumatic brain injury the symptoms of which can be particularly glaring, such as short-term memory loss, difficulty forming words or coherent sentences, as well as the inability to follow basic instructions.

Deadly Rear-end Traffic Accident Leaves One Driver Dead, Others Injured in Millersville, MD

January 17, 2013 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light trucks are all smaller and less massive than larger commercial vehicles, yet any kind of traffic accident that involves a modicum of speed can result in some serious injuries — sometimes even fatal ones. As Baltimore personal injury accident lawyers, I and my colleagues know full well that crashes involving passenger cars and light trucks make up the bulk of the roadway collisions in this country.

While motorcycle accidents can lead to serious closed-head injuries, broken bones and internal injuries, the carnage wrought by a speeding two-ton motor vehicle can impart such a large amount of energy, especially to a stationary passenger car, that the occupants can also suffer extreme and life-threatening injuries. For those who have survived a bad roadway wreck, few would ever want to relive such an event.

Although head-on passenger car and commercial trucking collisions can yield rather tragic results, side-impact wrecks and rear-end crashes have been known to result in critical and life-threatening injuries. Many rear-end crashes result in whiplash, neck sprains and other neck injuries. These can be combined with a variety of back-related injuries affecting the bones, muscles and tissues that comprise that area of the human body.