Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog

No Defective or Illegal Alterations Found on Pickup Truck Involved in Fatal Wicomico County, MD, Crash

December 14, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Defective automobile parts and components can result in minor accidents and even fatal crashes. Depending on what vehicle systems or safety equipment fail on a passenger car or truck, the resulting wreck can cause injuries from cuts and bruises to internal bleeding and even fatal brain trauma or serious spinal damage. As Maryland injury lawyers and auto accident attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers has the experience to represent individuals injured in as a result of another person’s negligence.

A recent article shows that some fatal accidents are not a result of defective equipment, which brings into question the human factor. Driver error is one of the largest causes of traffic accidents. Depending on vehicle speed and road conditions the ultimate result can be devastating to the occupants involved in a sedan, sport utility vehicle (SUV) or pickup truck accident.

According to reports, investigators’ post-crash inspection of a Maryland State Police cadet’s Ford F-250 pickup truck showed no specific defects or height violations, which could have led to the fatal head-on crash that left a Parsonsburg man dead in an earlier accident.

17-year-old Maryland Teen Killed in Fatal Drunk Driving-related Pickup Truck Crash

December 12, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Fatal car accidents are tragic enough, but when you throw in alcohol use the tragedy is even more difficult for a community to bear. There is no excuse for driving drunk, yet every day across Maryland and the rest of the country motorists from all walks of life get behind the wheel while intoxicated. The lucky ones never have a car accident, however many do and those car, turck and SUV crashes can be fatal. The saddest situations involve traffic deaths at the hands of a friend or relative.

As Maryland auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues see this kind of scenario all too often. Recently I read of a fatal single-vehicle crash that took the life of a young high school student from Howard County, MD. That young man’s choice to ride with a driver who was allegedly drunk was the worst possible decision he could have made.

Based on news articles, 17-year-old River Hill high school student Steven Dankos was riding in the bed of a pickup truck in late November with the older brother of one of his best friends at the wheel, 22-year-old David Erdman. A third passenger was also with them, Erdman’s 17-year-old brother Thomas was riding inside the pickup, police said.

Maryland Auto Recall Update: Toyota to Fix Dangerous Unintended Acceleration Problem

December 10, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

As auto accident attorneys here in Maryland, we know that car and truck crashes can occur for a variety of reasons. When one of those reasons points to a defective design or service procedure on an automobile, SUV or other passenger car, people take notice. Earlier news reports had stated that Toyota was recalling nearly four million cars including the popular Camry for a seemingly inconsequential problem — a poorly designed floor mat.

In this case, the vehicles’ accelerator pedal could become stuck when pressed to the floor, held down by the floor mat and causing a potential runaway engine scenario and possible injuries. According to reports Toyota has announces a fix for this potential unintended acceleration issue, which may be a relief to many, but which may call into question the quality aspect of Toyota’s engineering and design work going forward.

Apparently Toyota’s unintended acceleration problem won’t be going away any time soon, either. Consumer Reports has recently taken a look at complaints of unintended acceleration from owners of 2008 vehicles, during which the magazine found that 41 percent of the complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) came from Toyota owners.

Maryland Man Dies in Fatal Head-on Car-Truck Crash in Wicomico County

December 8, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Head-on traffic accidents are one of the more dangerous and potentially fatal of all vehicle collisions on our undivided highways. While urban accidents can include head-on crashes as well, the higher speeds of rural roads make these kinds of auto wrecks much more life threatening. As Maryland injury and automobile accident lawyers, our firm understands the severity of such crashes and the injuries that passengers can sustain.

Recently, a young Parsonsburg, MD, man was killed when his car unexplainably veered into the path of another vehicle on Maryland’s Route 364 just east of Esham Road in Wicomico County. Police reports indicate that the man’s Mercury Sable crossed the centerline and collided with a Ford pickup truck traveling westbound at that time.

According to news reports, 19-year-old Shawn Michael Williams from Parsonsburg was traveling eastbound on Route 346 when he apparently lost control and his car crossed into the path of an oncoming Ford F-250. According to Maryland State Police Williams not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident and pronounced dead at the scene.

Maryland Auto Accident News: Toyota Recalls 110,000 Tundra Pickups for Potentially Dangerous Condition

December 6, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Sometimes the most inconsequential problems can become life threatening; such is apparently the case with Toyota’s Tundra pickup trucks. According to reports, the Japanese manufacturer has recalled 110,000 vehicles from the 2000-2003 model years for a rust problem with the crossmember that holds the spare tire to the frame. As Maryland auto accident and personal injury lawyers, our job is to help victims who have been injured or have suffered due to another person’s negligence.

The defect discussed in the news recently could result in the Tundra’s spare tire falling onto the roadway in front of another car, which could cause that driver to lose control and crash. On a highway, this could result in a multi-car accident. It’s wise for Toyota to recall these defective models, which would otherwise be potential hazards on the road.

Information out of Washington, D.C. shows that the government has urged owners to take preventative action by removing the spare tire from the frame before a dangerous situation occurs. The recently announced recall involves Tundras registered in 20 “cold weather” states including the Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Boonsboro, MD, Man Killed and Passenger Injured in Sharpsburg Car Crash

December 3, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Two older residents of Boonsboro, Maryland, were recently involved in a serious single-car accident on Sharpsburg Pike when the sedan in which they were riding left the roadway and crashed into a stone wall near the side of the road. As a Maryland auto accident attorney, I have handled hundreds of cases such as this over my career. In many such instances, defective vehicle equipment has been known to have played a part, however driver error is never outside the realm of possibility.

In this case, an 81-year-old female passenger was injured when the driver of the 1992 Buick LeSabre she was riding in apparently lost control of the vehicle on Sharpsburg Pike a little before noon. According to news reports, 86-year-old John Robert Miller of Bakersville Road in Boonsboro, was driving when the car left the roadway.

Patsy Miller, also of Boonsboro, was injured when the LeSabre ran off the right side of the road near 5604 Sharpsburg Pike, south of the Antietam National Battlefield visitors center in Washington County. According to Maryland State Police, the vehicle struck a mailbox and then a drainage ditch. The car then reportedly went airborne and struck a monument before overturning into a stone wall and coming to rest on its roof.

Maryland College Student Dies in Fatal Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Accident

November 29, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Another late-October traffic fatality took the life of a University of Maryland junior who was apparently the victim of a hit-and-run pedestrian accident. Having represented victims of pedestrian injury accidents, I can understand the pain and grief of such a loss, not only to the family but to the friends and schoolmates of this young woman. When it comes to car and truck accidents, the occupants in the vehicles have a much better survival rate than the persons on foot.

According to news reports, the Baltimore Police were investigating this particular hit-and-run accident, which claimed the life of Miriam Frankl just before 3:30pm on a Friday afternoon in October. Reportedly, police investigators had apparently questioned the owner of the white Ford F-250 truck that fatally injured Frankl while making an illegal left turn onto E. University Parkway from St. Paul St that day. Frankl died the following morning the University of Maryland Shock Trauma unit.

The white Ford F-250 in question was reportedly found on the following Saturday night, legally parked on the 3800 block of Edgarton Road in Northwest Baltimore. Police said that it had a decal from Tate Engineering Systems, but was apparently no longer owned by the company, having been sold to a private individual in August or September of 2008.

University of Maryland Grad Killed in Fatal Single-vehicle Crash on George Washington Parkway

November 27, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Any traffic death is a tragedy, but those automobile accidents that take a young, promising life are all the more horrendous. As a Maryland car accident lawyer, I try to help the families of these victims find some sort of closure. Though nothing can bring back a loved one killed in a car or truck accident, the monetary awards that some victims receive can help the family to recover after a loss of this magnitude. News of a recent traffic death on the GW Parkway illustrates the senseless waste of human life that an auto accident can inflict.

According to reports, 22-year-old Ashley Roberta was killed in late October when the sport utility vehicle she was riding in crashed into a metal guardrail on the parkway around 3:15am. The University of Maryland graduate was pronounced dead at the scene.

Roberta, a native of Phoenix, Maryland, graduated from the university last May with a degree in criminology. She reportedly had planned to attend law school and was interviewing for a job as a paralegal, according to a friend and senior family advisor.

Head-on Car Crash in Frederick, MD, sends Two Injured Drivers to the Hospital

November 25, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Sport utility vehicle (SUV), pickup truck and car accidents can happen any time with little or no warning. The lucky drivers in traffic accidents such as these receive minor to moderate injuries. The unlucky ones can end up permanently handicapped or, worse, pronounced dead at the scene of the car or truck crash. As Maryland auto accident attorneys, I and my colleagues help to represent accident victims and their families to help recover some or all of the medical expenses, lost wages and other financial costs of such collisions.

A recent news report talked about couple of the lucky ones who survived a head-on car crash in Frederick, MD. According to police, two drivers traveling in separate vehicle were injured when their vehicles collided on Maryland 180 where the roadway crosses over U.S. 340.

Reports indicate that the accident occurred just before 12:30 in the afternoon, when a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer driving westbound over the Maryland 180 bridge crossed the center line and collided head-on with a 2009 Ford Focus.

Maryland Motorist Charged with Drunk Driving and Two Accidents Traveling the Wrong Way on I-70

November 24, 2009 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drunk driving can and does cause tragic results. It’s amazing, then, that an 84-year-old Maryland motorist who police believe was driving under the influence of alcohol, did not kill anyone when he unknowingly drove the wrong way on Interstate 70 recently. As auto and truck accident attorneys, I and my colleagues have seen first-hand the results of similar events. This one, thank goodness, did not result in any fatalities or serious injuries, for that matter.

According to reports, Carroll Wayne Broome of Hagerstown was apparently intoxicated when he entered I-70 just after noontime on Monday, November 16, and drove eastbound through opposing traffic. Police say that Broome caused two separate accidents near exit 28 (near Maryland’s Route 632) and exit 29 (near route 65).

Surprisingly, no serious injuries were reported, according to reports. Law enforcement officials said that the first accident occurred when two other vehicles collided after Broome’s vehicle caused the other drivers to swerve to avoid the man near exit 28. The second accident occurred when a car, which was grazed by the man’s blue passenger vehicle, rear-ended another car that had slowed down to avoid a collision.