Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Baltimore Injury News: James Madison Student Implicated in Maryland Traffic Accident that Killed 3 People

June 8, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Whenever we ride with others in a motor vehicle we place great faith in the abilities and judgment of the driver. For most of us, we cannot imagine that a close friend, business acquaintance or family member would ever put our life in jeopardy, much less his or her own. And yet every day across this country individuals are killed or maimed by the negligence of someone they know and trust.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know that the seemingly inconsequential decision to get into a passenger car or climb onto the back of a motorcycle with a friend or relative can sometimes turn out to be a life-changing event. These kinds of road accidents can result in injuries ranging from minor cuts, bruises and abrasions, to more serious broken legs and arms, neck injuries and life-threatening closed-head trauma.

Not long ago, three people died in a single-car accident along a stretch of road in Olney when a James Madison University student somehow lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree. According to news reports, Kevin Coffay was arrested by police following the crash and charged on four felony counts.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Maryland Driver Sentenced to 3 Years for Fatal DUI Pedestrian Crash

June 5, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It seems that almost daily we hear of another drunk driving traffic here in Maryland. Sadly many of those DUI auto and trucking wrecks result in fatalities, most of which could likely have been avoided if the responsible party had taken the time to adhere to simple and worthwhile state laws regarding drinking and driving. Alas, few of these drivers do consider the safety and well-being of others, much less themselves.

It’s no surprise that traffic deaths involving alcohol intoxication or impairment due to prescription drugs is a serious concern at police departments all over the country. As Maryland auto accident lawyers and Washington, D.C., personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues try to help individuals injured by the negligent acts of others. For those people who are killed as a result of a car, truck or motorcycle collision, we work to represent the victim’s family’s in cases such as wrongful death.

Sad as it is, spouses and children of these victims must still carry on in the absence of the deceased loved one, which can be a strain when household finances are stretched to their limit due to huge medical bills combined with lost wages.

Baltimore Personal Injury News: Six Hurt in Montgomery County Car-School Bus Accident on I-270

June 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

We’ve said it here before, but it bears repeating; When it comes to riding on public transportation — be it a city bus or your child’s school bus — there is always potential for personal injury due to a traffic accident. Being hurt while traveling by bus, train or plane is always possible, but it’s not unusual for most people to assume that public transport is safe.

As commuters, our belief that bus and train operators are trained professionals who go about their duties with their passengers’ safety and well being foremost in mind. As Maryland auto accident lawyers and Washington, D.C., personal injury attorneys, we understand how parents expect that their children will be safe and sound when riding local school buses. Sadly, this is not always the case.

In this not-so-perfect world, car, bus and motorcycle collisions do occur; and with disturbing frequency, especially in congested urban areas such as Baltimore, Annapolis and the District. When riding public transport, we as passengers put our faith in those running bus lines, railroads and airlines. When it comes to school-age kids, we also know that safety is a concern of most every parent.

Baltimore Pedestrian Accident News: Hit-and-Run Driver Injures 2 Johns Hopkins Students

May 31, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Need we say it again? Pedestrians are no match for a two-ton motor vehicle. And, if bicyclists and persons are at a disadvantage when confronting a passenger car, one can only imagine the potentially serious consequences of being struck by a commercial delivery truck, city bus or semi tractor-trailer rig. In fact, these kinds of traffic accidents can result in life-altering injuries for some people.

As a Maryland personal injury and traffic accident lawyer, I understand the challenges that victims of automobile, truck and motorcycle crashes face when trying to recover from injuries such as broken bones, damaged internal organs, spinal cord and traumatic head injuries. Although many victims of car, truck and motorcycle collisions avoid serious medical complications, they can still end up spending days in the hospital recovering from cuts, lacerations and bruises.

A recent news article reminded us of the serious pedestrian accident that occurred earlier this year in the Baltimore area. In that crash, a 20-year-old student on a bicycle was hit by a passenger car driven by an elderly motorist. Although that young person’s life has been changed forever, and he may never recover according to news reports, the 83-year-old driver was only charged with negligent driving and failure to yield right of way.

Baltimore Traffic Accident News: Experts Look for Reduced Travel, Fewer Crashes Memorial Day Weekend

May 30, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

More than 700,000 Maryland residents are expected to be venturing out this weekend, but this number is a reduction from previous years according to the experts at the American Automobile Association (AAA). With gasoline prices higher than last year this time, the AAA believes that more people are spending their holiday at nearby attractions rather than traveling far afield.

As Maryland personal injury attorneys, I and my colleagues hope that the reduced number of Marylanders on the roadways may help to decrease the potential car, truck and motorcycle wrecks that normally occur at this time of the year. As this weekend is the annual kickoff to the summer season, more and more families are hoping to enjoy the warmer weather. Unfortunately, this swell of summertime driving can also mean extra traffic collisions, injures and more than a few automobile and trucking-related deaths.

Based on news reports, AAA Mid-Atlantic estimates that the number of cars, minivans and SUVs on the road this summer will only be down by less than one percent from the year before, despite the higher level of gasoline prices across the country.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Maryland Driver Faces 3 Years for Fatal Sharpsburg Car Crash

May 29, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a terrible shame that so many innocent people are killed or injured every year by drivers who have previously been convicted of drunken driving, sometimes for multiple offenses. As Maryland personal injury attorneys and automobile accident lawyers, I and my colleagues have represented victims of serious traffic wrecks, as well as their families, to help these individuals recover damages due to another driver’s negligence.

Even though courts here in Maryland and in Washington, D.C., convict drivers that have been arrested for driving under the influence, many of these same people go on to drive drunk again and in the process kill or maim others with little concern for themselves or the victims they create by their reckless acts. Not long ago, a Hagerstown driver pled guilty on two counts of causing life-threatening injuries while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Based on news reports, 26-year-old Cory Kuczynski was tried for injuring Joseph and Lauran Dwyer in a three-car Washington County traffic collision one year ago. The defendant was not charged with the death of a third individual, Danielle Paikin, because prosecutors did not believe they could easily prove that the man was responsible for the woman’s death.

According to court records, Kuczynski, who also failed to stop immediately following the crash, admitted to police that he had been driving while intoxicated. Washington County Circuit Court to driving under the influence and failing to stop immediately at the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury in a 2010 fatal crash near Sharpsburg.

Based on news articles, the accident occurred just after 1am on May 6, 2010 when a sedan driven by another person crossed over the centerline and collided almost head-on with a 1993 Buick being driven by Lauran Dwyer. Just following the initial crash, Kuczynski’s Nissan, which was traveling northbound, hit the Buick on the passenger side.

The force of that crash pushed Dwyer’s car almost 30 feet back, pinning Joseph Dwyer underneath the vehicle and causing him serious torso, leg and head injuries. Paikin, the front-seat passenger, was trapped inside the Buick and later died from her injuries.

Maryland Traffic Injury News: Car Hits City Bus in Baltimore County; 12 Passengers Hurt in Crash

May 28, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When it comes to road accidents, many people might think that a school bus, metropolitan commuter bus, or charter van would be rather safe when compared to a smaller private motor vehicle, such as a sedan, minivan or SUV; however, this is not necessarily the case. Recent commercial transport bus accidents have made the newspapers over the past year, illustrating how serious a charter bus wreck can be.

Passengers can receive a range of injuries when a city or overland bus crashes into a stationary object, such as a bridge abutment, traffic sign stanchion, or stalled semi tractor-trailer rig. From bumps and bruises to closed head injuries, these traffic accidents can result in long-term disability and sometimes death. As Maryland auto accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers, I and my staff understand how a seemingly simple crash can turn into a medical emergency for more than one occupant riding on a commercial motor coach.

Not long ago, an Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) bus was involved in a traffic accident along a stretch of Philadelphia Road in Baltimore Co. The ensuing collision sent a dozen of the bus’ occupants to the hospital with mostly minor injuries. The interesting aspect of this particular wreck is the vehicle that hit the city bus, a Kia passenger vehicle, was many times smaller than the commuter vehicle. Had that vehicle been a larger delivery truck or commercial big rig truck, the outcome may have been much more serious.

Maryland Personal Injury News: AAA Joins Victims’ Families in Pushing for Stricter Vehicular Homicide Legislation

May 24, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Traffic accidents that take innocent lives are some of the most regrettable events anyone has to face. Recently, the Maryland legislature assed House Bill 363 that essential says drivers who are found guilty of being grossly negligent in fatal car crashes will be facing a new prison term option from courts across the state.

According to news reports, the general assembly approved the bill that calls for “grossly negligent” drivers who are determined to have caused a fatal traffic accident will be looking at mandatory jail time. Previously, even reckless drivers’ actions were found to have resulted in a deadly automobile or motorcycle crash were not always help to account for another person’s death.

Under Maryland’s current statutes, a motorist could be facing jail following a fatal car-bike crash, but only if it can be proven that the defendant was grossly negligent. Many experts have suggested that some of the state’s prosecuting attorneys feel gross negligence is an extremely high standard to reach in court. The approach, according to earlier reports, was to get lower the standard to something closer to “substantial deviation from the standard of care.”

Naturally, demonstrating “substantial negligence” is typically more difficult than “ordinary negligence,” however it is easier than meeting the standard for “gross negligence.” It has been suggested that the standard of substantial negligence would apply to more instances of, say, vehicular homicides in which the defendant was found to be going twice the speed limit on a winding country road, or passing a slower vehicle on a blind curve.

Nevertheless, the new jail-time penalties likely to be used by state and local prosecutors’ offices may begin to make a dent in what seems to have become the painful and all too common occurrence of deadly car-bicycle accidents. The goal, as suggested by many observers, is to thwart the sometimes reckless behavior of motorists and even to reduce or eliminate fatal biking accidents, not unlike the way that DWI and DUI laws have helped to reduce the number alcohol-related traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities.

As Maryland auto and motorcycle accident attorneys and Washington, D.C., injury lawyers, my office has seen the results of road accidents involving passenger cars, commercial trucks and bicycle riders enough to know that new laws designed to protect cyclists and pedestrians are a step in the right direction.

Maryland Children in Danger of Injury as More Drivers Reportedly Ignore School Bus Traffic signals

May 22, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

To most conscientious drivers in cities like Washington, D.C., Annapolis, Gaithersburg and Rockville, a school bus with its flashers on or stop signal extended is reason enough to stop and yield to the young children carried around our state on a daily basis. But surprising as it may seem, many motorists do not place the same importance on these standard safety devices, even though the welfare of our children traveling to and from school should be an imperative.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and Maryland personal injury lawyers, we know how badly a child can be hurt during a violent car or truck collision. As passengers, children can be injured or killed in motor vehicle wrecks, but as pedestrians young people have an even greater chance of being seriously injured, or even die from their injuries. One of the most dangerous times for kids, regarding highway and urban car-pedestrians collisions, is when children are walking to and from school.

Almost as dangerous is when kids are getting on and off a school bus. Although drivers are taught to obey school bus warning lights and be vigilant for students crossing the street at a bus stop, there still are accidents, many of them deadly or life-altering. Not long ago we ran across and article that suggests our school-age children are not as safe as every parent hopes.

According to the news item, many automobile drivers either miss or outright ignore the extended “stop” sign on Maryland school buses. In fact, a survey conducted in Anne Arundel County showed that cars, pickups and minivans did not stop for the extended “Stop” arm on a local school bus a total of 845 in one day.

According to the news article, the Maryland State Department of Education sponsored a statewide survey to collect information on the number of drivers who violated the stop arms of school buses. In just one day, based on responses from bus drivers, more than 7,000 violations occurred in Anne Arundel County alone. It’s no secret that when a school bus stops to pick up or drop off youngsters the bus driver activates the vehicle’s red flashing lights and then swings the “Stop” sign out to alert drivers to come to a complete stop.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Darlington, MD, Man Gets 10 Years in Jail for Fatal Harford County Car Crash

May 19, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Nothing can make up for the loss of a loved one who has been killed in a traffic accident. We say that because as Maryland personal injury lawyers, we understand how the death of a family member can leave a gaping hole in the lives of the victim’s parents, siblings, children, and of course a widowed spouse. Whatever the circumstances, car crash, trucking accident, or motorcycle wreck, a fatal traffic collision that could have been prevented is a tragedy for everyone involved.

Sadly, once a person has died in a truck or car wreck, there is nothing that can bring that individual back. However, the family that loses a father or mother, must pick up the pieces and try to continue in the absence of that person, hard as it may be. Depending on the situation, medical expenses, lost wages and other collateral costs can put a family in dire financial straits. If the victim was the sole breadwinner, this can be particularly difficult.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers, our job is to help victims’ families recover the costs associated with the loss of a family member, which can include money awards for actual expenses and lost wages, as well as for pain and suffering. As hard as it may be for the wife or husband, understanding the last moments of the victim’s life is important to determining the amount of any monetary award to the surviving family members.

Not long ago a motorist from Darlington, MD, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for his role in a fatal Harford County traffic accident that claimed the lives of three people back in 2009. According to news reports, 32-year-old Travis Gray was found guilty of drunken driving

The multi-vehicle collision occurred two years ago on November 14, 2009, when the Ford pickup Gray was driving crossed the double yellow center line on a stretch of Rte 543 in northern Harford. Police reports indicated that Gray was driving northbound just before 5am when the accident happened. As it entered the southbound lane, the F250 struck another truck carrying several occupants just south of Prospect Rd.

Three of the other vehicle’s passengers — 48-year-old James Bielanski, 47-year-old Pamela Bielanski, and 35-year-old Robert Arbogast — died in as a result. Gray survived the accident and reportedly told police that he had consumed three or four beers at an establishment that was later determined to be the Old School Tavern on Rte 1 in Dublin, MD.