Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Car Accident News: Harford County Motorist Hits Tree; Two Teenagers Sent to Hospital

July 12, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

These days parents entrust the safety and well-being of their kids to friends and family with the understanding that these people will whatever necessary precautions are required to ensure that the children will the well cared for during trips to and from school and other extracurricular events. Unfortunately, automobile, trucking and motorcycle accidents do happen when least expected.

It can be a parent’s worst nightmare when the phone rings and they hear the news that their child has been taken to the hospital with serious or even life-threatening injuries. And no one is prepared when a police officer walks up to their door to notify a family that their son or daughter has been killed in a traffic wreck.

Here in Baltimore, and in other cities such as Annapolis, Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C., minor children are hurt in roadway collisions more than many people might imagine. While these car, bike and commercial truck collisions are usually caused by another negligent driver, occasionally the person responsible for the accident is the same individual charged with keeping that child safe — friend or relative is found to be at fault for the traffic accident.

As Maryland automobile accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, it is our job to represent the victims of such accidents and to help these individuals, or their families, recover the costs related to such traffic collisions. Sadly, with the cost of medical care rising every day, hospital stays can total tens of thousands of dollars just to start. If the injuries are serious enough — such as damage to internal organ, spinal cord injury or closed-head trauma — the costs associated with treatment can sometimes skyrocket.

If a car crash has hurt a family’s breadwinner, the additional hit due to lost wages can be a severe strain on the household budget, which makes day-to-day living difficult, exclusive of the father or mother’s medical bills. When a child is harmed due to the negligent actions of another person, the family may be able to file a personal injury suit on the minor’s behalf.

And, as difficult as it can be to imagine such as scenario, a child who dies tragically because of the careless actions of another individual is also entitled to be compensated for his or her pain and suffering, as are the child’s parents or legal guardians.

Maryland Pedestrian Injury Accident News: Police Officer among People Injured in Anne Arundel Car Crash

July 8, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s time again to remind drivers in Annapolis, Rockville, Baltimore and the District to be alert when approaching police patrol cars and other emergency vehicles stopped on the roadside; this is because injury accidents do happen to law enforcement officers and emergency personnel while doing their jobs on Maryland’s highways and surface streets.

While this may seem like an obvious warning, believe us when we say highway and urban automobile and commercial truck crashes happen with alarming frequency, even to patrolmen, firefighters and EMS personnel while helping others on public roads.

As Maryland personal injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys, we represent all manner of individuals hurt in traffic accidents while driving in their cars, SUVs and motorcycles. Now that the summer is in full swing, more and more people are enjoying outings with family and friends, all the while not realizing that a serious accident could be just around the next bend.

High-speed car, truck or motorcycle crashes can injure or kill drivers and passengers inside a motor vehicle, as well as bystanders and other individuals near the crash site. Highway patrol officers are one of the groups at higher risk for injury due to a traffic accident. Once an officer is outside his or her police cruiser, they are as vulnerable as any pedestrian to an impact from a passenger car or semi tractor-trailer rig.

Of course, law enforcement officers are also trained to manage this added risk and they know to be aware of their surroundings so that they might avoid becoming a statistic. Not long ago, an officer from the Anne Arundel County police department was critically injured when another vehicle struck the patrolmen’s unmarked police SUV.

The crash occurred during a routine traffic stop on a Friday night a little after 11pm in Glen Burnie, MD; The incident took place along a stretch of Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. not far from Castle Harbour Way.

According to news reports, an older GMC pickup being operated by 32-year-old Steven Parsons from Millersville, struck the back end of the police car as the officer was conducting the traffic stop. And while the police vehicle was reportedly unmarked and only partially on the shoulder of the roadway, it did have its emergency lights activated, according to police reports.

No Drunken Driving Charges for Annapolis Motorist in Fatal New Years Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident

July 5, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Charges of drunken driving were apparently not pressed against an Anne Arundel driver who allegedly caused a fatal pedestrian-car crash in the Annapolis area on New Year’s Day, 2010. According to police reports, the driver left the scene and when he turned himself in he refused a breathalyzer test to check for blood-alcohol content (BAC). Because of that fact, police could not substantiate the man’s alleged drunkenness at the time of the traffic accident.

As Maryland injury attorneys, I and my colleagues understand the anguish that a family feels for the death of a relative at the hands of a negligent driver. Any fatal car accident is tragic, not simply because that crash may have been avoided, but also because of the great distress to the victim’s family that such an event can cause. Wrongful death suits can be one avenue for a victim’s relatives to recover damages, including those for pain and suffering that the victim may have experienced prior to his or her death.

In the case of that fatal hit-and-run accident, the Anne Arundel prosecutor’s office decided to drop the charge of drunk driving against 22-year-old Thomas Judge following the collision that killed a 40-year-old Maryland resident, Alfred Byrd as he traversed Bay Ridge Road in the early morning hours of January 1, 2010.

The defense argued that Judge was not drunk at the time of the fatal crash and that the victim himself had contributed to his own death by wearing dark clothing and apparently having used some amount of cocaine prior to the accident as he staggered across the road, according to court records. The prosecution alleged that Judge and some friends drank boilermakers during a New Year’s Eve party before going downtown around 10pm to continue celebrating at several bars along West and Main streets.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Woman Escapes Serious Injury following Multi-vehicle Traffic Wreck on Beltway

June 30, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

According to reports, Montgomery County emergency rescue crews arrived on the scene along with other responders to assist victims of a multiple-vehicle traffic accident along a stretch of the Capital Beltway recently. The accident occurred just before 2pm in the afternoon and included a commercial delivery truck, a semi tractor-trailer rig and several passenger cars.

As Baltimore car accident attorneys and Washington, D.C., personal injury lawyers, we know that these kinds of highway collisions happen every week in Maryland and around the country. The results of a car-truck wreck can range from minor to life-threatening, with injuries including simple bumps, bruises and cuts to serious neck and spinal cord damage. Sadly, many victims families receive a call from local police that a loved one has been critically injured and may not recover.

In all of these accidents, one common element is usually linked to the incident; that of a negligent party. This may be another driver, whose questionable actions may have triggered a series of events that led to the roadway collision; or, the cause can sometimes be traced to a defective component on a car or truck, such as a poorly designed steering or braking system part.

Even a car’s tire, something every driver relies upon for safe travel day in and day out, can have a manufacturing flaw that ultimately leads to a catastrophic blow-out and possible loss of vehicle control, especially at highway speeds. Whatever the reason, when it comes to defective vehicle equipment there is potential for third-party negligence and a possible lawsuit against the responsible individual or entity.

Maryland Personal Injury Update: Following Painful Traffic Accidents, Insurance Companies can Increase the Discomfort

June 28, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a fair bet that more than one motorist in Annapolis, Gaithersburg, Washington, D.C., or Rockville has been dismayed to find that his or her health insurance company has demanded to be repaid for the costs that their insured toted up as a result of an automobile, motorcycle or trucking accident injury accident.

Most people who haven’t been involved in a car crash or filed a traffic-related personal injury claim would find it more than surprising that an injured party could be asked to essentially reimburse their insurance company for various medical costs incurred following an personal injury.

Certainly a party that was not at fault and has been hurt, possibly seriously, should not have to pay back costs to an insurer for a legitimate claim. As the argument goes, healthcare insurers don’t ask to be paid back for costs associated with medical treatment or other necessary physical rehabilitation, so why now?

When people hear that their health insurance company wants a refund after paying months or years of timely healthcare premiums, we as Maryland personal injury lawyers understand how this could raise more than a few eyebrows. The simple counter to this seemingly unscrupulous request from one’s own insurer is that eventually the client himself will be reimbursed for all of his or her medical costs through the auto insurance company that represents the other negligent party.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Maryland Man Allegedly Driving Drunk Goes Wrong Way, Hits Second Vehicle

June 26, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It seems that we cannot get away from the latest spate of drunken driving-related traffic accidents. While it is a forgone conclusion that driving while impaired by alcohol, prescription medication or illicit drugs can get a person arrested and charged with DWI or DUI, a percentage of passenger car drivers, commercial truckers and even motorcycle riders will kill someone or be killed themselves for their indiscretion.

Operating a motor vehicle, in the eyes of the law is not a right, but a privilege that we as motorists are granted by means of state licensing. We can only continue to exercise our driving privileges by showing competency on state licensing exams and by obeying Maryland’s traffic laws. Two many violations or other charges — such as drunken driving convictions or car accidents — and a person risks losing their driver’s license; in some cases this is blessing, especially in the case of people who demonstrate that they don’t know enough to stay off the road when inebriated.

As Maryland automobile accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we have seen far too many victims of drinking and driving to be in any way understanding to those who chose to drive drunk and then injure, maim or kill another innocent person. Anyone who reads the news on a regular basis will likely agree that, on the face of it, drunk drivers who cause accidents seem to walk away with nary a scratch, while their victims are rarely as lucky.

Being caught for driving under the influence is one way that a bad driver may be taken off the road, if only for a short period of time. Others, who may cause serious injury to one or more people, may be held to account for their actions. In the end, the cost of being permanently disabled by a drunk driver is likely far worse than most any punishment that the law can inflict back on a negligent motorist.

Rockville Man Gets 20 Years for Deaths of Two Pedestrians in Fatal Drunken Driving Crash

June 24, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve said it before, but once again it bears repeating; causing a traffic death while driving under the influence here in Maryland or the District of Columbia is simply unforgivable and no amount of excuses or apologies can make things right again. If you don’t believe this, consider the recent sentence levied against a 25-year-old driver from Rockville, MD, who will be spending the prime of his life behind bars for the untimely drunk driving deaths of two innocent people.

As Baltimore auto, trucking and motorcycle accident attorneys providing personal injury representation to Maryland residents, there is no redeeming characteristic that trumps a fatal DWI, DUI or drug-related traffic accident that leaves another person dead or maimed for life. The seemingly harmless act of becoming drunk, turns into a jailable offense when an individual gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and essentially turns it into a deadly and random weapon.

Such was the case of Alejandro Roman, who was recently sentenced to two consecutive 10-year jail terms by a Montgomery County judge in the vehicular homicide deaths of two Maryland men. Some may argue that the defendant should have received a harsher sentence, however under Maryland law 10 years in prison is the longest sentence allowed for this kind of crime. Even so, others tend to believe that 20 years is rather strict. We’ll let history be the judge.

According to police reports, Roman was driving his Acura at nearly two times that posted speed limit last October when he struck the two pedestrians along a stretch of Rockville Pike in White Flint, MD. Police stated that the man was legally drunk at the time of the accident and that his vehicle was estimated to be traveling at 76mph in a 40mph zone.

A former sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, Roman reportedly said that he was deeply sorry for the deaths of the two individuals. According to court records, the defendant pled guilty to both counts of vehicular manslaughter last March. Based on news reports, police apparently held Roman in custody, but following an interview the man was not initially charged with any crime.

Maryland Auto Injury News: School Bus Crash in Queen Anne’s County Injures 17 Children and Adults

June 22, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In the realm of roadway crashes, school bus accidents can be one of the most harrowing in the minds of mothers and fathers everywhere. There are few things that alarm most any parent than the possibility of injury-related or fatal traffic accident that involves young children and other minors. This is especially true because most adults assume that school and church buses are driven by people who we hope take the safety of our kids as seriously as the parents.

As Maryland personal injury and auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues know how scary it must be for a parent to hear that a son’s or daughter’s school bus may have been involved in an automobile or commercial trucking-related collision. There isn’t any parent who wouldn’t switch places with a child who has been critically injured in a traffic incident.

Yet, with all our hopes for safe transportation of school children, busing-related crashes do occur and will likely continue to be possible outcome for any child that lives far enough away from school. In large cities, such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., kids will sometimes take public transport in the form of city buses and subways. Even these modes of transportation are not without risk to riders of every age.

According to a recent news article, more than a dozen passengers were taken to the hospital following a charter bus accident in Queen Anne’s County on a Thursday morning. We’ll say right off the bat that thankfully nobody died in this particular road accident, however there were a number of injuries sustained by youngsters and adults alike.

Based on police reports, the accident happened along a stretch of Rte 213 near White Marsh Rd. in Centerville, MD; the southbound bus, one of two chartered vehicles taking students from the Kent County school district to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in D.C.

The vehicle involved in the crash was carrying 35 people at the time and apparently overturned when the 86-year-old man who was driving the bus steered the vehicle quickly in an effort to avoid a collision with another motor vehicle entering the road. That action reportedly caused the bus to go off the roadway and hit a utility pole, which in turn caused the vehicle to roll onto its side.

Maryland Pedestrian Injury News: Young Boy Hit by Car Outside McDonald’s Restaurant in Baltimore County

June 18, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Having represented many individuals injured, hurt or permanently disabled in automobile accidents here in Maryland, we can say that the youngest of these victims, children and toddlers, are many times the most at risk in traffic-related accidents. Being small of stature and difficult to see in the first place, youngsters can be hit by cars while walking to school, riding bikes with friends or just playing near the street.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we know that drivers need to take extra precautions when traveling through neighborhoods and when approaching schools and establishments that attract kids, such as ice cream stands and fast food restaurants. Although adults are just as much at risk of serious injury, juveniles can easily be killed or critically injured by cars, SUVs, minivans and commercial vehicles.

Being hit by a car or truck will almost certainly result in an emergency trip to the hospital, with injuries to the child ranging from lacerations and heavy bruising to head trauma and neck and spinal cord damage. In the saddest of cases, a child can end up losing one or more limbs, being bed ridden for months or years, or even being killed as a result of a thoughtless or negligent act on a driver’s part.

Not long ago, the young son of a Baltimore County family was hit by a passing vehicle right outside of a McDonald’s restaurant off of Reisterstown Rd. According to news reports, the 10-year-old was hit by a station wagon just before 6pm. Fortunately for the boy and his parents, news articles indicate that the youth’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Baltimore County Police reported that the boy was alert when emergency responders arrived at the scene. Witnesses saw the boy standing in one of the northbound lanes out in front of the fast food chain store. The driver of one vehicle was able to stop in time however the youngster was subsequently struck by a Volvo wagon. The force of the pedestrian-car accident caused the child to be thrown into the air, knocking off one of the boy’s shoes in the process.

Baltimore Automobile and Trucking Accident News: Maryland State Trooper Dies in Collision with Semi Rig

June 16, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Even experienced drivers and other professionals who operate motor vehicles for a living can be caught in a serious or fatal car, truck or motorcycle crash. As Baltimore auto accident lawyers and D.C. personal injury attorneys, we represent numerous individuals who have been hurt in traffic collisions between passenger cars, SUVs and other larger vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, commercial delivery trucks and gasoline tanker trucks.

Not long ago, one of our Maryland State Police troopers was killed in the line of duty when his patrol car slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer rig parked on the shoulder of Interstate 95 a little bit south of the Laurel rest stop. The accident occurred in the early morning hours on a Saturday as Trooper First Class Shaft Hunter was heading southbound apparently pursuing a motorcyclist who may have been speeding along the interstate.

A witness reportedly saw the biker pass by at a high rate of speed sometime before 2:30am with the trooper not far behind. No details were given at the time of the news article, but for some reason Hunter’s patrol car struck the parked semi just south of Rte 32.