Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Following Tragic Head-on Traffic Accident Teenager Gets Prison Time for Texting-related Fatal Car Crash

June 7, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve seen these kinds of scenarios play out more and more across the country over the past several years; a driver using his or her cellphone losses concentration on the road and causes an accident as a result of a simple yet deadly moment of distraction. Was that phone call or text message really worth it? The answer is obvious — an emphatic, No! — yet roadway collisions, many fatal, continue apace with few signs of abating. What to do?

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we have heard numerous pleas for a reduction in phone calls and texting while driving. Some legislators in many states all across the country have suggested making cellphone use while driving into an offense akin to driving while impaired. Some people may guffaw at such a notion, thought the danger of texting and other distracting activities by drivers is shown to be real and immediate.

Over the last several years, cellphone and, subsequently, smartphone use has brought a real and serious danger into the front seat of nearly every vehicle on the road. While not every driver is guilty of texting while driving, 36 states have already outlawed that activity. But laws can be broken and this has given rise to increasingly strident calls for stricter penalties to be attached to cellphone use when it can be shown to have contributed to a fatal automobile or commercial trucking accident.

Baltimore Police Pay Out Settlements to Drivers and Other Citizens for Mishaps and Questionable Procedures

June 3, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Living and working in the Baltimore area, it isn’t a rare sight to see Baltimore city and county police officers conducting all manner of duties from criminal arrests and emergency services to traffic control and accident scene investigation. What citizens don’t always see are the occasional missteps taken by patrolmen and other law enforcement personnel from time to time. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my legal staff have the utmost respect for the difficult job that police officers do every day in this state and across the nation.

But just as we commend the efforts of the majority of this country’s law enforcement community, we also have concern for the private individuals who occasionally suffer from improper police procedures or ignorance of the civil rights of some individuals who come in contact with those few, less-than-professional officers from time to time.

We’re reminded of this occasionally when we run across stories of abuse of power by some officers and other police officials. Similarly, some innocent citizens are actually injured or killed as a result of a patrolman’s actions during the performance of his or her duty. Again, the job of law enforcement is in no way an easy one; however, as tax payers and citizens we all expect excellence from our police force and certainly hold the entire organization to a higher standard than the rest of society.

Many Maryland Residents Suffer from Spinal Cord Injuries Resulting from Car and Truck Accidents

May 29, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being injured in a car, motorcycle or commercial truck accident is not so much a possibility as a certainty, depending on the speed at the time of the traffic collision, the number of cars or trucks involved and the conditions surrounding the wreck. As Maryland car, truck and motorcycle accident lawyers, my firm is built on the idea of helping individuals recover damages resulting from roadway accidents.

While property can be replaced, however, lives are more precious and more difficult to be made right following a devastating highway crash. Consider two of the more major types of physical injuries that can sideline a person for weeks or months, not to mention possibly for a lifetime. These include spinal cord and brain injuries. Of course, there are numerous types of neck, back and head injuries related to these two major types, but the seriousness of the bodily injury should never be underestimated.

Whether one is hurt here in Baltimore, over in Rockville, or somewhere in the District of Columbia, car, truck and even pedestrian incidents involving vehicular traffic can be just as life-threatening no matter where they occur. Given the sheer number of people hurt or killed in motor vehicle accidents, it’s no surprise that Maryland personal injury attorneys like our legal team hear of dozen of severe and near-fatal injury accidents every month.

Maryland’s Traffic Death Count Includes More than 100 Pedestrians and Cyclists Each Year

May 24, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As Maryland and Washington, D.C., personal injury attorneys, it’s not uncommon for individuals to approach our firm following a serious car-, truck- or motorcycle-related traffic accident. Quite a few of these individuals have likely received some type of serious bodily injury as a result of the collision in question. While more people survive car and trucking-related wrecks, there is a percentage of victims who do not make it home to their loved ones.

For those families who lose a parent, spouse, or child to a preventable traffic collision, there is not much anyone can say to alleviate the pain and loss that the relatives mush endure for years to come, if not a lifetime. Car accidents take many lives each year, but what many people don’t thing about when it comes to traffic-related fatalities is the pedestrian component of those statistics.

Based on numbers coming out of various agencies, it has been said that 100 people or more are killed every year as a result of being struck by an automobile or commercial delivery truck. This group of individuals includes those who may have been traveling on foot, standing near a street corner, or riding a bicycle in or near vehicular traffic.

Maryland Motorists and Automobile Passengers Can Suffer Serious Head and Spinal Cord Injuries in Traffic Accidents

May 21, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Many people are amazed to learn of the numerous auto, truck and motorcycle injuries that occur every week here in Maryland. Throughout the state, as well as in the District of Columbia, we read and hear about dozens upon dozens of traffic and other injury accidents that happen every month as the result of another person’s negligence or just plain thoughtlessness. Many of these injuries are bad enough to require hospitalization and some may lead to permanent disability on the part of the victim.

Being Maryland automobile and trucking-accident lawyers, we know that there is no easy solution to eliminating the amount of accidents, save a total ban on driving. Of course, this would not even be a practical solution. Because of this, the next best thing would include education and awareness of the dangers of car and truck crashes. (And let’s not forget those individuals who are injured or killed in pedestrian accidents, including bicycle-car collisions.

As auto accident and personal injury lawyers, every day we see the results of car and truck crashes. Many automobile collisions are not fatal, however they can cause serious and long-term injuries to vehicle occupants, as well as pedestrians and onlookers. Scrapes and bruises, cuts and minor contusions are the least serious, but in high-speed or head-on crashes, head, neck and back injury can easily occur. Safety belts and airbags certainly help, but even these safety devices can’t always be counted on to fully protect victims of Maryland traffic accidents.

Maryland Investigates Raising Speed Limit on Inter-County Connector Toll Road

May 19, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

No judgments here, but simply a note to those who may be interested: The State of Maryland has been looking at raising the speed limit on the Intercounty Connector (ICC) near Burtonsville, MD. This may not seem like a serious issue, but some people may have mixed feelings about the recently announced study to increase speeds along the new section of highway. According to news reports, almost 40,000 vehicles traveled along the ICC during the first week or so of operation. And during that time the police apparently issued more than a thousand speeding tickets to motorists.

Of course, the benefit of this new route is that it essentially cuts travel time Laurel and Gaithersburg by nearly 50 percent. This is a boon to local commuters, but the roadway has also been rife with those who apparently wanted to make the trip in even less time, hence the spate of speeding citations along the 16 miles of what was previously known as Rte 200. Initially posted as 55mph, the toll road was reportedly designed for 60mph; this may be a problem since state officials say that raising the speed limit to 60 or more would be unusual.

As a Maryland personal injury lawyer, I understand how any increase in speed can lead to worse accidents. And while car, truck and motorcycle accidents cannot be eliminated, keeping speeds low or limiting posted speeds to a safer level can help to reduce the devastating effects of a severe traffic accident. Of course, any crash involving a commercial truck — such as an 18-wheeler big rig — can lead to severe injuries or even death to drivers and passengers of any smaller vehicle involved in a crash with that larger truck.

AAA Traffic Safety Study: Risk of Fatal Traffic Accidents Rise when Teen Drivers Carry Younger Passengers

May 17, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to a study just recently released, every parent’s nightmare would appear to be confirmed: young teenage drivers are more likely to get into a fatal car crash when driving with other young passengers. The study only serves to bolster previous data that pointed to an elevated roadway accident risk for young drivers. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we would tend to agree with findings; more importantly, parents should take note and coach their young drivers accordingly.

Based on news articles, this latest study coming out of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety identifies a definite link between fatal automobile collisions and the age of a driver as well as whether or not the vehicle is carrying one or more other young passengers.

Titled “Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers,” the AAA’s report used traffic accident statistics from 2007 to 2010. In general, researchers determined that odds for a fatal accident involving a vehicle driven by a 16 to 17-year-old motorist increased with the addition of each young occupant. As study authors reminded, the report reconfirmed what safety advocates have apparently known for quite some time.

Maryland Driver’s Ed Vehicle Involved in Three-vehicle Collision near Salisbury, MD

May 14, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Driving in and around Maryland can sometimes be a treacherous experience for some people. With the number of motor vehicle collisions, not to mention bicyclists or pedestrians hit by cars or trucks, there may be a strong argument for staying home. And while becoming a voluntary shut-in is not a practical solution, there are things that people can do to reduce their chances of being caught in a crash with another car or commercial delivery vehicle.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my legal staff represent individuals hurt in all manner of accidents throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. When it comes to automobile, commercial truck and even motorcycle accidents, we have heard the horror stories of victims and their families. One common thread is likely to be heard from most anyone hurt or seriously injured in a car or trucking-related wreck: “We never saw it coming.”
While this may be true in many instances, there are likely those individuals who may have realized, albeit all too late, that a collision was impending. One thing is certain; most anyone who has avoided being involved in a traffic accident most likely was keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding vehicles. This is not to say that being aware of one’s surrounding is a fool-proof method for staying out of harm’s way, but it could help.

Study: Red-Light Cameras Help Reduce Traffic Accident Rates; Contribute to Fewer Car Crash Injuries

May 12, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Human nature being what it is we weren’t surprised to hear some of the latest findings from a recent study conducted by a Florida television news station regarding the use and effects of so-called “red-light” cameras. Since Maryland’s metro areas have their fair share of these devices, it was interesting to read about the latest look into the psychology of drivers when confronted with this kind of passive traffic enforcement.

Now, it goes without saying that any approach to reducing traffic accidents, and by association related fatalities and severe, sometimes life-altering personal injuries, would be met with at least some acceptance. Red-light cameras are supposed to accomplish their job, in part, by being “advertised” by local law enforcement agencies.

Being injury attorneys based in the Baltimore area and serving residents of Maryland and Washington, D.C., we can appreciate the efforts of safety advocates to encourage increased adherence to traffic laws. According to a report from a TV station in Florida, very few drivers will admit to liking these red-light cameras. But since more than 150,000 men, women and children are hurt annually as a result of another driver running or otherwise ignoring a red traffic signal, there is certainly some merit to these traffic control devices.

Maryland Drivers May be Affected following Chrysler Safety Recalls of Charger and 300 Sedans

May 10, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It doesn’t take much to turn a safe vehicle into a dangerous machine. While general neglect, poor maintenance and faulty service procedures can take their toll on the mechanical systems of cars and trucks, improper engineering design or production processes on the part of auto manufacturers can put a vehicle at a disadvantage almost from the get-go. As consumers, we all assume that the products we buy, especially those that we trust our lives to and that of our families, will be designed and built to the highest possible standards. Safety recalls represent the flip side of the argument.

Here in the Baltimore area, as with Annapolis, Gaithersburg, Rockville and The District, tens of thousands of drivers get behind the wheel of vehicles every day in the belief that those cars, trucks and motorcycles are safe and sound. When a traffic accident occurs as a result of a mechanical defect, the victims would be wise to consider speaking to a qualified personal injury attorney about the possibility of a products liability lawsuit.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues understand how an assumption of safety can be rocked by a dangerous oversight on the part of a manufacturer. While some recalls are voluntary, others are ordered by the Government in the interest of public safety. If injuries or traffic fatalities are caused as a result of a possible vehicle defect, the call for action is usually swift.