Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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.

State’s Licensing Laws Appear to be Working to Reduce Injuries and Deaths of Maryland’s Teenage Drivers

May 8, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As personal injury attorneys here in Baltimore, we’ve seen too articles detailing the tragic results of traffic accidents involving Maryland’s younger drivers. As adults, we can understand the difficulties involved with training and licensing first-time drivers, especially from the standpoint of inexperience and the dangers of youthful indiscretion. As driving has become a ubiquitous part of our American lifestyle, there is no practical way to increase the driving age, but many states including Maryland have instituted legislation that helps to ease teenage drivers into their driving careers with a graduated approach to licensing new drivers.

Any traffic accident that can be prevented is one that parents and family members would surely want to avoid. With the number of severe injury accidents and fatal car, truck and motorcycle collisions across our state, there is much to be said about saving our young people from possible injury or death as a result of a bad traffic wreck.

Whether one lives in Gaithersburg, Annapolis, Rockville or Washington, D.C., no doubt you or someone you know has a family member who may have been hurt in a car or commercial trucking-related roadway accident. In the best of cases, a few minor bumps or bruises may be all that the victim suffered; others may not have been that lucky. With closed-head injuries, compound fractures and spinal cord damage all potential injuries resulting from a car crash, anyone would be happy to avoid a hospital stay and subsequent physical therapy.

How Can Trusting Another Driver Be One of the Deadliest Decision Anyone Can Make?

May 6, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We all do it, and on a daily basis. We entrust certain aspects of our lives to individuals who we believe are competent, trained and conscientious. Now, some of what these individuals do has very effect on anyone of us, at least in terms of our physical safety. But others from whom we contract services do, indeed, have a direct effect on our well-being. This can also extend to family and friends as well. The scary part is that we don’t always consider the potential negative results that a basic lapse in judgment by one person may have on us in the long-term.

Every year I and my legal staff consult with individuals who were victims of a personal injury accident. These people, or their loved ones, could have been hurt by a doctor’s medical mistake, pharmacy error or even a simple slip-and-fall mishap on the job. Still others may have been permanently disabled due to a car, truck or motorcycle-related traffic wreck. Whatever the cause, as Maryland personal injury attorneys, my firm is dedicated to helping those victims and their families recover costs for medical care, rehabilitation, future long-term care and even compensation for financial loss or emotional distress.

Most every person that we see had no idea that they would soon be facing a life-changing event when they woke up on the morning of their accident. This is the nature of personal injuries; one can almost never see them coming, otherwise we would do all we could to avoid them. One category of injury accident that can take a huge toll on an individual’s health and future physical well-being is a highway or roadway automobile or commercial trucking accident.

Two Maryland Residents Killed in Deadly St. Mary’s Co. Car Crash; Speeding, Alcohol Blamed

May 4, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When it comes to fatal car, truck and motorcycle accidents, it’s a said commentary when the signs point to drinking and driving as one of the possible causes. There is no winner when a driver takes his or her own life in a senseless roadway collision, much less the lives of the passengers as well.

As Baltimore car and trucking accident attorneys, I and my legal staff find it difficult to reconcile the possibly thoughtless act of driving while intoxicated with the deaths of innocent individuals. Whatever the reason, a preventable car accident — fatal or otherwise — is a tragedy. As occupants in another person’s vehicle, we as passengers assume a fair amount of risk. Trust is a precious commodity; sometimes one that is spent all too quickly on the wrong person.

As personal injury lawyers in Maryland, we see numerous stories of men, women and children who are injured or killed in traffic accidents that might have been avoided had a passenger spoken up or the driver exercised some discretion. Driving under the influence of alcohol is not only illegal, it is dangerous and can be life-altering. For those who survive a car or truck crash, whether here in Maryland or over in Washington, D.C., the road to recovery can be long and hard.

Baltimore Auto Injury Update: Poor Legal Decisions Can Limit One’s Ability to Recover Medical Costs, Damages

May 2, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Choosing the right lawyer following a serious injury-related traffic collision is an important step toward bringing a successful personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against a negligent party. As Maryland auto, bike and trucking accident attorneys, we have the training and legal skills to represent victims of car, truck and motorcycle accident here in Maryland.

Whether one is injured in Baltimore, Bowie, Annapolis or the District, there is nothing enjoyable about being hurt, laid up in the hospital and then having to foot the bill for another person’s thoughtless or negligent act. More than one family has been hurt physically, emotionally and financially by a reckless or inattentive driver. With medical treatment costs going through the roof, it only makes sense to choose the right attorney when planning one’s strategy to recover medical, rehabilitation and other costs following a roadway accident.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, we have seen enough post-accident carnage to know how shaken a victim of a car or truck collision must feel in the aftermath of a serious highway wreck. The same goes for cyclists and pedestrians who are hurt as a result of being struck by a car or commercial delivery truck. In cases where a victim is incapacitated or even killed, the family may need to bring a suit on their behalf to compensate for possible long-term care costs brought on by a careless driver.

Harford County Officials Note Heavy Increase in Fatal Traffic Accidents in February

April 30, 2012 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If there’s one thing that Maryland families shouldn’t have to worry about, it’s being killed in a traffic accident. But the fact of the matter is, all manner of accidents happen to good people, regardless of how safe they feel or what they do to avoid becoming statistics. This is especially poignant in light of a news article we ran across not long ago, which stated that fatal roadway accidents had taken a huge leap back in February.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers, as well as auto and trucking accident attorneys, I and my colleagues are painfully aware of the odds that an individual, perhaps someone’s mother, father, spouse or child, will be killed as a result of a highway collision caused by a negligent driver. If this wasn’t sobering enough, the shear randomness of some traffic accidents can be very nerve-wracking to some people.

Here in Baltimore, as in other cities like Gaithersburg, Howie and even Washington, D.C., car, truck and motorcycle accidents take place on a shockingly frequent basis. Protecting one’s family from a potentially life-altering and sometimes deadly occurrence can weight heavily on some parents. With not rhyme or reason to many automobile and trucking-related wrecks, all one can say is be aware of the potential dangers and drive defensively.