Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Car, truck and motorcycle crashes can be horrendous events depending on the circumstances. For many people, a minor traffic accident can shake one up, cause some cuts and bruises, and leave the family vehicle in less than good-running condition; on the other hand, a bad highway collision involving a more than one car or even a commercial truck can result in serious injury and sometimes death.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff recognize the extreme physical and emotional damage that likely can occur following a terrible automobile or trucking wreck. In addition to potentially broken arms, legs and other bones, an occupant of a vehicle involved in a high-speed crash can receive head, neck and spinal injuries. In the worst cases, fatalities are not unheard of.

Because most cars and trucks are powered by gasoline and diesel engines, the danger of a fire is quite common, especially if one of the vehicles’ fuel tanks is ruptured during the crash. Although automobile manufacturers attempt to design and build their cars and trucks to withstand certain crash forces, the fact that nearly every car or truck on the road is riding around with the explosive potentail of more than a few sticks of dynamite in our fuel tanks can be quite eye-opening to some.

Hundreds of people are killed every year in head-on traffic accidents all across the United States. Here in Maryland, we certainly have our share of tragic collisions where a vehicle crosses over the centerline of a two-way street or highway and collides with another car or truck. Depending on whether one is riding in a passenger car, commercial truck, city bus or motorcycle, the results of a head-on wreck can range from severe to downright deadly.

Fatal head-on collisions can occur for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is drunken driving; however, cellphone use, texting, fiddling with the radio, carrying on distracting conversations and other in-vehicle disturbances can draw the driver’s attention from the singly important task of operating a 3,000-pound vehicle on a public road. Especially at highway speeds, a moment’s distraction can easily turn out to be fatal. Being personal injury lawyers here in Maryland, as well as auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues know the dangers that distracted driving can present.

While every driver has likely considered the almost unthinkable results of a head-on crash while traveling along an undivided highway or surface street, the odds of having a head-on wreck when driving on the interstate or other divided roadway seems rather remote. Yet, as we were reminded not long ago, this kind of potentially fatal car, motorcycle or commercial truck accident is possible, and does happen from time to time.

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Being hit by another vehicle can, without a doubt, by a shocking and nerve-shattering event for anyone in a passenger car. Few traffic accidents are uneventful experiences, though fatal car crashes are, thankfully, not as common as those causing minor to severe injuries. Nevertheless, fatal and near-fatal roadway collisions are a sad fact of life these days; which can make driving in Baltimore, Gaithersburg and the District a nail-biting way of life for many commuters.

Injuries from car, motorcycle and trucking-related accidents abound and include a range of injury from minor cuts and bruises, abrasions and first-degree burns, to spinal cord damage, closed-head trauma and life-threatening nearly full-body burns. Motorcycle riders injured as a result of a car- or truck-collision make up one of the most at-risk groups when it comes to fatal traffic wrecks; even those who survive horrendous car crashes can face weeks or months of medical treatment, not to mention months of physical rehabilitation and possibly years of continuous care.

News of a couple traffic accidents caught our eye a while back. These two multi-vehicle collisions resulted in one death and a number of injuries. In Howard County, according to news reports, a three-vehicle collision out in Ellicott City, resulted in one person being critically injured along a stretch of Rte 100. The victim, a 31-year-old local woman, was taken to the hospital in condition following a Monday evening wreck.

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Being injured through the negligence of another individual can be a painful, costly and sometimes life-changing event. Because we as adults have the advantage of many years of life experience, we can see the world for what it is — an often dangerous place filled with pitfalls and potential risks. On the other hand, children — especially those very young — are generally unaware of many perils that surround them and their parents almost every day.

As relative innocents, very young children can be seen as being more or less blameless in their actions. When a child injures himself while playing with his friends or family, we immediately feel empathy for the youngster; hoping that he both recovers quickly from his injuries and that he learns from the incident, if only that he or she doesn’t repeat it in the future.

However, when a child is injured due to another person’s negligent or thoughtless actions, our reaction tends to be somewhat different. We may feel anger or resentment toward the individual who caused the incident. While the child may not know what occurred or who is to blame, the parents and society take it upon themselves to protect the child’s interests. Depending on the severity of the accident and extent of the child’s injuries, this is the point at which adults may retain the services of a personal injury attorney.

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