Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Man Struck and Killed on I-695 in Rosedale, MD, in Fatal Pedestrian Accident

July 27, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Being a Maryland personal injury lawyer and automobile accident attorney practicing in the Baltimore area, my firm has the experience and skill to represent individuals hurt as a result of another driver’s negligence. We also help families of victims killed in motorcycle crashes, passenger car wrecks, or commercial truck accidents. It goes without saying that fatal pedestrian accidents can be quite disturbing for the victims’ families.

While there are many factors to consider in every automobile accident case, it is important to remember that as drivers, we all have a responsibility to be observant when it comes to watching out for pedestrians. Certainly, when a person uses a designated crosswalk, there is a relative expectation of safety for the individuals crossing the roadway. Pedestrian accidents can and do happen with sometimes tragic results.

But every case is different, which is why we rely on police reports, eye witness testimony and other knowledgeable sources. A recent traffic accident shows what can happen under all the wrong circumstances. According to news reports, a 41-year-old Rosedale, MD, resident was unexpectedly killed along Interstate 695 when he was struck by a passing vehicle.

Man Gets 12 Years for Fatal Drunk Driving Traffic Accident that Killed Retired Maryland Couple

July 23, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

When it comes to automobile, truck and motorcycle accidents, negligence comes in many different forms. Whether a minor fender-bender or a full-blown fatal traffic collision, the responsible party should be held accountable for his or her actions. For those individuals who have caused the death of another person, no excuse should be acceptable; not to the family of the victims, nor to local law enforcement.

Drunk driving is certainly one of the more common causes of car crashes in the Baltimore area and elsewhere across our state. It’s a shame that so many people die every year due to abuse of alcohol. As Maryland car accident attorneys, I and my colleagues consider the pain and suffering of the families of victims, not to mention the costs and lost income caused by a bad automobile wreck.

A sad story caught our attention the other day involving a retired Maryland couple who died in a pointless out-of-state car crash. According to the news article, 56-year-old Thomas Cypress was charged with DUI manslaughter for the February 2009 crash that claimed the lives of Robert and Paulette Kirkpatrick. Following his trial in a Miami-Dade courtroom, Cypress was sentenced to 12 years in prison — a negotiated deal that spared the man a possible maximum 30-year sentence.

Three Maryland Residents Injured as Honda SUV Crashes into Restaurant in Prince George’s County

July 20, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Apparently one needn’t be driving, riding in or even remotely thinking about operating a motor vehicle to be involved in a traffic accident. As a Baltimore automobile accident and injury lawyer, I have heard about some rather interesting car collisions in my time. From single-car wrecks and auto-pedestrian collisions to multiple-vehicle crashes and commercial trucking accidents, Maryland residents are hurt or killed on a surprisingly regular basis on and near our public roadways.

In what could be described as an automobile-restaurant collision, three individuals where hurt and a commercial eatery put temporarily out of business when a motorist apparently lost control of her sport utility vehicle in the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center parking lot and drove straight into the front of a local Vietnamese restaurant in Beltsville, MD.

News reports indicated that a number of customers and restaurant staff were inside the PHO 88 restaurant around half past noon when woman drove her Honda Pilot through the brick and glass storefront of the eatery. According to police reports, three male patrons, reportedly in their 30s, received minor injuries in the crash. The two ladies in the Honda were not injured, according to authorities.

Maryland Injury News: Distracted Driving Blamed for Increasing Number of Fatal Teenage Automobile Accidents

July 17, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As parents will no doubt attest, teenagers can be easily distracted by a wide range of external stimuli. While this may be amusing to some, and a frustration to their parents and teachers, it is serious business once these kids start to driver motor vehicles. Driver’s education can only go so far to warn these future drivers to be aware of potential and deadly distractions on the road. But apparently much more needs to be done, as recently released government data suggests.

As a Maryland and D.C. auto accident attorney, I understand the myriad of ways that a driver can become distracted on the road, the result of which is many times a traffic accident. New and inexperienced drivers can be especially susceptible to having their concentration diverted. In some cases, and more often than any parent of a teenage driver would like to think about, fatalities can result. In short, distracted driving may be killing more American teenagers than ever before.

According to U.S. Government data, more than 4,000 teenagers lose their lives in traffic accidents that are caused predominantly by “distracted driving.” This includes distractions from having too many noisy occupants in the vehicle to talking on a cellphone while operating a passenger car. However, a new bill recently introduced by Congress may help in reducing this terrible trend.

Maryland Police: Fatal Injury Accident on I-83 Caused by 22-year-old Drunken Driver

July 14, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

An alleged illegal immigrant has been charged with negligent driving in connection with a fatal traffic accident on I-83 last month. The single-vehicle crash, which reportedly involved speeding and alcohol use, happened in the early morning hours of June 21. The passenger in that car was killed as a result of the wreck.

As a Baltimore personal injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, my staff has represented victims of car, SUV and truck accidents as well as their families and estates. A fatal car or truck accident leaves a huge hole in the victim’s family, both emotionally and financially. Especially in cases where the victim was the sole breadwinner, his spouse and children can be overwhelmed by the medical costs and loss of income.

Insurance companies may not be very cooperative or take a long time to pay any benefits, leaving the family to cover the mounting expenses at the risk of losing their home and other possessions during what is likely the worst time of their lives.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Woman Still Recovering after Baltimore Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Collision

July 11, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Getting over a serious traffic accident is no easy feat, and as a Maryland auto accident lawyer and personal injury attorney I know first-hand what people go through to recover from a car, truck or motorcycle crash. Being hit while in the relatively protected shell of a motor vehicle is usually much more preferable to being hit while on foot.

The human body is a wonder of biology and natural engineering, but our bodies where never meant to withstand the impact force of a 3,000-pound car, SUV or minivan traveling even as slow as 25 miles per hour. The injuries sustained by a person when confronted with a colliding vehicle can vary from amazingly slight to life-threateningly deadly. Broken bones, lacerations and traumatic head injuries number just a few of the resulting conditions after a car or truck crash.

Earlier this year a Baltimore woman was hit by a car while just outside of her own vehicle. According to a recent news article, that April 2 hit-and-run accident left 40-year-old Miki Scholtes with no income and hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, since she did not have health insurance at the time of the crash. Three months later, she is still recovering, bound to a wheelchair with only the hope of walking again, while the driver of the car that injured her has yet to be located.

Dorchester County Man Arrested for Drunken Driving-related Injury Accident on Maryland’s Route 50

July 9, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Automobile injury accidents can be severe and cause tens of thousands of dollars in medical and related costs. It’s bad enough to be saddled with these costs without having them be caused by another driver’s negligence. As Maryland auto injury attorneys, my firm helps people who have suffered injuries from cuts and bruises to closed head injuries and spinal damage.

A recent news story showed what can happen when someone fails to consider the safety and wellbeing of others as a result of their own mistake. According to reports, six people were sent to the hospital following a car crash with a man running from the police in the early morning hours of July 4th. The chase began when a Maryland State Police trooper, already at the scene of a previous accident on Route 33, observed an oncoming being driven erratically.

The officer was sitting in his vehicle when he noticed the approaching vehicle obviously weaving and crossing the roadway centerline. Pulling away from the scene of the first collision, the trooper followed and then pulled over a Ford Explorer. While interviewing the SUV’s driver, the patrolman recognized the smell of alcohol on the driver’s breath. When the officer requested the man to exit his vehicle, the driver instead drove quickly away, nearly hitting the policeman in the process.

The 19-year-old driver, later identified as Armand J. Cornish, led the patrolman on a chase from Route 33 onto the Easton bypass and then onto Route 50 eastbound. Additional traffic enforcement patrols from the Easton Police Department and Talbot County Sheriff’s Office were called to assist in the pursuit.

News accounts indicate that the chase continued along Route 50 at speeds exceeding 100 mph, during which police reportedly saw beer cans being thrown from the fleeing vehicle. Officers attempted to stop the suspect using stop sticks on the eastern side of the bridge in Cambridge. The man’s Explorer rolled over the stop sticks and seconds later hit the back end of an eastbound Mustang. Cornish then apparently lost control of his sport utility vehicle, which traveled across the median and then across the westbound lanes of Route 50. It came to rest on an adjacent pedestrian sidewalk.

Owings Mills Driver Charged with Drunk Driving, Vehicular Assault after DWI Pedestrian Collision

July 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A Maryland resident was arrested by police following an out-of-state traffic accident that left a local man severely injured in an allegedly alcohol-related auto-pedestrian accident. According to a news article, local police took 38-year-old Pamela Currie into custody after an early morning pedestrian accident that apparently resulted in serious injury to a man was only crossing the street.

As a Maryland injury lawyer, I and my colleagues hear of these types of traffic collisions numerous times each month. In this case, the accident appears to involve alcohol, which indicates that the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. Local police said that the crash happened at about 1:00 in the morning on a Thursday in front of a city hall.

While this was thankfully not a fatal traffic accident, the victim was nonetheless left with multiple injuries and will need time to recover. Based on news accounts, an eye witness said that the 46-year-old man was thrown about seven feet onto the pavement. He reportedly landed on his left side, with one of his shoes being found another 15 feet from where he landed. Police accident investigators reportedly found skid marks at the scene that indicated the driver was probably speeding at the time of the impact.

Maryland State Police Step Up Traffic Enforcement at Dangerous Fredrick County Intersection on U.S. 15

June 30, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The phrase, “It takes two to tango,” may seem a bit flippant when referring to something as serious as traffic accidents, automobile crashes and fatal car and truck collisions, but the point to be made here — at least when driving your loved ones around — is always use your head because someone else might not be using theirs. As Maryland car accident attorneys, we make this statement with more than a little experience in representing victims of severe and sometimes fatal traffic accidents; passengers and drivers alike.

Anyone who has taken the wheel of a motor vehicle — car, SUV, minivan, pickup truck — knows that accidents can be lurking almost anywhere. One of the most important things a driver can do to avoid a serious auto wreck is to take the extra time to be sure traffic is clear when crossing an intersection or making a turn onto a busy, high-speed roadway.

Most driver education courses attempt to hammer this point home with students, but over time some drivers tend to forget those early lessons and in doing so may even create their own rules of the road. According to a recent article, police have increased traffic patrols along a stretch of U.S.15 at Hayward Road due to potentially dangerous traffic conditions. Apparently the high incidence of car and truck collisions in that area of Fredrick County has necessitated the added enforcement.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Distracted Driving Blamed in Baltimore Woman’s Death following Fatal Howard County Crash

June 26, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If anyone needs an example of how distracted driving can result in senseless automobile accident injuries or traffic fatalities, look no further than the pages of your local newspaper. It seems that every day we read about one person or another hurt or killed by the negligence of another driver. As Maryland car accident attorneys, I and my staff recognize the need for better driver education and improved driving safety training.

Smart phones, iPods, vehicle navigation systems, even the lowly car radio; each of these devices and countless other distractions all conspire in their own way to take motorists’ attention from the primary task at hand… driving down the road in a careful and thoughtful manner. This is not just empty rhetoric; newspaper articles and television news anchors constantly describe terrible accidents that maim or kill dozens of Maryland residents every month on our roadways.

A recent story, which may not have gotten much press was that of a 30-year-old Baltimore woman who died following a bad three-car accident in Howard County as she apparently waited to turn left into a local neighborhood. According to reports, the accident occurred just before 8am in Fulton, MD, as Jasmine Ann Brisson was driving her Dodge Neon westbound on Scaggsville Road.