Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Personal Injury News: Pickup Truck Driver Hospitalized after Fatal St. Mary’s County Traffic Accident

September 8, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If you follow the news long enough, some traffic accident reports stick out as being either incredibly unlikely or based in a reality that most of the driving public hopefully has never experienced. Chronic drunk drivers, for example, can operate their vehicles in an inebriated state completely without incident for what seems like years, while a first-time drunken driver may hit another vehicle minutes after leaving the bar, causing a traffic accident with sometimes fatal results.

Other drivers just seem to have very poor judgment when operating their cars, trucks or motorcycles and seem to be involved in fender-benders on what seems like a recurrent basis. These people, whose insurance rates must surely go through the roof after several occurrences, might end up causing a serious accident themselves; sometimes one of these drivers tangles with an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer rig on the highway and causes a tremendous wreck, from which he or she might not walk away.

For the rest of us, we must exercise extreme caution when plying congested urban thoroughfares of cities like Annapolis, Washington, D.C., and Gaithersburg, as well as the high-speed expressways that connect them. From time to time, even the most competent drivers meet up with one of those so-called bad drivers with tragic consequences.

As Baltimore car accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, I and my staff know what it means to have a family member killed by a drunk, inattentive or otherwise negligent driver. There really are no words that can ease the suffering of a family that has lost a father, mother or sibling in such a senseless traffic collision.

Not long ago, a resident of St. Mary’s County, MD, was involved in two traffic accidents along Rte 5 both within minutes of each other; the second of which left two Maryland women dead. According to news reports, the apparently negligent driver was a 34-year-old man from Callaway who was behind the wheel of a 2007 Chevy pickup truck.

Maryland Car Accident and Personal Injury Update: What Follows a Serious Car or Truck Crash

September 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

For motorists here in Maryland who find themselves in the unenviable position of being caught in a serious injury accident involving another vehicle, such as a passenger car, city bus or commercial delivery truck, the pain of one’s injuries can be just the beginning of a long road to recovery — both physically and financially.

Whether one lives in Rockville, Annapolis, Gaithersburg or the District, a percentage of drivers will likely find themselves in a car or trucking accident sometime in the course of their driving career. The extent of that car, truck or motorcycle accident will depend on numerous factors, but those of a serious nature may have a significant impact on the victim and his or her family.

As Baltimore automobile accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, my firm has a well-grounded knowledge of the law as well as the experience to know that most any car, truck or cycle wreck can result in an uphill battle with insurance companies and negligent parties.

When it comes to negligent individuals, such as a livery driver, commercial trucker, or even another passenger car driver who might have been distracted while talking or texting on their cellphone, these people already have their own representation through their insurance companies.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: One Road, Two Car Collisions, Multiple Injuries for Several Maryland Drivers

August 31, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Multi-vehicle collisions are a fairly common occurrence on Maryland’s roadways and interstates. What is rare, however, is two separate multi-car traffic accidents on the same stretch of road on the same day. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we do not mean to lessen the gravity of any kind of car, truck or motorcycle wreck. Far from it; these kinds of accidents can cause a range of injuries from fairly minor to life-threatening.

Closed-head trauma, spinal cord damage and partial or total paralysis are some of the worst effects of a bad passenger car or commercial trucking crash. While broken bones — either simple or compound fractures — or internal injuries, such as collapsed lungs, ruptured spleen, or internal bleeding, can be just as critical to a person’s survival upon entering the emergency room for treatment.

Being auto accident lawyers here in Baltimore, I and my colleagues help a variety of clients to recoup treatment costs, lost wages, and other automobile accident-related medical expenses following a serious crash. Not only do we serve the residents of Maryland, we also provide legal services to victims of car, bus and pedestrian accidents in the Washington, D.C., area as well.

A few weeks back there was a news article that pretty much proves lightening, or in this case, traffic collisions, can strike twice in the same place. By this we mean within less than a football field’s length. As it happened, there was a set of two separate automobile wrecks along the same stretch of Harford Rd. the other day.

Baltimore Auto Accident Update: Aggressive Driving Causes 50 Percent of All Maryland Traffic Collisions

August 30, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As Maryland personal injury attorneys and drivers ourselves, it’s not hard to notice one the biggest threats to traffic safety on the road today. As many motorists already know, aggressive driving is a significant cause of many traffic wrecks these days. In fact, just standing on a street corner in Gaithersburg, Annapolis or even Washington, D.C., one can’t help but see some drivers behaving badly.

Whether a person is on the receiving end or not, it’s always a good idea to give an aggressive driver wide berth; and there’s a good reason to do this. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), it has been estimated that the cause of over 50 percent of all fatal passenger car and commercial truck accidents can be traced back to some kind of aggressive driving.

Of course, anyone who has survived a serious car crash knows how easy it is to end up with medical complications as a result, not to mention risk of long-term medical conditions that can persist for the rest of one’s life. The cost of treatment for chronic medical issues and long-term care can be a continual burden to an individual, as well as the victim’s family for months if not years following the initial traffic accident.

As Baltimore car accident lawyers, we’ve seen our share of traffic accidents and the resulting carnage wrought by so-called aggressive drivers. Some may hope, futilely it would seem, that someday we all might see motorists sharing the road in complete harmony with each other. All we can say is that human nature being what it is, don’t hold your breath waiting for that day.

Maryland Personal Injury News: Are Baltimore Accident Victims Getting Put on Hold during 911 Calls?

August 29, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It could be an alarming trend or just a brief hiccup, but whatever the end result turns out to be, it’s a bit unnerving to read that 911 callers hoping for help in emergencies such as personal injury accidents, car and truck crashes, and the like might be placed on hold by an apparently over-worked system. The lost minutes or seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

Consider any situation where a driver and/or passengers of a car, SUV or motorcycle may have been injured after their vehicle is hit by a commercial deliver truck or other, larger motor vehicle — the thought of being put on hold during such a critical time is unthinkable in this day and age.

As Maryland injury attorneys, I and my staff understand how many victims of traffic accidents, car-pedestrian collisions and other driving-related wrecks would feel if we turned the calendar back to the days when there was no organized emergency response system. The emergency 911 system has been around in one form or another since the mid-1970s, but with the advent of cell phones over the past couple decades, almost anyone can get access to a 911 operator most anywhere in the country.

But getting through apparently can be an issue, according to a recent editorial in the Baltimore Sun. The author’s message in that article highlights an apparent nightmare experience with Baltimore’s 911 response system following a local car crash between the victim’s small passenger car, a much larger SUV and a minivan; it might just make some people think differently about driving into the city.

According to the article, the victim was driving through northeaster Baltimore on a Saturday afternoon in late July when she became involved in a multi-vehicle wreck. The author explained that she and her vehicle became, in essence, the collateral damage from this collision. Despite the severity of the roadway crash, the author explains that, amazingly, she was physically unhurt when she jumped out of her smashed vehicle and dialed 911 for assistance.

In what the woman describes as an “alternate reality,” her 911 call was answered by a canned voice stating, “Please wait for the next available representative.” Checking to make certain that she had dialed the correct numbers, it appeared right, but still she was put on hold by the 911 system.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Medevac Choppers Help Get Victims of Traffic Accidents to Hospitals Quickly

August 28, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

How often have we all read the words, “Accident victims were evacuated to local hospitals by Medevac helicopter,” yet it’s not often that people give much thought to the life-saving advantages of a medical chopper flight to a not-so-local hospital. While many readers might consider medevac services truly useful only when an individual is injured in car accident that occurs in a remote part of the countryside, such as a state park or other more rural setting, it’s not uncommon to have emergency responders call for a medical evacuation chopper in instances where the best medical care more than a 30-minute ambulance ride from the scene of a severe car or pedestrian traffic accident.

The fact is, medevac helicopters can get a person injured in an auto accident to the right medical facility for treatment of specific or life-threatening injuries. It can be said that in a percentage of accidents, just taking an injured driver or passenger to the closest hospital may not be in that person’s best interest. This is especially clear in cases of traumatic brain injury — also known as closed-head injury — where the nearest local medical facility is poorly equipped for such specific and critical care.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers and Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my staff understand the importance of getting a car, truck or motorcycle accident victim stabilized as quickly as possible to avoid future complications. So many factors come into play following a highway collision that only the medical personnel at the scene can assess each victim and determine the most immediate and effective care.

Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Two Dead in Fatal Early Morning Highway Collision in Cecil County, MD

August 27, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Faulty vehicle equipment is just one of the many causes of fatal and injury-related auto, truck and motorcycle wrecks here in Maryland. While failure of safety equipment and other critical vehicle control systems may only account for a small percentage of traffic fatalities, this is nonetheless a potential for tragic results on our highways and surface streets.

As Baltimore car accident attorneys and Washington, D.C., personal injury lawyers, I and my colleagues read news stories and see television reports of multi-vehicle crashes that take the lives of numerous individuals every year. While it is not a stretch to say that most car, bike and commercial truck accidents are the result of driver error, inattention or downright negligent behavior, roadway collisions can and do happen as a result of defective equipment.

Now, every car crash or 18-wheeler wreck can have tragic results, the mayhem caused by a catastrophic failure of a vehicle control system or safety component can be nearly instantaneous and affect numerous persons in several different cars or truck in the immediate vicinity of the affected vehicle.

If a defective part or multiple components are to blame for causing a driver’s loss of control and precipitating a traffic accident, that is something that police investigators and insurance company claims personnel must determine. The question then comes, was the failed component a result of poor design or manufacturing processes, or did it stop working due to bad maintenance practices or a deliberate act, such as a trucker disconnecting the front brakes to allegedly improve fuel mileage.

Among the list of potentially deadly maintenance issues are excessively worn tires, poorly made tire retreads, improperly secured fifth wheel coupling, and even failure to maintain marker lights and reflective tape. A recent crash along a stretch of Interstate 95 in Cecil County took the lives of two people when a semi tractor-trailer rig went out of control and smashed into a sport utility vehicle.

Baltimore Injury Accident News: Elderly Maryland Resident Dies in Anne Arundel County Two-car Traffic Collision

August 22, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When it comes to surviving a serious car, motorcycle or commercial truck accident, fate does not discriminate between young or old, man or woman, driver or passenger. Depending on the type of accident, injuries can range from minor to severe, or somewhere in between. In the worst of cases, fatal results are not uncommon, especially in so-called “T-bone” collisions or head-on automobile wrecks.

As Maryland car accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues understand how the suddenness of a bad car, truck or motorcycle crash can change a person’s life forever. In the blink of an eye, a perfectly healthy individual can be set on a path of pain, reduced mobility or even permanent disability. And the costs associated with medical treatment and ongoing physical therapy and rehab can be staggering.

Representing residents of Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Rockville and the District, our job is to help victims recover damages caused as a result of another person’s negligence. In cases of fatal car, truck and pedestrian accidents it is not uncommon for the family of the victim to file a wrongful death claim against one or more parties on behalf of their deceased loved one.

And while nothing can bring back a person killed in a senseless and tragic traffic collision, there are instances where justice served can provide a grieving family some level of closure following an unexpected death. Not too long ago, an elderly woman was killed when the vehicle in which she was riding was hit by another motorist who allegedly ran a red light, causing fatal injuries and leaving her husband to face life alone.

Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Driver Runs Red Light, Causes Multi-Car Crash in Bel Air, MD

August 20, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

While it may seem that only innocent people are hurt in automobile crashes, there are many instances when the individual who was found to be at fault is also injured; sometimes severely. Numerous Maryland car, truck and motorcycle crashes are caused every year by drunken or otherwise impaired, distracted or just plain thoughtless drivers, and we are always amazed when we read of situations where the negligent party walks away from a devastating roadway collision with hardly a scratch.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, we have seen the extent of injuries that result from a high-speed car crash or commercial trucking accident. Aside from the usual bumps, bruises, cuts and abrasions, victims of violent car and truck accidents can also suffer traumatic brain injuries and spinal damage due to another driver’s carelessness or outright disregard for the health, safety and well-being of others around him.

Plus, we might add, surviving a bad car accident is just the first step in a long and often costly process for the victims. Medical bills, physical therapy, lost wages and other costs can conspire to put not only financial stress on a family, but also place an emotional strain on the members of that family. If the victim was the primary income earner for his or her family, the effect can be devastating for all concerned. Naturally, a fatal car crash is something no family ever wants to have happen to a loved one.

Maryland Woman Taken to Hospital with Critical Injuries following 3-Car St. Mary’s County Traffic Accident

August 18, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being in the right doesn’t always mean one is safe from danger on the road. The reason we say this is that there are many people out there who may feel that when they have the right-of-way, it’s another person’s problem if they are injured in a Rockville, Frederick or Gaithersburg car crash. The problem with this thinking is that sometimes, a motorist can be “dead right,” which doesn’t help him or his family, not in the least.

As Maryland car and truck accident attorneys and Washington, D.C., personal injury lawyers, it is our job to help victims and their families recover from sometimes devastating passenger car, commercial truck and motorcycle wrecks. And it shouldn’t come as any surprise that people involved who are injured, either seriously or fatally, may have considered themselves completely in the right when it came to proper roadway etiquette.

Unfortunately, as we said, being dead right is not something that most people would aspire to. Life is too precious to rely on a red light or stop sign to protect one against serious bodily injury or death. This is why, as auto and trucking accident lawyers and drivers ourselves, we suggest that every motorist exercise a high degree of caution whenever he or she travels on Maryland roadways.