Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

Maryland Auto Accident News: Man Found Guilty in Fatal Pedestrian Accident near Glen Burnie Church

April 13, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Inattentive drivers can be just as dangerous as drunk drivers; that’s a fact. And while the law has punishments in place for those whose drinking and driving results in the severe injury or death of another individual, distracted or careless motorists must also be held accountable if their negligence causes harm. As a Baltimore automobile accident lawyer, my aim is to help victims and their families to recover medical costs and other damages caused by another person.

Recently, a resident of Linthicum Heights pled guilty to a single count of vehicular manslaughter resulting from the August 22 pedestrian accident that left 59-year-old Glen Burnie woman dead. On that day, Mary Bernice Collins was on her way to Holy Trinity Catholic Church for evening mass when she was hit. She was reportedly standing on a sidewalk when hit by a vehicle driven by 27-year-old Matthew Evan Norwood.

Following the collision, Norwood reportedly left the scene. Based on circuit court reports in Annapolis, Norwood accepted a plea agreement in exchange for the prosecutor’s office to drop seven other related charges, not the least of which was for hit-and-run.

Maryland Traffic Accident News: Prince George’s Policeman Dies from Injuries Sustained in Weather-related Car Crash

April 10, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

No matter where you live or work in Maryland, injuries and potential fatalities are always lurking on the road. Even those trained for the worst can be caught off guard by a traffic accident. Whether you drive a passenger car or commercial truck, a surprise on the road can put you or a family member in the hospital. As a Baltimore injury lawyer and auto accident attorney, I understand all too well the worst-case results of a vehicle collision on a highway, city street or rural route.

We read recently of the tragic passing of one of Maryland’s finest, a Prince George’s police officer whose car hit some black ice during a spate of bad weather as he was responding to a call. The single-vehicle crash put the man in the hospital back on February 27. According to reports, 27-year-old Officer Thomas Paul Jensen died on March 9 from injuries he received during that crash.

Officer Jensen had been hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit at Prince George’s Hospital Center since the crash that occurred when he lost control of his vehicle on a patch of black ice and collided with a telephone pole in College Park, said a police spokesman.

Baltimore Auto Accident Injury Law Update: Reckless Driving Bill Pending in Maryland Legislature

April 8, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Negligent drivers, whether they operate passenger vehicles or commercial delivery trucks or tractor-trailer rigs, should be help accountable for their actions behind the wheel. In Maryland, the penalties for reckless driving involving fatalities can appear to be hardly sufficient considering the results that are evident. Not a week goes by that it seems we hear at least one news story of a traffic fatality on one of this state’s busy roadways.

As a Baltimore automobile accident lawyer, I and my colleagues fight a seemingly never ending battle for car crash victims and their families. It makes not difference whether a person is hurt as a result of a semi truck hitting their car or another passenger vehicle slamming into their sedan, minivan or SUV. The pain and suffering sustained during the accident and afterward can be substantial.

Not long ago we reported on a bill introduced into the Maryland state legislature that would increase the penalties for drivers found guilty of reckless and negligent driving in instance where the driver’s action led to the death or serious injury of another individual. It’s heartening to know now that the bill has already received support in the form of a successful vote in the Senate and will soon be moving on to the House.

Baltimore Traffic Injury Accident News: Study Reveals Maryland’s Average to Low Risk for Speeding; Drunk Driving Fatalities

April 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Certainly there are no guarantees in life, but as motorists we do assume risks every time we get behind the wheel of our automobiles, motorcycles and SUVs. This being said, it would be comforting to know if we could expect a modicum of safety for ourselves and our families while traveling Maryland’s highways and byways. As Baltimore car accident lawyers, I and my colleagues know first-hand the worst-case scenarios that await some people.

A recent study by the Reader’s Digest gave us some hope for drivers throughout the state. According to the report, Maryland ranks in the top one-fifth of states with the lowest chances of a fatal alcohol-related traffic accident. Furthermore, when it comes to speeding-related deaths on our roads, the state falls just below the national average fatal.

What does this mean in real figures? According to the report, Maryland has about 0.28 drunk driving-related deaths per million vehicle miles, ranking it eighth and placing it in the top ten safest states for that category. For the United States as a whole, drunk driving deaths average 0.40 per million vehicle miles traveled.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Elkton Man Arrested in Connection with Fatal 2009 Drunk Driving Crash

April 4, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Fatal traffic accidents are a sad and unfortunately common occurrence on Maryland’s rural and interstate motorways. Every day, drivers from Annapolis, D.C., Baltimore and other cities and towns around the state face multiple dangers when taking to our roadways. This is seemingly the price we pay for living in such a mobile and active society. But many fatal traffic accidents can be prevented or avoided with some luck and a little preparation.

Even so, every few days we hear of a deadly car or truck collision that has claimed yet another life. These victims can be mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, even grandparents. Fate does not discriminate when it comes to traffic accidents. As Maryland auto injury lawyers, our office understands the emotional pain and hardship that accompanies every fatal automobile wreck. Sometimes the negligent party becomes a fugitive from justice, which makes a family’s loss that much more difficult to bear.

A news reports recently called this kind of accident to mind as a man wanted in a fatal drunk driving accident was identified by U.S. Customs agents at a northern boarder crossing. According to reports, Gerald D. Barnett was arrested in March on charges linked to a deadly car crash last year in June.

Maryland Auto Injury News: Three Persons Injured in Route 665 Rollover Accident near Annapolis

April 2, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Automobile wrecks, including trucking-related crashes, can cause severe injuries to drivers and passengers. Traffic accidents on high-speed roads can result in even worse injuries and sometimes fatalities. When it comes to vehicles with higher centers of gravity, a rollover accident is very possible depending on the circumstances. Head, neck and back injuries can result when an SUV, minivan or other large vehicle rolls over on the highway.

Being Maryland auto accident attorneys, my office sees numerous victims of rollover crashes every year. The cost of medical care and reticence on the part of insurance companies to pay claims only makes the physical injuries of a car, motorcycle or trucking-related accident that much more painful. Recovering from cuts and bruises, spinal damage and traumatic brain injury is just the start of a traffic accident victim’s path to normalcy.

Recently a double rollover accident caused injury to three individuals on Maryland’s Route 665 near Annapolis. According to news reports, the crash occurred in the late morning when two vehicles collided and rolled over on in the westbound lanes of Route 665. Based on information from the fire department officials, it took 12 firefighters almost 10 minutes to free a 31-year-old woman trapped inside one of the vehicles.

Baltimore Traffic Injury Law: Uninsured Cabs are Cheap…Until You’re Injured in a Severe Accident

March 31, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

In my Baltimore injury law office we often hear of accidents involving service vehicles. Taxi cabs, hire cars, limousines and shuttle busses can all be involved in traffic collisions. As passenger, you can be seriously injured in even the simplest automobile accidents. It doesn’t take much to cause an unbelted occupant of a motor vehicle to sustain broken bones, cuts and bruises and even debilitating injuries.

Every Maryland resident who rides as a passenger in a cab, bus or other type of fare-paying transportation should be aware of the potential problems associated with uninsured carriers. And even if you don’t travel in these potentially costly conveyances, you may have an elderly relative or friend who often uses one to get to and from the supermarket or other metropolitan location.

This is especially important because, as we all know, automobile accidents can happen anywhere, any time. People on a fixed budget will find uninsured cabs and hire cars particularly difficult to turn when they offer such low fares. But you must ask yourself the question, “Is it worth the possibly devastating medical or work-loss costs should you become a victim of that driver’s error or negligence?”

Maryland Auto Accident Update: Are Lenient Vehicular Manslaughter Laws Unfair to Victims of Fatal Car Crashes?

March 29, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

To some observers, it could be said that Maryland’s automobile manslaughter laws are not nearly as harsh as they should be for individuals convicted of killing another person as a result of a traffic wreck. While car and truck accidents happen all of the time, a percentage of these collisions are fatal. As a Baltimore auto accident lawyer, I and my colleagues have helped dozens of families deal with the tragic loss of a loved one due to another person’s negligence.

Wrongful death suits can be quite commonplace in instances of gross negligence on a driver’s part. Certain factors can make a vehicular manslaughter charge necessary, such as drinking and driving, excessive speed and aggressive driving, even distracted driving is getting the attention of some states as a cause of fatal passenger car and trucking-related collisions. Pedestrians killed by a motorist’s poor judgment are another group that is represented in the gruesome fatal traffic accident statistics.

A recent editorial brought home some of the heart-breaking details that illustrate typical facts surrounding these sad stories of loss and grief. One example of the seeming injustice of Maryland’s traffic laws was an incident where a driver only had to pay two traffic tickets after an accident that killed a gentleman and was allegedly caused by excessive speed, racing and off-road driving.

Baltimore Injury Lawyer News: Many Maryland Residents Support Ignition Interlocks for Convicted DUI Offenders

March 26, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drunk driving kills thousands of people every year across the U.S. and Maryland is no exception to this sad statistic. Whether you live in Annapolis, Baltimore, the District or Columbia, MD, every week it is possible to read another in the steady stream of news article covering fatal traffic accidents caused by motorists impaired by alcohol, prescription narcotics and illicit drugs. Most every Maryland injury attorney has represented his or her fair share of victims and their families following a tragic car or truck wreck.

A bill making its way through the Maryland legislature may help to reduce the number of injuries, such as broken bones, head trauma and spinal cord damage, caused by repeat drunk driving offenders. According to reports, two bills are part of the state’s Drunk Driving Elimination Act, which was created in an attempt to reduce the incidence of DUI across Maryland.

One of the bills would require every convicted drunk driving offender to have an ignition interlock installed in his or her vehicle, and to remain in use for a state-mandated period of time — possibly three months. This potential law, which would affect even first-time DUI offenders, is similar to laws on the books in other states that require the use of ignition interlock devices for people responsible for automobile and trucking-related collisions.

Maryland Accident News: Hit-and-Run Blamed in Crash Involving Baltimore County Police Car

March 24, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area, even law enforcement professionals can find themselves the victims of bad drivers. As a Baltimore personal injury and auto accident lawyer, every month my office is contacted by individuals who have been hurt as a result of the negligence of another driver. This recent automobile crash involving a county police squad car is just another example of the frequent lack of responsibility exhibited by certain motorists.

According to Baltimore County Police, the department was at the time of the latest news report looking for the operator of a vehicle that struck and damaged a police car as well as injuring the patrolman at the scene. The hit-and-run accident happened on February 17 in the early morning hours in the Essex area. Fortunately, the crash did not result in serious injury to the officer.

Based on reports, the officer was driving eastbound on Eastern Boulevard near Chesapeake Park Plaza when a white man driving a dark-colored Honda passenger car attempted to execute a U-turn and ended up hitting the patrol car’s rear passenger side. Because one of the officer’s tires blew out he was unable to pursue the suspect.