Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Single-Vehicle Traffic Accidents in Maryland can be Caused by Driver Error or Defective Vehicle Equipment

July 11, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We see the headlines quite often: “Car Leaves Road, Rolls Over, Driver Dies at Scene” or “Driver Loses Control of SUV, Smashes into Storefront, Pedestrians Severely Injured.” On the face of it, these headlines indicate that one or more people were affected by a traffic accident; one that may have been caused not by driver error, but a failure of one or more of the vehicle’s critical control systems — such as steering or braking systems. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff know how serious a car crash can set an individual or family back if they aren’t financially prepared for such an event.

Just like driver error, defective vehicle equipment can result in loss of vehicle control or an inability to correct a bad situation following a collision or avoidance of same. In single-vehicle accidents, it can usually be assumed that the driver perhaps lost control of his or her car or motorcycle prior to the crash, however there can be instances where a catastrophic failure of one or more safety-related systems may have resulted in the initial loss of driver control. Occasionally, a mechanical failure can possibly exacerbate the effects of a crash by not allowing the motorist to regain or maintain control of the vehicle.

Statistically, a percentage of multi-vehicle traffic accidents likely are the result of a system malfunction. This can be as “simple” as a blown-out tire or as complicated as a problem with a car’s anti-lock braking system (ABS) or drive-by-wire throttle control. Whatever the cause, the associated loss of control can send a passenger car into opposing traffic or cause a big-rig semi to jackknife in heavy traffic. The resulting injuries can range from cuts, bruises and broken bones to neck and back injuries, even closed-head trauma.

Spinal Cord Injuries from a Traffic Accident Can Mean Long Recovery for Maryland Accident Victims

July 8, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Understanding as we do the crippling effects of car, truck and motorcycle collisions, there is nothing funny about being laid up in the hospital for days or weeks following a bad traffic wreck. The mere fact that one’s health, or the well-being of one’s family, may have been compromised due to the negligence of just one person should be enough to consider speaking with an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Here in the Baltimore area, I and my colleagues understand very well the negative outcome that a serious roadway accident can have on some individuals. Whether takes place in Owings Mills, Gaithersburg, Bowie or Washington, D.C., the long-term outcome could be temporary paralysis, chronic pain or permanent disability depending on the type of injuries sustained in the crash.

Every year, dozens upon dozens of Marylanders endure spinal cord injuries as a result of a variety of automobile and commercial trucking wrecks. These days, with the ever-increasing volume of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, being hurt as a result of a traffic collision seems to be less of a possibility and more of a certainty. This isn’t to say that overall vehicle safety has waned, but that increasing traffic density may tend to increase the odds of a random collision happening more often to occupants of passenger cars, city and charter buses and those individuals on foot.

Single-Car Anne Arundel Car Crash Leaves Woman in Serious Condition at Maryland Shock Trauma

July 6, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We can’t always know the initial causes of car, truck or motorcycles accidents, though police and other investigators usually can get down to the bottom of most roadway collisions fairly fast. The issue that makes the most difference to Maryland personal injury lawyers such as ourselves is whether or not the particular wreck was caused or precipitated by another, possibly negligent party.

This goes as much for accidents here in Baltimore, Annapolis and Bowie, as it does for Gaithersburg, Rockville and The District. Whenever a person is hurt or seriously injured by another party through inattention, aggressive driving or another willfully negligent act, the law provides remedies for the injured party to recoup some or all of the damages sustained as a result of that passenger vehicle or commercial trucking collision.

Just as with cases of medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, and even slip-and-fall law suits, an auto accident case can require a great deal of evidentiary discovery work as well as interviews with police and fire officials, not to mention EMS and healthcare workers who may have been involved in the rescue or emergency treatment efforts. The problem is that once an accident has happened, the driver may be in no position to recall everything that happened. Depending on the severity of the crash, the passengers may also have been incapacitated.

Court Finds Maryland Driver At-Fault in Fatal Carroll County Automobile Accident

July 3, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being charged with negligence following a fatal car crash can seem worlds away from the events leading up to the incident itself. Many people cannot imagine themselves on the receiving end of a wrongful death civil suit, much less a criminal trial resulting from a traffic accident weeks or months prior. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues see scenarios such as this one play out on a regular basis all across the state.

And so it is, that being possibility of being involved in a fatal car, truck or motorcycle collision is not so remote as many drivers might believe it to be. All it takes is a moment of indecision, inaction or thoughtlessness for a pleasant Sunday drive to turn into a nightmare scenario. Surely for the victims and their families, a fatal car or commercial trucking accident is nothing that can be expected, not planned for. But once it happens, the survivors’ world may be turned completely upside down.

Simply the loss of a loved one is enough to cause serious emotional pain on the part of the victim’s family. But the financial toll that the death of a mother or father can also send shockwaves through the family unit, especially those with toddlers or younger children who will never again see their loving parent’s face or feel their comforting touch.

Maryland Police Accident Blotter: Two Injury Accidents in Glen Bernie Send Victims to Hospital

June 30, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Seeing as many automobile and trucking accident news stories as we do, one would think that I and my colleagues would become inured to the fate of these people and their families, but the opposite is more likely the case. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, the legal professionals at my firm are cognizant of the trials and heartache that individuals and families go through any time a loved one is hurt or killed in a senseless traffic accident.

Whether a crash occurs here in Maryland or over in The District, the same feelings of helplessness and vulnerability can affect any number of victims or surviving family members. Besides the potential hospital bills from conditions ranging from compound fractures and deep lacerations to spinal cord injuries and closed-head trauma, there also remains the emotional scars of the traffic accident that placed a family’s loved one in a possibly precarious and life-threatening position.

The following news items are just the tip of the iceberg, where thousands of regular people going about normal everyday lives get swept up in a perfect storm of pain, strife and possible financial pressure all because another individual, who they had never met, made a faulty decision or negligent act that brought both parties together in a serious and sometimes fatal car, truck or motorcycle wreck. Many of these news stories are not easy to take, but they do point up the fragility of life and the need for constant vigilance when driving in and around our state.

Two Fatal Maryland Car Accidents on Same Road in Baltimore Co. within Days

June 28, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Regardless of whether a car, truck or motorcycle wreck occurs here in the Greater Baltimore area, over in Gaithersburg, or out in the Washington, D.C., area, victims are likely to be injured and in need of medical care. Some serious injuries can present life-threatening complications, while other less fortunate individuals may die at the scene. One common thread is usually present: Many car and commercial trucking crashes could have been avoided if not for the negligent actions of another driver.

Aside from the inevitable hospital bills and costs of medical treatment, not to mention weeks or months of rehab for those seriously injured, the families of deceased victims have little to no consolation for their loss. Besides the obvious financial impact of losing a primary breadwinner to a senseless traffic wreck, widowed spouses their children suffer the emotional vacuum in the wake of a fatal car crash.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues understand all facets of loss regarding a fatal traffic accident. Wrongful death suits not only take into account the loss of income due to the death of a working mother or father, but also the loss of non-tangible “assets,” such as love and affection, as well as the nurturing presence of a parent no longer alive to care for and guide the growth of his or her children.

Maryland Driver Pleads Guilty to Death of Passenger Following Fatal Baltimore-Washington Pkwy Wreck

June 24, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Car, truck and motorcycle collisions happen all over our state, from Bowie and Rockville to Baltimore, Annapolis and over in Washington, D.C. The common thread that each of these incidents usually have in common is that people, innocent men, women and children are hurt during traffic accidents. Whether those injuries are minor (such as simple cuts, bruises and abrasions) or severe (e.g., compound fractures of the arm or leg, traumatic head injury or spinal cord damage) usually depends on a number of factors, such as speed of the vehicles, angle of the collision, age of the passengers, safety equipment in use on the vehicle involved.

As personal injury lawyers practicing in Maryland, we are trained to represent victims of automobile and commercial trucking accidents, as well as other instances of injury caused by a negligent individual or individuals. When severe or critical injuries are involved, we know that the victims’ families can quickly feel the financial pressure of various medical and hospital treatment costs. In addition to the obvious physical injuries, victims can also experience the emotional side effects of a serious car truck or pedestrian accident.

Nearly anyone who has had first-hand experience with a bad traffic collision would likely say that it is not an event that they would want to go through ever again. Especially in cases of high-speed or multi-vehicle collisions on an expressway or freeway, the impact energy can be much greater than that felt in a low-speed fender-bender. The point here is that bodily harm from a major car or truck crash can be many times more serious, and sometimes fatal, than a collision that takes place in a parking garage.

Passengers Beware: Serious Maryland Car Accidents Can Affect Not Only Drivers, But All Vehicle Occupants

June 22, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Listen to almost anyone who has been in a serious traffic accident, if they are even up to discussing it, and you may realize that victims of high-speed roadway collisions are subjected to a great deal of physical abuse in just a matter of moments. The kind of violent energy transfer from a moving vehicle to the human body in just a few microseconds can change a person’s life in the blink of an eye. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff can appreciate the extent of physical and psychological trauma that an automobile or commercial trucking accident can have on the victims.

Automobile accidents, whether they occur in Gaithersburg, Columbia, Rockville or The District, can result in a range of injuries. From simple bumps and bruises to broken bones, internal injuries and closed-head trauma, there is nothing routine about a serious car, truck or motorcycle wreck. Even those who do everything to avoid and prepare for such an eventuality never quite expect the randomness with which a highway or urban auto collision can occur.

Being personal injury lawyers, trained in and experienced with representing victims of car and truck collisions, we understand how many families can be placed in a difficult financial position following a bad traffic wreck. Aside from the physical and emotional impact of a sudden and violent collision, individuals and entire families may be hit again with costs for extensive surgeries and other medical procedures, not to mention possible long-term rehabilitation, or worse, a lifetime of reduced mobility or other disability.

Young Mother Killed, Baby Injured in Police-related Car Chase in West Baltimore, MD

June 20, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Any death, especially a senseless one, is a tragedy no matter what the cause. There can be little argument about that. But the death of a young person who has yet to experience all that life has to offer, that is a tragic waste of life. Children who are hurt in automobile accidents or killed as a result of another individual’s negligence are certainly the most innocent of victims.

Here in the Baltimore area, as well as elsewhere across the state and even in Washington, D.C., it’s not difficult to see the aftermath of a car, truck or motorcycle accident without thinking of those injured in a serious traffic wreck. As Maryland personal injury lawyers, my firm is prepared to take up the fight for those who have been hurt in serious car or trucking-related accidents. When we see a child or young adult whose life has been unalterably changed, our sympathies go out to the entire family.

Of course, the legal aspects of a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit tend to be less compassionate than the thoughts and well-wishes of friends and relatives of the victims. Nevertheless, the law provides those injured by the negligent acts of another to sue for damages in hopes that in some small way the victims and their families can be made whole, or at least be given a fighting chance for a normal life after a tragic accident.

The Role of Emergency Medical Helicopters in Victim Survivability Rates following Automobile Crashes

June 18, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With the number of serious traffic accidents in tens of thousands every year across this nation, it’s surprising that the death rate from car, truck and motorcycle accidents is not higher than it already is. While alcohol and drug use contributes to a vast number of injury- and fatality-related roadway collisions, the percentage of distracted driving incidents has been rising on its own as one of several major factors in modern-day automobile and commercial trucking wrecks.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we understand how even the most innocuous distraction — such as a crying child, spilled coffee or in-car conversation — can draw a driver’s attention away from the task at hand. More than a few motorists and their passengers have been killed thanks to a moments loss of focus on the highway.

While the number and frequency of auto and trucking accidents on our nation’s roads can at times be amazing, it is the actions of police, fire and other emergency personnel that can make the difference between a serious car or truck crash and a fatal one. Part of the response equation can involve the often cited medevac helicopter flights that ferry critically injured victims of traffic accidents from accident scenes all around the country to medical facilities for rapid, and hopefully life-saving treatment.