Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

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.

Drunk Driver Who Killed Two Maryland Men Gets 10 Years in Jail for Vehicular Manslaughter

June 24, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As auto accident attorneys practicing in the Baltimore area, I and my colleagues have seen the aftermath of some of the worst of Maryland’s car and truck collisions. Traffic accidents can kill and maim the occupants of a passenger in a split second. What is tragic is that many accidents could have been avoided if it weren’t for driver negligence.

A frequent cause of traffic accidents is drunken driving. To some, driving under the influence of alcohol is the height of driver negligence because it is something that should be in every motorist’s control not to get behind the wheel in an intoxicated state. To choose to drink knowing that one will be driving in an impaired condition is at least an irresponsible act, at worst it can be a death sentence to some unknown and unsuspecting victim.

To often it seems, the people whose negligence results in the death of another individual are punished only after the fact, which is cold comfort to the families of the victims. In the conclusion of a rather sad story that began last year, a woman has finally felt the hand of justice following the fatal drinking and driving accident that led to the deaths of two men in 2009.

Maryland Highway Worker Killed in Apparent Hit-and-Run on U.S. 50 in Anne Arundel County

June 22, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

It’s a sad fact of life that people die senselessly in car, truck, SUV and motorcycle accidents every year here in Baltimore and across the state. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable, since they are both difficult to see and have little if any protection from a 3,000-pound motor vehicle. Highway workers number as part of this group of individuals killed or maimed each month on Maryland’s roadways.

As a Maryland car accident attorney and personal injury lawyer, I know that many accidents can be prevented. Unfortunately, the statistics speak for themselves and show that severe injuries, such as neck and head trauma, are common in pedestrian crashes. We are never surprised, sadly, that such collisions can result in pedestrian deaths as well.

A recent news story shows how deadly a nighttime traffic accident can be for a lone individual on a dark stretch of highway. According to reports, a highway worker was killed in during a late-night collision, after which the driver of the car fled the scene. Even though Ghassen Sabra had an active warning light on the nearby work truck he was using, the 52-year-old was still struck and killed while doing highway maintenance work late at night in Anne Arundel County.

Based on police reports, Sabra was clipped by a car and left for dead in the center lane of Route 50. An 18-wheel tractor-trailer then ran the man over when the truck’s driver had no time to stop. The accident occurred around midnight in a non-construction zone. This was apparently the first fatal car accident involving a highway worker in Maryland since 2006. Sabra’s untimely death raised to eight the number of highway workers killed over the past five years.

Preliminary investigation by police showed that Sabra was working in the left lane of eastbound U.S. 50, either setting up or removing traffic-counting devices, at the time he was hit. Sabra, who was wearing reflective clothing at the time of the accident, was thrown into an adjacent lane where he was run over by the big rig.

Maryland Car Accident News: Anne Arundel County Crackdown on Aggressive Drivers Kicks Off Summer Season

June 18, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Police can only do so much to curb the dangerous driving behaviors that we all see on our highways, rural roads and city streets. It’s not uncommon to have a bad injury accident or even fatal traffic collision caused by another driver’s impatient and belligerent actions on a public road. These kinds of crashes, which involve SUVs, sedans, pickup trucks and even motorcycles, can cause bodily injuries ranging from bumps and bruises to deep cuts and even fatal traumatic head injuries.

With the pace of everyone’s working and private lives ever increasing, it’s not difficult to see why people are in a hurry, but there is no excuse for endangering other drivers as a result. As Maryland automobile accident lawyers, we applaud law enforcement’s efforts to reduce the amount of aggressive driving on our streets and in doing so perhaps limit the number of accidents as well.

One area of note is a stretch of Interstate 97, which apparently is the focus of the latest police crackdown on aggressive driving. Anne Arundel County police officers and state troopers, 45 in all using vehicles and a police helicopter, were part of a month-long program to target and ticket offenders on the I-97 corridor in Anne Arundel County.

Maryland Automobile Accident News: Baltimore Ranks 29th Nationwide in Fatal Pedestrian-Car Accidents

June 16, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Depending on how you read the data, Baltimore pedestrians either have a lot to celebrate or a fair amount of caution yet to exercise when traversing the city’s crosswalks. According to Transportation for America, a pedestrian and bicycle safety group, more than 76,000 Americans have died over the past 15 years just crossing the street in their own communities.

My office provides legal services to individuals injured in pedestrian accidents caused by negligent passenger car drivers or as a result of a commercial trucking accident. As Maryland injury attorneys, we understand the pain and suffering that can follow a pedestrian-automobile accident, as well as the associated medical costs for treatment and rehabilitation.

The published report on pedestrian injuries and fatalities across the country ranked a number of metropolitan areas in terms of frequency of accidents involving persons on foot. In discussing the issue of pedestrian injuries, the authors of the study sum up the total number of deaths as being the equivalent of a jumbo jet crashing with a full passenger load once every month or so. It’s shocking to say the least.

Calling out the total number of deaths in this decade, Transportation for America points out that nearly 4,000 children under 16 years have been killed so far in the 2000s. Based on their figures, the authors observed that in children, elderly and infirm individuals, and ethnic minorities are over-represented in the totals.

The study is quick to address the fact that many pedestrian deaths are typically termed “accidents,” which indicates an error either on the part of the vehicle operator or the person on foot. However, the authors make a strong point that quite a large percentage of these so-called accidents occurred along roadways that were “dangerous by design.” In other words, the blame should perhaps be shifted to the poor roadway and sidewalk design, rather than to the users of those streets and walkways.

It has become more and more prevalent that communities are retrofitting poorly designed roadways into more complete streets. This is being done through the addition of sidewalks and bicycle lanes, reduction of crossing distances and the installation of trees and crosswalks to make walking and biking safer and more inviting.

Multi-car Traffic Accident on Maryland’s Route 50 in Anne Arundel County Sends Three to Hospital

June 13, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

A four-vehicle automobile collision on Kent Island, resulted in four persons being hurt, one seriously. The chain-reaction traffic accident on Route 50 in Queen Anne’s County, which caused a backup to the Kent Narrows Bridge, occurred around 5am on a Saturday morning.

As Baltimore injury attorneys, our main focus is helping the victims of traffic accidents recover from potentially life-changing situations. While no one lost their life in this particular crash, the chance is always present that a family could lose a parent and provider. With lost income and possibly exorbitant medical bills, a family could easily be thrown into a downward financial spiral that may only get worse if medical and associated costs cannot be recuperated.

Many traffic accidents result from driver error, although faulty vehicle equipment such as the braking or steering system have been known to cause some very severe wrecks. In this case, news reports indicate that the pileup resulted from a pickup truck that slowed down on Route 50 to allow work crews to reenter the roadway.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Child Killed; Seven Injured in SUV Rollover Accident on Perring Parkway

June 12, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Alcohol use is one of the biggest factors when it comes to traffic accidents. To say that an individual is not responsible for his actions when drunk is to ignore the fact that the very same person made a conscious decision to begin drinking in the first place. Regardless of a person’s intent when entering a bar or taking a drink at home prior to getting into a motor vehicle, the results of such actions can be long-lasting, if not permanent or even fatal.

As Baltimore auto accident lawyers, I and my associates work to help victims and their families recover from tragic and life-changing car and truck collisions. Adding alcohol or prescription drug use into the equation turns an already sad event into a regrettable and heartrending experience for all of the affected parties.

Not long ago a news article caught our attention in which excessive vehicle speed and possibly alcohol consumption were likely factors in the fatal crash of an SUV along Perring Parkway. The single-vehicle accident occurred in the early evening hours on a Sunday, killing a six-year-old boy and injuring seven other passengers and the driver.

Baltimore Auto Accident News: Teenager Survives Maryland Car Crash in which Three Close Friends Died

June 11, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

She survived with just cuts and bruises, but Rachel Ankrom is far from fine after a harrowing late-night automobile accident on a Maryland interstate that left three of her friends dead after a nightmarish ordeal. As parents we all worry about our youngsters, teenagers and young adults barely out in the world who have less real-life experience than their mothers and fathers, so it’s natural that we worry about them.

As Baltimore car accident and injury lawyers, my office has represented families who have lost loved ones in tragic car, truck and motorcycle accidents. Whether you are young or old, there is no guarantee that any driver will avoid a deadly traffic accident. While most accidents don’t result in death, the chance of a fatal car, minivan or truck wreck is always present on our highways or rural roads.

A recent news story pointed out how terrible a car accident can be. Sadly, the crash mentioned here took the lives of three individuals, while only one of their group survived to talk about the experience. Based on news accounts, the 18-year-old survivor, Rachel Ankrom of Fayette City, was riding in a vehicle with her friends through Maryland on their way to Ocean City, MD, when the vehicle apparently went out of control.

Police Say Speeding, DWI Possibly to Blame in Fatal Prince George’s County Car Crash

June 9, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

The loss of any life is tragic to say the least, but to lose an infant in a senseless automobile accident leaves a scar that rarely if ever heals. Unfortunately, here in Maryland every parent’s nightmare is just one bad decision away. Thoughtless drivers rarely consider the ultimate consequences of their actions, yet time and time again, people are injured or killed on our streets and highways due to someone’s negligence behind the wheel.

As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and injury lawyers, our office offers help to victims of these pointless traffic accidents. When a fatal single-vehicle accident occurs with a parent at the wheel the tragedy is all the more disturbing, such as the one that took place just last month in Prince George’s County. In that crash, a little 2-year-old child was killed in what local police believe was a combination of drinking, speeding and poor roadway conditions.

According to news reports the incident happened in mid-May on a Wednesday night in Landover, MD, when a two-door Chrysler Sebring, which was traveling on Brightseat Road, for some reason veered into the opposing lane, then sped into a nearby woods and struck a tree around 7:30pm. Police reports show that the impact literally split the vehicle in half.